IMG refoaming

[Bigyank]

So as I await the arrival of the new refoam kits for my newly acquired CS3006's, I have been searching through the forum here on how to tackle the cleanup of these drivers. Both the mids and woofers are being refoamed.

My question centers around how clean the IMG cone actually needs to be? I haven't ever refoamed these types of drivers before, only paper cones and the majority have been vintage JBL's which are reattached to the back and there you have to be careful with removing the paper so rule of thumb is to tread lightly.

Yank

[rage]

goo gone and clean em good. its very easy to clean them. gluing them is another issue.

do not use elmers. it won't adhere to the IMG cones.

[Manuel64]

I simply rub off all the old glue with my fingers and then put new glue on top of the remaining residue that wouldn't come off. You can get most of it off by rubbing it; what is left, is a sticky layer that will hold the new glue well. Just put the new glue over the residue. I've done several IMG cones this way and never had a problem. Just make sure that the new glue has plenty of time to dry before using the driver. I usually, let it dry for two days. Some people say that one day is enough, but I feel better with two days of drying.

This method has worked well for me, but it is not the only way to do it. Many people like to use solvents to clean up all of the old glue residue.

[BMWCCA]

I did a pair of RS-4001 woofers recently. The kits came from Rick Cobb and his glue that looks a lot like Tacky-Glue worked fine on the slick cones. I peeled away what I could and used Goo-Gone for the rest then cleaned the oil residue with rubbing alcohol before gluing. Once done, I used vinyl dressing (Zymöl Vinyl) to dress the cones and bring out that IMG pattern.

Surprised me how good they sound when given enough power.

After the JBLs you'll be amazed at how easy it is to replace a front-mounted surround!

[Army]

Personally I prefer Goof Off rather than Goo Gone, it does a better job and is quicker; leaving the woofer perfectly clean. Then hit the cone with dawn dish washing liquid and water. Weldbond glue works great on poly cones; it's found at most hardware stores.

[Sam Cogley]

Originally Posted by Manuel64

I simply rub off all the old glue with my fingers and then put new glue on top of the remaining residue that wouldn't come off. You can get most of it off by rubbing it; what is left, is a sticky layer that will hold the new glue well. Just put the new glue over the residue. I've done several IMG cones this way and never had a problem. Just make sure that the new glue has plenty of time to dry before using the driver. I usually, let it dry for two days. Some people say that one day is enough, but I feel better with two days of drying.

This method has worked well for me, but it is not the only way to do it. Many people like to use solvents to clean up all of the old glue residue.

I did that with Aileene's on my itty bitty Infinity R-Ls. Worked fine.

[Bigyank]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA

I did a pair of RS-4001 woofers recently. The kits came from Rick Cobb and his glue that looks a lot like Tacky-Glue worked fine on the slick cones. I peeled away what I could and used Goo-Gone for the rest then cleaned the oil residue with rubbing alcohol before gluing. Once done, I used vinyl dressing (Zymöl Vinyl) to dress the cones and bring out that IMG pattern.

Surprised me how good they sound when given enough power.

After the JBLs you'll be amazed at how easy it is to replace a front-mounted surround!

So the kit you got from Rick, did it come with the standard white glue that he normally ships with the JBL kits? Also, I have never seen or used Zymöl Vinyl, did you try to stay away from the surrounds when you used it? Do you have any before/after pics of the process?

Yank

[BMWCCA]

Originally Posted by Bigyank

So the kit you got from Rick, did it come with the standard white glue that he normally ships with the JBL kits? Also, I have never seen or used Zymöl Vinyl, did you try to stay away from the surrounds when you used it? Do you have any before/after pics of the process?

Looked to be the same white glue in all other Rick Cobb kits I've used. Dries perfectly clear, easy to clean up any excess, and you can even go back after everything is set-up and add an extra bead where the surround edge meets the cone to assure a good seal and it won't even be noticeable. I've driven them hard with a Crown PS-400 and they sound fine for an 8"-woofer system. Not up to my L96s but they didn't cost me much, either. Probably as nice as my L20T or L1 2-way 6-and-a-half-inchers though.

Zymöl Vinyl is a product I've used on car dashboard for decades. All-natural ingredients and no volatiles. Makes a BMW dash look like it's supposed to from when it left the factory—not all shiny like Armor-All and most others. I have a case of it here so I gave it a try. I made no effort to keep it off the surround and in fact may go back and apply some there intentionally. I'm happy to take some pictures today and post them. Nothing before the restore. These were pretty nasty when I got them free off local FreeCycle with totally rotten surrounds and grilles full of cat hair, peeling vinyl veneer and scratched-up cabinet bottoms, but they look brand-new now. BTW, black Kiwi shoe polish (paste wax) worked great on the black vinyl scratches. I felt so bad about how well they turned out that I offered them back to the original owners for the cost of my surround kit. They just wished me luck with them. Most people just don't get personally involved with their equipment.

[hennessy]

For cleaning I use acetone to soften the glue then scrape the basket with a blade, and rub off the rest of glue with my fingers. The cone - I clean the residue of the surround with my fingers as much as possible, then I use a corner of paper towel soaked with acetone, and go around the cone gently, pinching the cone edge with soaked paper towel and fingers. This works very fast. I will post more about my experiences restoring CS 3007.

[BMWCCA]

Originally Posted by Bigyank

Do you have any before/after pics of the process?

Okay, here's a quick shot of my IMG re-surround. Would rather have shot it in daylight but I spent all that helping to look for clues to the missing VA Tech student.

[Sir.Byrd]

I used a fresh double sided razor blade with a very delicate touch to slice off all of the old glue from the cone. An Exacto blade gives you the wrong angle to be gentle on these cones.
Worked perfectly on the Kappa 8's that I refoamed.
I used Aleene's tacky glue.

[hennessy]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA

Okay, here's a quick shot of my IMG re-surround. Would rather have shot it in daylight but I spent all that helping to look for clues to the missing VA Tech student.

Where did those nice inverted plastic center caps go? They are easy to remove and re-install undamaged IMHO.

[BMWCCA]

Originally Posted by hennessy

Where did those nice inverted plastic center caps go? They are easy to remove and re-install undamaged IMHO.

I didn't touch the dust caps other than to clean them. Those are the original ones for the RS-4001.

[Bigyank]

Originally Posted by hennessy

For cleaning I use acetone to soften the glue then scrape the basket with a blade, and rub off the rest of glue with my fingers. The cone - I clean the residue of the surround with my fingers as much as possible, then I use a corner of paper towel soaked with acetone, and go around the cone gently, pinching the cone edge with soaked paper towel and fingers. This works very fast. I will post more about my experiences restoring CS 3007.

I am going to try acetone (nail polish remover ) with paper towels today. Great responses all, thank you so much and to hennessy, where are those pics!

Yank

[hennessy]

Originally Posted by BMWCCA

I didn't touch the dust caps other than to clean them. Those are the original ones for the RS-4001.

I apologize, I am a little noob, coming from C-V to Infinities. I promise to improve.