The vacuum trick?

Pycroft
Pycroft Posts: 1,960
edited December 2009 in Speakers
Good evenign everyone...

I read somewhere about a vacuum trick to unpop a tweeter that has been a bit pushed in. Is this the best way to go about it? I also heard about some tape, and something with a pin. I've never done this before, and it seems my daughter brushed into a speaker in my living room and pushed it in a bit. Can someone give specific directions on how they have done this...talk to me like i'm an imbiscile! (No comments necessary :))

I'm thinking vacuum first, but not sure if the size of the vacuum matters...I have a huge Hoover vacuum...I don't want to damage the speaker in any way, so the safest would be the best for me...

Thanks,

James
2 Channel/HT:
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Sony SS-M1CN Center Channel
Polk RT800 Surround Speakers
Odyssey Stratos Dual Mono Amplifiers
TAD 150 Signature Tube Preamp
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  • Knucklehead
    Knucklehead Posts: 3,602
    edited December 2009
    Ive watched someone do this a long time asgo with a Cerwin Vega. They took the vacuum, put a peice of cheesecloth over the nozzle to cut down on the suction and it worked. Not sure if I would have the balls to try it though.
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  • NJPOLKER
    NJPOLKER Posts: 3,474
    edited December 2009
    The way I pulled my dented cap out was easy and safer than the vacuum trick. Use a piece of single coated foam tape. Generally foam tape has a high tack adhesive so be careful not to apply too much of the adhesive side to the cap at first. Foam style tape will easily and quickly conform to the dent allowing you to pull the dent easily. If the dent does not pull use a little more of the foam tape surface and if needed let the tape adhere for a minute or so to build adhesion then gently pull the dent.
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  • Pycroft
    Pycroft Posts: 1,960
    edited December 2009
    If I'm going to use tape, what are the possibilities soem of the sticky tack will get permanently stuck to it, and what damage could taht cause?
    2 Channel/HT:
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  • Polkersince85
    Polkersince85 Posts: 2,883
    edited December 2009
    Pycroft wrote: »
    If I'm going to use tape, what are the possibilities soem of the sticky tack will get permanently stuck to it, and what damage could taht cause?

    A lot less than trying to find your dustcap in the vacuum bag.

    Start with masking tape,
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  • NJPOLKER
    NJPOLKER Posts: 3,474
    edited December 2009
    If you apply it for a short time the adhesive will not transfer. A short time meaning as long as it should take to pull the dent. The foam itself is coated with a primer by the manufacture that allows the adhesive to bond to it far greater than the dust cap you are pulling on thus not allowing the adhesive to transfer.
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  • NJPOLKER
    NJPOLKER Posts: 3,474
    edited December 2009
    Masking tape may work fine if the cap does not have a severe dent.
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  • F1nut
    F1nut Posts: 50,815
    edited December 2009
    A lot less than trying to find your dustcap in the vacuum bag.

    Agreed!
    Political Correctness'.........defined

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  • skrol
    skrol Posts: 3,395
    edited December 2009
    Polkersince85 wrote: »
    A lot less than trying to find your dustcap in the vacuum bag.

    Start with masking tape,

    That is what the cheese cloth is for, to catch all the pieces.

    Actually is the cloth is tensioned properly it may be to hold the pieces in place while the vacuum is applied.
    Stan

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  • gtu2004
    gtu2004 Posts: 620
    edited December 2009
    for an instant i thought you were talking abt THE vacuum trick...to make it bigger...
    Onkyo 805, RtiA5s, Csi5, Rti6s
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  • Pycroft
    Pycroft Posts: 1,960
    edited December 2009
    You could make your tweeter bigger? AWESOME :)

    Tee hee...
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    TAD 150 Signature Tube Preamp
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  • Midnite Mick
    Midnite Mick Posts: 1,591
    edited December 2009
    If you are worried about too much adhesion you could try painters tape.
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  • Ern Dog
    Ern Dog Posts: 2,237
    edited December 2009
    One of my tweeters got pushed in during shipping and to get it out I used the cardboard from an empty paper towel role. I placed one end on top of the tweeter and used my lungs to suck the air and it solved the problem.
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  • wutadumsn23
    wutadumsn23 Posts: 3,702
    edited December 2009
    Polkersince85 wrote: »
    A lot less than trying to find your dustcap in the vacuum bag.

