What is the plastic grill holder stuff / grill cloth source?

[quantum 3]

I'm putting together some grills for my Quantum 3s, and they have the stand-off poles that the grills attach to. On the ends of these stand-offs are discs that are a hard plastic, and I am sure have a mate that ought to be on the grills themselves which when pressed together hold tight. It behaves a bit like velcro, but it is not loop / fabric... does anyone know the correct name for this plastic stuff, where to find it, etc...? A few trips to hardware stores has turned up blank looks and suggestions of switching to velcro, which I'd rather not do.

Second, are there any good sources for inexpensive grill cloth? The local shop wants $19 per yard (naive me thought a yard was 36" x 36", but these guys say it is 36" x 32", which means of course I'd need an extra yard [grills are 30" x 16"])!

Must I use real 'grill cloth'? Is there a reasonable inexpensive alternative from a fabric store?


Thanks!

\bh

 

[Ghog]

I bought some grile cloth at Hancock Fabrics for my JBL's. I don't remember how much it was, but I know it wasn't $19 a yard. I don't think I spent more than $15 for enough to do both of them. Limited selection of colors, but not bad quality.

Ghog

 

[merrylander]

Parts Express sells three styles of grill holders and also sells grill cloth (and their yard is 52" wide). For the little JBLs I have for sale I built the grill frames out of 1/2" MDF and rounded over the edges with my router. Hardest part was making sure the holes were in the right place.

Rob

 

[Jukin Jay]

Second, are there any good sources for inexpensive grill cloth? The local shop wants $19 per yard (naive me thought a yard was 36" x 36", but these guys say it is 36" x 32", which means of course I'd need an extra yard [grills are 30" x 16"])!

Must I use real 'grill cloth'? Is there a reasonable inexpensive alternative from a fabric store?


Thanks!

\bh

The Irish linen sold by Charlescraft in 20 count cream color is a very close match to AR grill cloth such as that on AR6, etc. Also available in white and "natural" which is kind of a light tan. Acoustically transparent to my ears at least (but I can't tell the difference between six feet of 18-ga zip cord and six feet of $400 whiz-bang speaker wire blindfolded, your mileage may vary.)

http://tinyurl.com/gnavp

 

[KeninDC]

There is some NOS vintage speaker cloth available on Ebay. Do not buy it. I did and it remains in a drawer. It is about as transparent as asphalt.

 

[quantum 3]

Thanks for the replys all; I have found a local fabric store (Jo-Anne) which had a few rolls of grill cloth for $6.99 per yard! They also sell a spray adhesive which they said works well for speakers, so it was a nice one-stop shopping experience.

I think the mystery on the connectors may be 3M™ Dual Lock™ Coin Fasteners. The description seems right, so now I need to find a seller...

Much appreciated all!

 

[ybaolywa]

Thanks for the replys all; I have found a local fabric store (Jo-Anne) which had a few rolls of grill cloth for $6.99 per yard! They also sell a spray adhesive which they said works well for speakers, so it was a nice one-stop shopping experience.

I think the mystery on the connectors may be 3M™ Dual Lock™ Coin Fasteners. The description seems right, so now I need to find a seller...

Much appreciated all!

Wow, I went to Jo-anns' after reading this thread and they had black-only speaker grill cloth for $15.95 per 54" X 36" length. You got a very good price there at yours. I've got a few projects to do so I think that stuff will work fine. Good luck on yours.

 

[Kencat]

Thanks for the replys all; I have found a local fabric store (Jo-Anne) which had a few rolls of grill cloth for $6.99 per yard! They also sell a spray adhesive which they said works well for speakers, so it was a nice one-stop shopping experience.

I think the mystery on the connectors may be 3M™ Dual Lock™ Coin Fasteners. The description seems right, so now I need to find a seller...

Much appreciated all!

Quantum3,

Not sure those Dual Locks are the same stuff. I've attached some pics here of the standoff and grill-side pad on my Q2's. They may or may not be the same system. Let us know if they are the same or not. The pictures may help others locate the name and source of the snap locks

That dual lock may work ok in the application even if not original. This is a very good query, because mine are showing signs of wear and not "snapping in" all the time, so replacing is just a matter of time.

