cleaned polydome

[Listnnthdark]

HHMMMM This is interesting . Mine are still not terribly yellowed so Im going to hold off . They are my only speakers so I dont want to risk it . Particularly after that little warning re armorall .
Heres what I wonder . The term " cleaning " has been used . I associate yellowing more with fading and drying due to exposure to UV light or acidity rather than dirt or dust . Granted the domes are going to collect dust and get dirty but I wonder if the yellowing is more a matter of uv exposure and I wonder if the cleaner used has not only cleaned the dome but may also have an effect on the ph . Yellowing being assosiated with high ph { acidity }
I think it would be good to know the ph of any given product applied to that dome . I was going to ask that k7 nut { Do you feel a difference in pliabilty ? } Good to know the answer is yes . The reason I bring up UV and acidity is that I wonder if there might be benefit in some sort of sun screen moisturizer type of product .
" K7 nut " how did you choose the product you used ? It looks like its really done the trick . My bet would be that it is of low ph .

 

[Listnnthdark]

HHMMMM This is interesting . Mine are still not terribly yellowed so Im going to hold off . They are my only speakers so I dont want to risk it . Particularly after that little warning re armorall .
Heres what I wonder . The term " cleaning " has been used . I associate yellowing more with fading and drying due to exposure to UV light or acidity rather than dirt or dust . Granted the domes are going to collect dust and get dirty but I wonder if the yellowing is more a matter of uv exposure and I wonder if the cleaner used has not only cleaned the dome but may also have an effect on the ph . Yellowing being assosiated with high ph { acidity }
I think it would be good to know the ph of any given product applied to that dome . I was going to ask that k7 nut { Do you feel a difference in pliabilty ? } Good to know the answer is yes . The reason I bring up UV and acidity is that I wonder if there might be benefit in some sort of sun screen moisturizer type of product .
" K7 nut " how did you choose the product you used ? It looks like its really done the trick . My bet would be that it is of low ph .

 

[Listnnthdark]

OOps .. I meant to say is high ph .
low ph = high acidity high ph = low acidity { alcalinity }

 

[kappa7krazy]

The product used was Meguiars vinyl & rubber cleaner/conditioner 40, Uvafan420 had used it and mentioned it in another post.

 

[uvafan420]

HHMMMM This is interesting . Mine are still not terribly yellowed so Im going to hold off . They are my only speakers so I dont want to risk it . Particularly after that little warning re armorall .
Heres what I wonder . The term " cleaning " has been used . I associate yellowing more with fading and drying due to exposure to UV light or acidity rather than dirt or dust . Granted the domes are going to collect dust and get dirty but I wonder if the yellowing is more a matter of uv exposure and I wonder if the cleaner used has not only cleaned the dome but may also have an effect on the ph . Yellowing being assosiated with high ph { acidity }
I think it would be good to know the ph of any given product applied to that dome . I was going to ask that k7 nut { Do you feel a difference in pliabilty ? } Good to know the answer is yes . The reason I bring up UV and acidity is that I wonder if there might be benefit in some sort of sun screen moisturizer type of product .
" K7 nut " how did you choose the product you used ? It looks like its really done the trick . My bet would be that it is of low ph .

I personally have not seen to many .1 Kappas that are yellowed (yet). Mostly the RS Kappas due to being a bit older. I have personally not cleaned any RS Kappa mids and do not know if it takes away the yellow fading. Most of the .1 Kappas I have seen are more of a white to creamy white color when dirty/turned color and they come clean pretty easily.

But I have always looked at it this way: do you want to try to preserve them, or let them end up like the below?