    Start with masking tape,

    LOL, that's funny right there. True, but funny. :D

    -Jeff
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  • jax3822
    jax3822 Posts: 88
    edited December 2009
    I have used the vacuum trick many times and it has always been successful. I have pulled Jbl titanium coated tweeters, Ads dome tweeters (the sticky Ones), and many dustcaps. The only time if failed was to pull out a pair of Jbl titanium tweeters that were crushed pretty good. I have a professional carpet cleaning business and have some pretty powerful vacs. I was tempted to hook the Jbl titanium tweeter to my truckmount vacuum powered by a 25 horsepower Kohler engine running a roots 56 blower, but didnt have the cajones to risk it.
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  • nguyendot
    nguyendot Posts: 3,594
    edited December 2009
    I use that silver ducting tape (aluminum?). Works very well.
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  • everpress
    everpress Posts: 862
    edited December 2009
    I um... used my mouth. My vacuum scared the **** out of me... I don't have enough money to pay for a replacement driver over losing a dustcap to a vacuum... So I sucked the dustcap out with my mouth...
    A 20 year old dustcap, by-the-way, taste a bit like rotten ****$ sprinkled in dirt.

    But it worked... You just have to have lungs like a mo-fo....

    ? Harmon Kardon AVR 55 (dead; replacing with Onkyo TX NR-616)
    ? Polk RTA 11TL's (FR and FL)
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  • Willow
    Willow Posts: 11,071
    edited December 2009
    everpress wrote: »
    A 20 year old dustcap, by-the-way, taste a bit like rotten ****$ sprinkled in dirt.

    Do you taste this often? ;)
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  • Knucklehead
    Knucklehead Posts: 3,602
    edited December 2009
    LOL...you beat me to it.
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    Life is one grand, sweet song, so start the music. ~Ronald Reagan
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  • Rike255
    Rike255 Posts: 131
    edited December 2009
    I'd try a straw instead of a vacuum. Just be gentle. I heard the tape trick works well too but you have to be careful not to push it further in.
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  • Kingface
    Kingface Posts: 58
    edited December 2009
    I think before you do anything.....listen to see if the sound is effected. If it isn't then don't do a thing....may not be worth the risk. I have never heard a difference in a speaker with the dustcap pushed in. Of course I say this...they were never my speakers and if someone pushed one of my dustcaps in I would agonize about it forever and do the same thing you're doing!!!!
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  • NJPOLKER
    NJPOLKER Posts: 3,474
    edited December 2009
    I should get an old driver thats blown and dent the duct cap. Then video tape me pulling the dent with a piece of tape. Its not that difficult. If you are dumb enough to push the dent in farther or far enough you can't pull it out you should have dents in all you drivers.
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  • everpress
    everpress Posts: 862
    edited December 2009
    Willow wrote: »
    everpress wrote: »
    A 20 year old dustcap, by-the-way, taste a bit like rotten ****$ sprinkled in dirt.

    Do you taste this often? ;)

    I know I deserve that... But this was the only time I've experienced the flavor and it was the best way I could describe it... But it worked so it was worth it.

    ? Harmon Kardon AVR 55 (dead; replacing with Onkyo TX NR-616)
    ? Polk RTA 11TL's (FR and FL)
    ? Polk TSi200's (RR and RL)
    ? Polk CS10 (Center)
    ? Polk PSW-350
    ? Grado SR-60i Headphones
    ? Fii0 E5 headphone amp
    ? iPod touch (8 gig)
    ? iPod Classic (80 gig)
    ? Mac Mini (as media server)
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  • Pycroft
    Pycroft Posts: 1,960
    edited December 2009
    NJPolker - that would be great help! Post a link here if you actually get around to doing it. I would love a sticky for those of us with kids who get them a bit damaged.

