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AR 2-A SCORE and questions...

stumptacular said:
ok GD ... im in ... i decided i will take on the task of a full restoration but i have a few questions if you please... :idea:

1. can you please list the exact replacement parts i need ....
A. the sealer for the surrounds (brand, product?) and where to get it
B. the exact caps i need for replacement/upgrade and where to get it
C. the exact pots i need from parts express
D. a link to the fabric you use

2. i noticed that my cabs must have veneer under the paint as some de-lamination has occurred where the speakers were stored in a basement on their end....
A... can i use a paint stripper to make this paint removal easier? if so what?
B... how can the delamination be repaired?
C. is taking all the veneer off an option?

3. I read in your thread that the new pots arent wired the same as the old ones?? can you give me any hints on that ???

i would really appreciate if you could take the time to help answer these questions for me... it would be a HUGE help... :bowdown:
Click to expand...
Some I can answer now.
Order the sealer, Larry at vintage-ar will ship it out when he returns, no worries there. I just ordered some surrounds for my AR12 woofers.
The caps are 6uf and 4uf. You'll see the printed on the original cap block in the cab. Get these from Parts Express.
Pull your pots and open them up to see their condition. Soak them in clear distiller vinegar and salt for a couple hours, wash and rinse throughly with soap and water. The dicks should have pretty smooth surfaces and the wipers should be good after the cleaning. A pencil eraser is good for burnishing the disk surface if it's good. If a bit pitted, use a dremel and small sanding disk to smooth it out. Get some dielectric grease from an auto parts store and put a thin coat on the disk, coils and pot wiper before reassembly.
You have a multi meter? If not, get on from the shack or Home Depot, they are cheap. With the meter attached to the middle and last and then right tabs, the meter reading should progress pretty smoothly from 0 to +15 and the other way 0 to -15 ohms.

Regarding the veneer, get the paint off them first and see what's there. If it's just plywood, you can epoxy the delaminates ply layers, then clamp while it cures. I use Z-Poxy, it's very thin and penetrates very well. Once epoxied, push the plywood down as flush with the front frame, wipe away the excess epoxy, cover with wax paper and clamp.

This should keep you busy for a while!

Glenn
 
Sorry I could have been more specific about the pots earlier. It looks like Glenn lined you up on the vinegar and salt bath so that's good.
If you have patience, and a Prime account on Amazon, multi meter options there are the best. (Same with soldering irons if you don't have one.) If you just want to get a cheap one, Harbor freight is the place to go for that. you won't get much out of testing caps at this level. Too many other measurements beyond simple capacitance to really know if a cap is still good or not. So you understand, a cap must be removed to be properly tested anyway and if you are removing them, at this point just replace them. Others have zeroes in on the brands that seem to work well with the AR's so go with what other folks have already found. Those values are inexpensive enough with the Daytons, Solens and Erse.

When doing this you will benefit from being strategic with your ordering of parts and tools from place like Parts Express, Erse, Madisound etc. The shipping can get you if you are not careful. If you are getting caps from Parts Express, get solder, solder wick, wire, tools and their gasketing tape to reseal the drivers if you want. They will also have an LPad to replace the pots with too if you end up going that route.

So, a little strategic planning here up front and investigation of what is needed as you seem to be doing is a great first step. Glenn, Stupidhead and others have done numerous restores on these so they will be very helpful, Also, there is a AR3 restoration Guide available for download over at ClassicSpeakerPages.net that is the authoritative guide for working on these classic AR's. It is geared to the 3, but most still applies with these.
 
Regarding caps, it is rather rare, but some pairs of AR-2A's have been shown to have original oil caps like shown in this thread.
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/ar-2a-surprise.134092/

Similar cap style found in earlier AR-2's.
http://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/acoustic-reearch-ar-2-crossover-info.262574/

If you do have these metal can oil caps, measure them, since they should most likely be worth keeping. If you find the more typical wax block type, by all means replace with new poly caps.
 
you guys are awesome!
i just spent almost two hours with all the wrong products and a half a piece of sandpaper to reveal some beautiful veneer.... who paints white paint over this stuff?!
i used cardboard to cover the drivers before i started carefully removing paint... im sure there is something better to use as stripper than rubbing alcohol lol


29bki1j.jpg


2cgeyo6.jpg
 
 
stumptacular said:
thank you so much!!!!!!!! your work is awesome... i would like to take this restoration all the way if i can afford it... i love the speakers
Click to expand...
You're welcome!

That veneer looks like walnut. Keep going, you're doing great!
It is too bad that they were painted, but you'll bring them back to their former glory!

Glenn
 
and there it is! perfect and good for you. be careful with the cardboard as the drivers, particularly those with domes, are always vulnerable. if they are proud of the baffle you can leave the frames under the cardboard to outline a buffer. ask me how i know this.
 
GD70 said:
:banana::beerchug::rockon:
Looking good!
After they are stripped, I'd still do a light sanding, get the veneer nice and even before refinishing.

Glenn
Click to expand...

ive got the sides of the cabinets largely sanded... the places on the cabs that look like a planters pot had sat on them and water damaged them are on almost every conviguration / facet of the speaker sides lol.... they probably painted the cabinets while these water rings were still wet as the white paint was leeched deep into the veneer there... i already have a couple corners and one edge that i got a little to fast about sanding the veneer on... gonna have to figure out how to hide all this stuff... still have to remove the paint around the front grill area... the fussy part... :/
 
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there are tiny crevices that the white paint seeped into that show up when i wipe alcohol across the veneer.... i will have to find a way to hide these im afraid to just sand and sand away at the veneer... i already pushed it too far in a couple places
w0kkdy.jpg

k0ovo9.jpg
 
Acetone may take that out. Careful not saturate too much but a rub will eat paint of most kinds. Also removes oil and will make subsequent oiling penetrate better.

I've also heard Beekeepers Friend takes out water rings, there's a thread about that somewhere here. Oxalic acid, I think it is.
 
alteclipsch said:
Acetone may take that out. Careful not saturate too much but a rub will eat paint of most kinds. Also removes oil and will make subsequent oiling penetrate better.

I've also heard Beekeepers Friend takes out water rings, there's a thread about that somewhere here. Oxalic acid, I think it is.
Click to expand...

possibly some acetone or laquer thinner applied/rubbed in with some 000 steel wool would get that out....
 
Sweet!
For anybody's future reference, I have used both the Soy based paint stripper as well as Citrus strip with good results without the fumes etc.
BTW, autocorrect issue above. It's actually bar keepers friend. Home depot in the cleaning materials area.
That's not too bad a stain though. The white paint lingering down in the open grain is just making it stand out more. The dark ones are the bad ones.
 
got all the paint removed and the speakers rough sanded everywhere except for right around the protective cardboard ...will finish that part up later this afternoon....
...
the veneer is in good shape except for a couple areas of delamination, a couple water stains and a bruised corner
you can kinda see the delamination here
3022nfc.jpg


overall the project is going well....
33kdk5d.jpg
 
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