 

[Listnnthdark]

Point well taken uva fan " an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure "
Looked again at brians before and after photos and am now convinced .
Unbelievable result . Look BRAND NEW !
Not to re hash what Ive already said but being that they are my only train to music city ,, I am VERY CONSCERNED about doing irreperable damage .
{ Brian quote " DONT PULL TOO HARD , this is a 3 " voice coil , and once apart if not carefull YOU COULD DAMAGE THE VOICE COIL " }
UVA fan . Would you be so kind as to give me step by step instructions .
{ Polydome cleaning for idiots . a . b . c . d etc }
Brians description .
1 Remove the dome .{ How do i do that ?? } Do I remove the inner allen screws to release the dome ?
Do I have to remove the whole driver from speaker { cut wires and re solder ? } or does the driver stay in speaker and just the magnet and dome come out ???
Sorry for being fearfull but mr murphys law is always en force and I am inexperienced .
Thanks !

 

[DexterB]

I have cleaned my Polydomes today and took some pics of the different steps.
For those who are interested I will post a link to a webpage with the DIY instructions later today. (will take me about two hours to set it up)
I used Vinyl and Rubbercare from Autoglym by the way.....:thmbsp:

Here's a preview of the start and final result.

Please note that my Polydomes were in pretty good shape to begin with! :yes:

 

[dcmaster]

Hi Dexter,

realy good work :ntwrthy: what you have done with the Polys. :thmbsp:

We have a lot of words to say at our first meeting. Have a nice time.

Klaus

 

[Listnnthdark]

Thank you for that dexter . Very nice result . My polydomes are about the same as your pre cleaning photo . Looking foreward to the step by step photos . What speaker is that ? Any particular reason you chose the
autoglm product rather than the meguiars ? . Quite a cautionary warning by augy w regard to cracking from armorall . {maybe a differnt story with regard to a dashboard that gets alot of heat in summer cracking but certainly enough to preclude using armorall .}
Although they seem to be pretty supple now i definately want to do this cleaning to lenghthen the thier life .
As an aside : When my speakers were delivered they had the domes pushed in . I had asked the seller to put a rigid piece of masonite in front to protect the polydomes they but he ignored .
I spent a whole bunch of hours doing my special massage to make them pop back out . If someone were to have walked into the room and seen me doing that some less than favorable conclusions could be drawn . Here I am fondling the creamy white polydome flesh with a sick look on my face as my girlfriend walks into the room . " WAIT I CAN EXPLAIN !! "
" I knew something was up w you and those speakers "
" POLYDOME MOLESTER " !

 

[DexterB]

Well the DIY cleaning story is online and awaiting lots of curious visitors!
You can find it here: How to clean your Kappa Polydomes
Hope this will help you all out! :yes:

 

[Listnnthdark]

Thank You Dexter . The result is so enticing but I dont like the tricky parts .
{ I was hoping for no tricky parts } .. Very usefull photos and descriptions ! Think Ill just sit back and see how others make out . I am conscerned about doing damage to my one and onlys . I want to " fix it " but it aint broke .

 

[DexterB]

Thank You Dexter . The result is so enticing but I dont like the tricky parts .
{ I was hoping for no tricky parts } .. Very usefull photos and descriptions ! Think Ill just sit back and see how others make out . I am conscerned about doing damage to my one and onlys . I want to " fix it " but it aint broke .

Well, if you are careful and work meticulously without trying to make the next bus, you can get it done without getting yourself or the Polydomes into trouble.
The remarks about the trickiness are made so that no-one will think that doing this is like eating a piece of cake.

PS: I too have only one pair of Kappa's....so failing was no option. :nono:

 

[Listnnthdark]

Thanks for the encoragement ! I am really glad that you did the photos and explanation repleat with step by step difficulty ratings as you did !
GREAT job on that ! Im sure this is going to be greatly appreciated !
NOW I have the COURAGE . One of these days when Im feeling focused Im going to break out the allen wrench set and go for it { CAAAAREFULLLYYY }
I think we have all learned the " failure is not an option " lesson lately .
{ sorry for the sheen reference }
Im going to check around for the meguliars stuff tomorrow so I have it around when the mood strikes . I will DEFINATELY have your photo explanation in front of me . I really appreciate the time you took to do that Im sure it will prove of great benefit to many .
MUCH appreciated !
Andrew

 

[aboroth00]

Yeap thanks for the tutorial! It's going to be a great help.