    James
    2 Channel/HT:
    Sony SS-M9 P's (ES version)
    Sony SS-M1CN Center Channel
    Polk RT800 Surround Speakers
    Odyssey Stratos Dual Mono Amplifiers
    TAD 150 Signature Tube Preamp
    Harman Kardon HK354
    Sony SACD Player
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  • Polkersince85
    Polkersince85 Posts: 2,883
    edited December 2009
    I feel sorry for some of you guys if you ever have a flat tire or something major to fix.
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  • Rike255
    Rike255 Posts: 131
    edited December 2009
    Polkersince85 wrote: »
    I feel sorry for some of you guys if you ever have a flat tire or something major to fix.

    Why? I'd have my straw with me ;)
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  • everpress
    everpress Posts: 862
    edited December 2009
    Polkersince85 wrote: »
    I feel sorry for some of you guys if you ever have a flat tire or something major to fix.

    I'd hate to know what a tire tastes like...

    ? Harmon Kardon AVR 55 (dead; replacing with Onkyo TX NR-616)
    ? Polk RTA 11TL's (FR and FL)
    ? Polk TSi200's (RR and RL)
    ? Polk CS10 (Center)
    ? Polk PSW-350
    ? Grado SR-60i Headphones
    ? Fii0 E5 headphone amp
    ? iPod touch (8 gig)
    ? iPod Classic (80 gig)
    ? Mac Mini (as media server)
    ? xbox 360
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  • concealer404
    concealer404 Posts: 7,440
    edited December 2009
    everpress wrote: »
    I'd hate to know what a tire tastes like...

    It's not pretty. Been there. Done that.

    Hankooks taste WAY worse than Kumhos, for the record.

    They also smell a lot worse when doing **** burnouts.
    I don't read the newsssspaperssss because dey aaaallllllllll...... have ugly print.

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  • Pauly
    Pauly Posts: 4,519
    edited December 2009
    Someone suggested wine bottle vacuum years ago on here and had success.....


    Pauly
    Life without music would♭
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  • anton.chigurh
    anton.chigurh Posts: 239
    edited December 2009
    I had a badly dented mw6502 dust cap. Tape didn't get it done so I busted out the big gun shopvac. Worked great...I can't tell it was ever pushed in.

    I might not have beaten my kid so badly had I known it was gonna work out so well. :)
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  • Kex
    Kex Posts: 5,208
    edited December 2009
    Pycroft, I have helped a couple of guys out with this trick. You didn't mention what speaker you were talking about, but here's my experience.

    In one case, the owner had tried painters' tape with no success. It was a ten year old speaker with a coated dome, and not only was the dent still visible, but it had rub marks from the tape. In this case, I tried the tape again, since the damage was done, but it would not grip enough to pull out the dent, and you could see slight "glue" deposits forming on the dome after two or three tries.

    I then used the "vacuum trick", on this, and again on another, coated dome tweeter. I used a regular vacuum, with just the rigid short tube at the end of the flexible pipe. If the vacuum has an adjustment, I'd set it on a low power setting to start, but the one I was using did not have this.

    First, I placed a finger over the front edge of the tube, and turned on the vacuum. Second, I slowly brought the vacuum tube closer to the tweeter dome, watching very carefully as I did so. Third, I allowed my finger to reach out to touch the surround area near the tweeter, so that I could control precisely how fast I got close to the tweeter. Four, using my finger to control the approach, I watched carefully as the tube got closer so that I could see if the dome was starting to pull out. Five, as the dome started to pull out, I was able to continue using my finger to control the increase in suction very carefully, until the whole offending area was dent free. Six, I never, ever, allowed the vacuum tube to physically touch any part of the speaker so full suction was never applied.

    I would not hesitate to use this method again, if required. I have also been able to dismantle at least one type of tweeter dome from behind the removed unit, and then push it out gently with a cotton tip.
    Alea jacta est!
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