ADS Tweeter Question on Screw Removal

[Justgotohm]

I got these recently and am just tickled with the sound, I'm using them with one B&W 8inch sub. I'm looking for another matching sub, ones plenty just my OCD kicking in. The speakers sound great and don't have any apparent issues. The screws are rusty and that bothers me, so my question is can I take out one screw at a time that holds the tweeter diaphragm and replace cleaned and painted without screwing up the alignment or is there something secret going on in there that would prevent this?

 

[gdmoore28]

I don't think you would hurt anything by doing one screw at a time. Even the screws adjacent to the dome. By now, everything in that cab is well stuck together and should not shift at all in the time it takes to replace the screws.

All you need to do is go to a home improvement store - or, better yet, a business that specializes in bolts and associated hardware - and buy new ones to stick in place. I say this because simply painting them won't work. As soon as you try to screw them back in, the paint will chip.

You can determine the exact amount of torque needed on the replacement screws by checking the current torque with a small torque wrench. You don't want to overtighten them. That can cause problems.

GeeDeeEmm

 

[mikeybc]

One screw at a time - no problem. I'd look for new matching replacements as said above.

 

[Porkloin]

See if Richard So will divulge the torque specs.He may very well torque them incrementally as well.
I'd be tempted to touch them up in place and live with it until you send them out for rebuild.

Note the glue under the screw heads after the rebuild.

 

[GD70]

I got these recently and am just tickled with the sound, I'm using them with one B&W 8inch sub. I'm looking for another matching sub, ones plenty just my OCD kicking in. The speakers sound great and don't have any apparent issues. The screws are rusty and that bothers me, so my question is can I take out one screw at a time that holds the tweeter diaphragm and replace cleaned and painted without screwing up the alignment or is there something secret going on in there that would prevent this?
View attachment 987576

They look pretty clean overall! Welcome to the ADS club!
So once you're all set up, make a video for us hear them and post it in the video thread!

 

[darkblue94]

Give the OCD a day off and paint the screw heads in place with a small detail brush and some touchup paint.

 

[GD70]

If you decide to paint them, you can clean them up a bit with a wire wheel brush and a Dremel at low speed to remove the surface rust.

 

[Justgotohm]

I never even thought about torque specs, but that makes sense, it would be hard to reverse engineer for the specs given everything is stuck together as mentioned above. There is a Fastnel about 30min from my house, I'll pull one out and see what they have. I've had good luck in the past cleaning up and painting hardware, the funny thing is if I do use replacements I will clean these up and paint for use somewhere else. I use a Duplicoat product from most auto parts stores, it's an engine paint that comes in about any color. This dries hard and looks great, you can lay down a heck of a wet coat with this stuff on top of a tack coat or two. Thanks for the replies, these speakers are so much fun to listen too. I recently created a thread about some Advent 4002's and how impressed and fun they where to listen too, and they are for sure. Both speakers being close to the same size I prefer the sound of these L470/2 but the Advents had a very natural low end like the bass is just in the room similar to the responce I get from my TriTrix TML's which I think I've said before. Aside from some little L200's I'm thrilled to finally have a set of ADS's which where doing background duty in an antique store in Springfield SC.

 

[Bratwurst7s]

I wonder. When ADS started making their own drivers rather than source them from Braun did they switch to SAE screws or did they keep with metric?

I recently removed a screw from a Braun mid to replace it with a longer one + spacer to protect the mid from pushed in grills. (One of the ones holding the driver together, not one of the wood screws holding the driver to the box.) Even knowing that the thing had been in place for 40 years and has sealant under the head I'd still have to say it was VERY DAMN TIGHT.

When I replaced it I turned the new one till contact plus "reasonably tight". I didn't have any glue handy for under the head so I just borrowed some finger nail polish from Wife. The sound quality hasn't been affected.

The original screw is an M5, 6mm long (the threaded portion not including the head).

Cheers,
James

 

[woodj]

The screws are rusty and that bothers me,

To risk damaging a perfectly good piece of equipment to satisfy a desire for perfect cosmetics is silly.