I've already taken apart the Polydome K on my Kappa 6.1, however I'm not sure I want to touch the K9's quite yet. They're still clearish and supple but slightly yellow.

 

[Arkay]

Well the DIY cleaning story is online and awaiting lots of curious visitors!
You can find it here: How to clean your Kappa Polydomes
Hope this will help you all out! :yes:

Excellent! :thmbsp:



A couple comments:

Meguires = good stuff. :yes: :thmbsp: (I have yet to find a bad Meguire's product; I use their rubber and vinyl stuff on old rubber TT mats, too. It makes them like-new again, even better than pure detergent, which was my previous treatment. I still often do the detergent wash first, but it is the Meguire's that really "restores" them fully.)

ArmorAll = bad stuff. :nono: :thumbsdn: (A chemist in the industry whom my Dad knew was saying this years ago, shortly after ArmorAll came out. A lot of people, impressed with the initial improvement in appearance that they saw, thought he was nuts, but I never forgot his warnings, which seemed backed by specific, detailed chemistry. Time proved him right, and I'm glad I listened to him and avoided using the product ever since he said that.)


For those who have Polydomes that are beyond a simple cleaning treatment because they are cracked or torn, remember that there is a guy in Hong Kong who can rebuild them with new domes. You don't need to throw those dome-less ones away, as long as the voice coils are still there (intact)!

 

[uvafan420]

Point well taken uva fan " an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure "
Looked again at brians before and after photos and am now convinced .
Unbelievable result . Look BRAND NEW !
Not to re hash what Ive already said but being that they are my only train to music city ,, I am VERY CONSCERNED about doing irreperable damage .
{ Brian quote " DONT PULL TOO HARD , this is a 3 " voice coil , and once apart if not carefull YOU COULD DAMAGE THE VOICE COIL " }
UVA fan . Would you be so kind as to give me step by step instructions .
{ Polydome cleaning for idiots . a . b . c . d etc }
Brians description .
1 Remove the dome .{ How do i do that ?? } Do I remove the inner allen screws to release the dome ?
Do I have to remove the whole driver from speaker { cut wires and re solder ? } or does the driver stay in speaker and just the magnet and dome come out ???
Sorry for being fearfull but mr murphys law is always en force and I am inexperienced .
Thanks !

Sorry had not logged in for a day or so, but it looks like a nice how to guide was posted. Mine personally, I did not take take them out of the speaker or unsolder the wires. Though it makes it easier if you want to do that. Mine were not that bad condition wise, so leaving them connected was ok to do. I do not see them as "delicate". Just have to be careful with them.
But, if you feel uncomfortable doing it, and you are happy the way they are. Then maybe you should leave them be. I would at least apply some of the conditioner mentioned just to the outside of them just to keep them from getting harder and/or deteriorating over time. But obviously, having both sides conditioned is, to me, a better option.

 

[Listnnthdark]

Thats a good idea uva fan . Im going to start with that . { just do the outsides to treat and protect }. I can do the insides after that . Im intriged by brians photo showing where he brushed his finger on the inside and brushed a bunch of residue away ,, I wonder how that stuff gets in there ..
Im curious to see what treating the outsides with the megulairs stuff wll do to the appearance . Will report in on result . Thanks .

 

[aboroth00]

Thats a good idea uva fan . Im going to start with that . { just do the outsides to treat and protect }. I can do the insides after that . Im intriged by brians photo showing where he brushed his finger on the inside and brushed a bunch of residue away ,, I wonder how that stuff gets in there ..
Im curious to see what treating the outsides with the megulairs stuff wll do to the appearance . Will report in on result . Thanks .

I just cleaned a pair of Polydome K's on Kappa 6's with the Meguiar's Vinyl and Rubber cleaner/conditioner for cars. It definitely made the domes more translucent but the domes were already yellow and the domes still maintained their yellowish color even after cleaning.

