Jump to content

Waterproofing paper speaker cones


david.elsbury

Recommended Posts

Hi all

Just a quick one on behalf of someone else.

 

We've got a number of speaker cabinets, both front and horn loaded, that get used outside occasionally and would like to give a little more protection to the paper cones than they currently have.

 

Is there some sort of spray (silicone? waterproofing?) that you can suggest to lightly spray on the cones to avoid them getting waterlogged when used outside?

We already tarp the back and side of stacks, which is all good for the cabinets themselves, but just wanted to prevent destroying speakers.

 

Please ask if I need to provide any more detail.

 

Cheers

David

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I know of a number of people who swear by using "Scotchgard" spray on fabric protector for exactly this purpose.

 

However, let me add the caveat that I've never done it myself and personally would worry that something like this could change the characteristics of the speaker or, if heavy-handed, even do damage.

 

Bob

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Possibly - but I'd suspect that any deformation caused by a light, even spray from something like Scotchgard would be significantly less than the deformation caused by a good soaking with rainwater...

 

I guess you need to balance up the risks... and maybe try it on an expendable piece of kit...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, I know of a number of people who swear by using "Scotchgard" spray on fabric protector for exactly this purpose.

 

However, let me add the caveat that I've never done it myself and personally would worry that something like this could change the characteristics of the speaker or, if heavy-handed, even do damage.

 

Bob

 

Agreed! Works great! (for a while) depends on how long your thinking of leaving them out for.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Based in Scotland, our speakers regularly get wet, and I anticipate some cabinets getting a thorough soaking this weekend!

Whatever method you use to waterproof them or protect them I would also recommend that you get them back into the shed/unit as soon as possible after the gig - leaving them in the truck or van is not a good idea, and leaving them in a flightcase or with a wheel board on is definately not a good idea.

 

Get them into a shed with plenty of ventilation, leave lots of room around the cabinets and dry off the outside with some old towels. If possible put on an oscillating fan to stir up the air. This should help them dry out slowly and evenly.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was working for the uk subs, penetration, vibrators and the like back in the early 80's we had a lot of failures of monitor drivers and the cones collapsing, so we had to come up with a GOB proof monitor, so after hoseing the monitors out for the 5th time, we came up with the solution, using a paint called "dope" this is a lightweight sealer that is used on model airplanes, a couple of coats of this on the cone, and hey presto, we had a waterproof monitor and and could wash them off without destoying the cones. incidently, there are speakers around that are waterproof, try www.onesystems.com they have some decent waterproof speakers and wedges.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

When I was working for the uk subs, penetration, vibrators and the like back in the early 80's

Good lord. I saw the vibrators at toilet (Mr Digbys maybe?) as a punk young man many years ago, and have never heard of them since...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I painted a load of Reddifusion PA speakers in a garden centre with diluted polyurethane varnish, a thin coat on the cone, sorted out the damage being caused by wet but as it was only a crumby "british rail" type PA system I couldn't tell you what effect it had on the quality, it was equally bad before and after.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.