 

[Justgotohm]

To risk damaging a perfectly good piece of equipment to satisfy a desire for perfect cosmetics is silly.

Given my history I will eventually sell these, maybe in a couple months maybe a few years. I can't sell speakers with rusty screws. If I knew I was going to keep them I would agree with you, the grills never come off and those will be painted as well. I'm confident that I will not have any issues replacing the screws holding the tweeter structure together I wasn't familiar with this particular tweeter which was the reason for the post. Part of the fun for me is taking tired equipment, regardless of original price or current value, refurbishing, updating, restoring both mechanically amd cosmetically and putting it back in public rotation.

 

[Bratwurst7s]

...You can determine the exact amount of torque needed on the replacement screws by checking the current torque with a small torque wrench.
GeeDeeEmm

Sorry, don't mean to be argumentative or a butthead, but that won't work. The screws are set and have normally been set for 30+ years. It will take a significant amount of torque to break them loose, much more than their original torque. They will pop loose with an audible "crack".

Cheers,
James

 

[woodj]

Sorry, don't mean to be argumentative or a butthead, but that won't work. The screws are set and have normally been set for 30+ years. It will take a significant amount of torque to break them loose, much more than their original torque. They will pop loose with an audible "crack".

Cheers,
James

Absolutely.

 

[Porkloin]

I wonder. When ADS started making their own drivers rather than source them from Braun did they switch to SAE screws or did they keep with metric?

I recently removed a screw from a Braun mid to replace it with a longer one + spacer to protect the mid from pushed in grills. (One of the ones holding the driver together, not one of the wood screws holding the driver to the box.) Even knowing that the thing had been in place for 40 years and has sealant under the head I'd still have to say it was VERY DAMN TIGHT.

When I replaced it I turned the new one till contact plus "reasonably tight". I didn't have any glue handy for under the head so I just borrowed some finger nail polish from Wife. The sound quality hasn't been affected.

The original screw is an M5, 6mm long (the threaded portion not including the head).

Cheers,
James

If my drivers were of ADS manufacture, they're metric. I'm betting that it was easier just to stick with existing specs than change them to the predominant standards of the locale.
The screws I removed had blue Loctite on them and Richard epoxy'd the heads when he rebuilt.

 

[soundmotor]

Random thoughts -

The screws were custom tooled and metric, a 3mm allen takes them out. There is no off-the-shelf hardware store equivalent with that head. Black oxide button heads would be the closest you'd get. There was indeed a torque spec but like so many things there is the book way and the other way. The other way was hand tight, then a little more. The screw head grips to the paint on the plate and does not easily back out. IIRC, ADS did not use any thread locker. I've got many NOS tweeters and none of them have it however, using for rebuilds is smart.

Disclaimer, I do not recommend you attempt this but what the hell do I know?

If I wanted to derust them, I would take them out singly, brush off loose scale w/ a brass brush, spray flat black paint on a Q-Tip, use it to lightly apply, then reinstall.

 

[jdurbin1]

One thing I would NOT do is to try and clean them in place, esp. with a wire brush - at any speed. You can almost guarantee some of the debris that comes off will end up stuck on a dome

 

[Justgotohm]

I actually have an extra pair of ads dome tweeters that came in the L200's, one looks good, the other not so good, just lots of debris on it. I think I'll pull all the other screws, clean them up and reinstall. The screws/bolts holding the tweeter structure together I'll just take take some tape and give it a twist without touching the plate, what comes of comes off, then touch them up with some flat black using a Q-tip or fine modeling brush as mentioned above. I have sure as shit screwed up some nice gear, a burning Martin Logan in the corner of my house comes to mind, especially early in this game. Thank all of y'all for the advice, I'll post a pic when I get to them.

 

[sx-70]

That is light surface corrosion right?

How about trying to clean them in place with vinegar using a Q-tip? Acetic acid does a nice job on rust.

Prime and repaint with a small brush.

 

[Justgotohm]

Funny I saw a post on CL and here in Barter Town of some ADS speakers for sale with rusty screws.

 

[NH-MAN]

Take em out one at a time, clean em a little, cover them with a sharpie as many coats as you like. done