The domes on the Kappa 6.1 Series II i had which were less yellow turned out clear after cleaning. So the product won't necessary make your domes brand new or completely clear if they're already yellow. But it will basically clean up all the residue.

 

[DexterB]

As I see it, the domes are going to change color over time and will gradually become more and more yellow(ish).
Also the material of the domes is going to get less supple over time, finally resulting in a dried out and even brittle state, which can easily lead to fatal damage in the form of rips or tears, most likely there where the coil is glued onto the dome, resulting in a distorted sound.
This unfortunate process is (most likely) being caused under the influence of Ultraviolet light and cannot be reversed!
So, as a result your Polydomes are always going to show their age to some extent, even after you have cleaned and nurtured them.

However, if you have the guts to clean and nurture them, you will be able to slow down this process of deterioration significantly, by using the method which has been described in this thread by several forum visitors including myself.
Caring for your domes by using a product like Meguiars or Autoglym Vinyl and Rubbercare, will definitely benefit the condition and might even prolong the lifespan of your Polydomes.
And as a side effect they often look way better too! :thmbsp:
There is a certain analogy to the human skin which changes color from being in the sun and getting dry and wrinkled after years of doing that without any form of proper care.
Using a tanning oil or lotion will help to keep the skin in a better condition right?

As a final thought on this matter I would like to emphasize, that you check the condition of your Polydomes thoroughly BEFORE you start to take care for them in the way I described.
If the domes are too far gone you will not get the result that you want, most likely you are going to make things worse!
I know it is hard to judge whether your domes are in good enough shape to get the treatment or not.
My domes got the treatment because I wanted to make the DIY page on cleaning Polydomes available, but didn't actually needed to be cleaned.
There are some photos in this thread and elsewhere on the internet that show significant improvement on domes that looked to be in very bad shape to begin with.
Remember that a photo is never going to show you the actual state of a dome, simply because photos always lie.
The flashlight for instance, makes the domes appear to be more clear and translucent than they really are after they are cleaned and enhances the yellow discoloration before they are cleaned.

Keep this in kind when you are inspecting your domes and remember that soundwise there's not going to be much of a difference if your domes are in pretty good shape to begin with.
The cosmetic effect will probably be your only benefit, so you should decide if it is worth taking the risk.
It might go wrong and what then?
As described earlier in this thread it is possible to have the coils glued onto a new dome as long as the coils are not damaged.
Or you might want to find yourself another Polydome on the internet......:scratch2:
Whatever you decide, it is going to cost you money to get it fixed again and afterwards you might find it a pity that you tried to clean them in the first place.
Good luck in making your decision and remember......
You can always do the outside of the domes without taking them apart or even out of the cabinet, and by doing so giving them at least some proper care with far less risk of damaging them. :yes:

 

[aboroth00]

Thanks for the thoughtful reply.

I will reiterate there are some things the rubber cleaner cannot undo. But I believe it is important to keep moisture in the dome to prevent it from drying out and cracking. I have taken apart about 8 domes now and I have encountered the same thing over and over, a residue build up. Fortunately for me, the domes in my K9's are clear, supple and held up well. However domes in my K6 and K7 are more yellowed, and even after cleaning they are still yellow, but more translucent and pliable.

But it is of my opinion, that cleaning them inside and out is a mandatory maintenance procedure to keep the domes up and running. I have seen how fragile these domes can get, but after treatment with the Meguiars rubber/vinyl cleaner/conditioner it seems to rejuvenate them and makes them more pliable and supple. Honestly, I don't believe the voice coil is too fragile. I have touched them (by accident) while cleaning on the inside without any ill effect. They seemed to be glued pretty well to the inside of the dome. I used a cloth and qtips to clean the inside around the voice coil. Cosmetically, it looks better and it has the same cosmetic effect as using the hairdryer trick. However I would recommend at the least to clean the ouside as Dexter has.