fletcherkane Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 I am the proud owner of a pair of original Walnut Oil Forte's. I am also the proud father of 3 small children. One of them "pushed in" the centers of both of the rear passive radiator woofers. There are no rips or tears, just a dent in the center. Is there a way to "pull the dent?" It doesn't seem to affect the speaker's sound in any way. If I need to replace them, is there a place to find passive radiators? I love Klipsch speakers, but have never attempted to repair or modify a speaker before. Would this be a major job? Any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fletcherkane Posted January 3, 2005 Author Share Posted January 3, 2005 Just to be clear, it is the "dust cap" that is dented in. The center dome looking thingy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Champagne taste beer budget Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Although I've not done either personally, two methods I'm aware of are... 1) Judicious use of a vacuum hose to the dust cap, let the low pressure on the back push it back out. Not sure how powerful of a vacuum I'd want to use for this one lest you create more damage. 2) Poke a small hole in the center of the cap with a sharp pin, remove pin, then bend the pin into an "L", sitck one leg of the L into the hole, give it a 90 degree turn and use the end of the pin to pull out the dent while holding onto the other leg. Try and find some stiff, small diameter wire if the dented area is too large for the pin to reach the edges. In either case, I have not heard anyone say they heard any change in sound with the caps dented or undented. Good luck, and keep those inquisitive fingers as far away as possible! I know what you mean, I have a 4 1/2 yr old daughter myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicholtl Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Yeah, I have that problem too, with one of my RF7's. Another method I was told was to use duct tape to basically force-pull it out again. I never tried. I say just slap the grills back on and forget about it. There's no impact on the performance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fletcherkane Posted January 3, 2005 Author Share Posted January 3, 2005 Thanks for the input. However, there is no rear grill on a Forte. As it is facing the wall, there isn't really even a cosmetic issue. Still ticked me off when I found my 3 year old "playing" with my gear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 One of my children pushed in the dome on one of the tweeters on my JBL 4311s. It was years ago. I couldn't tell any difference, so I have left them. It is only a cosmetic thing on the passives. I would just leave them be. And hug your kids some more so they know you love them. Marvel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yaffstone Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 I had the same problem with my son and my fortes. They are magnets for young kids somehow. I covered the passive radiators with grill cloth available from radio shack. I used a staple gun to attach it. Out of sight, out of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 I have used adhesive tape to pull out a dust cap dent before. Try this before the pin hole method. There will be no difference in sound with the dents. You can also replace just the dust caps if you want, try simplyspeakers.com for the right size. Therefore, whatever you try can always be rectified. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fletcherkane Posted January 3, 2005 Author Share Posted January 3, 2005 Maybe since its just cosmetic, I'll keep them as is and have a story to tell when he inherits them down the road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dougdrake Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 I have used the pin hole method, then filled the hole with a small dab of Elmer's Glue and colored it black with a permanent marker. Worked fine for me, although it was last resort after trying the tape and vacuum method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Good2BHome Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 I've used a vacuum cleaner on several Klipsch dust covers over the years. I would recommend this as the most effective and cosmetically best method. Most vacs have a opening close to the end of the hose to regulate the suction, which is usually left closed and is opened to reduce suction on blinds, curtains and other delicates. Try it with full open first. If that works, great, if not keep closing until it does. Probably a good idea to start with a clean vac bag to have max suction available. If you're a nervous person (unsteady hands) find steady hands. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Klipschguy Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 I have successfully pulled several dents using duct tape. Make yourself a duct tape loop appropriate in width (about 2/3 the width of the dent). Place the center of the loop on the center of the dent, then use some thing like a pencil eraser to adhere the tape snugly to the dent. Grab the loop and pull very quickly away from the dent at a perpendicular angle. The quicker the tug, the harder the pull. Sometimes you need to repeat a couple of times using fresh tape loops. Hope this helps. It even worked on a tweeter aluminum dust cap just recently (took about 10 pulls though). Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 I know the dents know make a difference, but it is hard for me to belive that the pin prick holes won't! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrWho Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Partsexpress sells speaker repair stuff as well (and it's cheaper too). They have a bottle of glue costing $6, but you can just use elmer's glue: http://www.partsexpress.com/webpage.cfm?&Webpage_ID=3&DID=7&CAT_ID=48&ObjectGroup_ID=371&SO=2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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