Dimensions - Ctr to ctr spacing of the posts is approx 0.080". The post height is approx 0.080" on the grill pad, and 0.120" on the cabinet standoffs.

The posts are made of molded plastic.

 

[OMI]

I re-did a pair of Qa's. Here is a link to pics I took when I replaced the grill cloth. may be of help if you have not done any grill cloth replacement before...

http://audiokarma.org/forums/showthread.php?t=61599&page=3&pp=15&highlight=fortes

 

[Filmboydoug]

Hardest part was making sure the holes were in the right place.

Sorry to highjack. Easiest way around this is to clamp the grill frame to the speaker and drill through the frame and into the speaker at the same time. Then fill the hole in the frame as needed.

 

[quantum 3]

Quantum3,

Not sure those Dual Locks are the same stuff. I've attached some pics here of the standoff and grill-side pad on my Q2's. They may or may not be the same system. Let us know if they are the same or not. The pictures may help others locate the name and source of the snap locks

That dual lock may work ok in the application even if not original. This is a very good query, because mine are showing signs of wear and not "snapping in" all the time, so replacing is just a matter of time.

Dimensions - Ctr to ctr spacing of the posts is approx 0.080". The post height is approx 0.080" on the grill pad, and 0.120" on the cabinet standoffs.

The posts are made of molded plastic.

Ken,

Thanks, and yes, your pics are exactly the same as my Quantum 3s... and you are right, Dual Lock from Scotch / 3m is not correct, or at least not what I can locate. The mushrooms are too small to mate to the original pads.

I do find mention of Dual Lock coins online though, with no pictures and which I cannot find a source for, which may be the right thing?

The Dual Lock strips from Target are functional, but would prefer to find original matching pieces.

Any help appreciated! Grill frames are built and fabric on, badges will be attached today, and they are installed for the moment with Dual Lock, so looking good and sounding good! :thmbsp:

Thanks again to all for the help!

\bh

 

[quantum 3]

I can see on the back of my discs that they in fact have the 3M logo... but it is no doubt a 30-year old product! Any other ideas out there?

I have sent inquiries to both Harman (Infinity) and 3M...

Thanks!

\bh

 

[Kencat]

I have sent inquiries to both Harman (Infinity) and 3M...

Thanks!

\bh

Excellent idea ! keep us posted.

Just have to hope the emails gets to someone with about 30 years service who can still recall........well, it was still a good idea

 

[Army]

I have sent inquiries to both Harman (Infinity) and 3M...

Thanks!

\bh

I was going to suggest contacting Harman, they do try and help and will get back to you. I e-mailed them a while ago about logo's. They sent me a pair of tiny logo's for free. Too bad they were way to small. I was surprised that a big company like that would go to that much trouble, aweful nice of them :thmbsp:

Could you please share what brand of glue you used, I've used hot glue on my 2.5 grills which worked ok. But you can't use much of it and you run the risk of burning your fingers. I've found out the hard way a few times :yes:

 

[quantum 3]

Which glue are you asking about?

I made the frame in a frame set out of pine (since I was painting them black anyhow) and used good old tasty white Elmers glue!

To attach the grill cloth, I bought Duro all-purpose spray adhesive. I also put a few staples in the cloth on the back side too... looks ugly if you pull them off, but who does that?

To attach the badges, I'll likely use Gorilla Glue to put thumbtacks on the backs, and then press them into the corner supports on my frames (through the cloth, into the wood). If you glue those heavy things to the cloth, it will sag...

 

[Army]

Duro glue :scratch2: I'm going to have to look for some :thmbsp:

Thanks
Army

 

[quantum 3]

3M discs identified! I think...

After a number emails back and forth, I think it is:
Round Part with center hole SJ3712 (170 mushrooms per inch).


I called this morning, and it is an obsolete product, but did find a local supplier of other 3M product. He was very sympathetic to my plight, offered to have me stop by with a sample disc and he'll help me find something from the 3m stock to get me fixed up. I'll let you know how it goes...