Replacing Speaker Grille Cloth

[Mothman]

Anyone tried replacing the cloth on their speaker grilles, if so was it fairly straightforward? The following thread from another site seems to give the basic principles but the guy is using a specialist glue and so I'm open to any suggestions as to an alternative that anyone has used with success

http://www.humanspeakers.com/howto/grill-cloth.htm

Cheers

[greenhomeelectronics]

I have done loads of the little buggers, it's very easy if you use the right stuff. The grille material needs to be the stuff that has a bit of stretch in both directions, it makes it much easier to work with. I use Uhu glue, it goes off quickly and grips very well, experience has proven that it gives a long lasting bond. I start off with a bit of cloth laid out on a flat surface, I then lay a line of glue down one back edge of the frame it fixes to. I stretch the cloth and then press it down on to the glue and hold it under tension for about 30 seconds until the glue holds it by itself. Before progressing further I let it dry for 10-15 minutes to make sure it does not move. I then do similar to the other side making sure the cloth is stretched in both directions. Let the glue dry again, then you can deal with the two ends. Be careful not to trim the corners back too far otherwise the edge of the frame can show through and it will ruin the job. Dont worry if the edges of the material are over sized at this time, you can use a craft knife and a straight edge to trim the material and get a nice finish. Nobody will ever see it but you will know it is done correctly. It's far easier to do it than it is to describe it. For a really great finish apply thin foam to the frame before applying the cloth, it gives it more body.
Hope that helps, shout if you need more info.
Dave.

[Reid Malenfant]

If you want some nice material that has stretch like Dave mentions, go to John Lewis & purchase some material called "Polyester Jersey". It's perfect for grille cloths as it's acoustically transparent as much as any grille cloth could be ;)

It looks good to! :)

[DSJR]

I MUST do the Spendors, as the foam backing crumbled away years ago and the stuff they used back then sags badly and isn't particularly transparent either. Spendor went to foam for a few years and then to the black stuff they use now.

Trouble is, my frets are warped and don't use the plastic tabs the later ones had. Wifey has offered to help though.

[Mothman]

I have done loads of the little buggers, it's very easy if you use the right stuff. The grille material needs to be the stuff that has a bit of stretch in both directions, it makes it much easier to work with. I use Uhu glue, it goes off quickly and grips very well, experience has proven that it gives a long lasting bond. I start off with a bit of cloth laid out on a flat surface, I then lay a line of glue down one back edge of the frame it fixes to. I stretch the cloth and then press it down on to the glue and hold it under tension for about 30 seconds until the glue holds it by itself. Before progressing further I let it dry for 10-15 minutes to make sure it does not move. I then do similar to the other side making sure the cloth is stretched in both directions. Let the glue dry again, then you can deal with the two ends. Be careful not to trim the corners back too far otherwise the edge of the frame can show through and it will ruin the job. Dont worry if the edges of the material are over sized at this time, you can use a craft knife and a straight edge to trim the material and get a nice finish. Nobody will ever see it but you will know it is done correctly. It's far easier to do it than it is to describe it. For a really great finish apply thin foam to the frame before applying the cloth, it gives it more body.
Hope that helps, shout if you need more info.
Dave.

Dave, Many thanks for the detailed reply. I'll get some UHU and see if I can find some suitable cloth locally, if not then Falcon Acoustics seem to offer something that may be suitable.