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Preserving foam surrounds- ideas anybody?

T

tjg1953

New Member
Hi,

This may be covered in another thread, but given the fact that all foam surrounds go bad, is there anything that can be done to slow the process down, like keeping them out of the sun? And can a foam surround be safely cleaned of fingerprint oils or sticky dust, etc.
If so, how? Has anyone "washed" a foam surround? Touching or pressing the foam and leaving oils behind can't be good.
Owning beloved speakers with foam surrounds is a bit worrisome.

Thanks all,
TJG
 
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Hey TJG,
Yes the oils from our skin are slightly acidic, but oils, certain types will considerably slown down the deterioration process of foam surrounds. It has to be non-detergent type or furniture oil, something like liquid gold is fine. I have been using automotive grade spray silicone on my surrounds in my Kenwood LS-408B's for the last 20 years and the foam is STILL like new. But the idea of preserving the surrounds is somewhat in a league of it's own. Some may think it could alter the sound output, and others may think it could actually accelerate the rot. But, the woofers really beat the foam surounds when they are vibrating, and no amount of preservant is going to keep them perfect forever, they WILL wear out, how fast depends on how loud you play your music and how often.

Charlie:nutz:
 
I have heard a thinned down mix (like skim milk) of while surround glue painted on the foam will help fill the pours and extend the life- I have done several of mine like that- now I am waiting for the 20+ years to make an absolute report....sheck with me about 15 years from now.......
DC
 
I had a pro do some woofers for me recently and he said he sprayed the foam with a preservative made for the job. You can tell something was used as it only covers a 1/8 inch of the cone or so. I of course asked him what it was, he said it's a trade secret.
Hair spray, water based clear, ..... ? Who knows !
 
As I understand it, the foams were reformulated a few years back. The new grades of foam should be a lot longer lived than the 15 years or so that used to be the lifespan of foam.

I’m not too worried about it. Most of mine might need reforming once more before I go, and then its someone else’s problem…
 
There are commercially available surround foam coatings available for about $7 for 1 oz (8 to 10 surrounds). Said to be a PVA compound to seal surrounds or can be used to give paper cones a wet look.
 
foam preservation

Thanks,

Terra1, I had not heard of a product marketed to preserve the foam.
I wonder if anyone has tried it? Of course, time will tell if it does work.
I just feel that keeping the original driver intact as long as possible is the way to go. Not all new foam is the same, and it is surgery to replace. Lots of variables to that job that I'd like to avoid. Foam rot got to my AR 9's.

TJG
 
I'll PM you a link to at least see what it's about. Not sure if it's ok to post a link here.

The seller also sells foam surrounds on eBay so I don't know if they sell it there too. I have bought surrounds from them and they came promptly and well packaged in a cardboard box instead of an envelope. So I don't have problems with them from my dealings. I have sent them emails with questions and they have replied within a couple days.
 
Ozone is the enemy of foam.

A thin emulsion of platinum or palladium as a coating would serve as a catalyst and breakdown the ozone before it gets to the plastic. Need it on the inside too since the speaker connections can make it too.

Actually, that's not a very practical suggestion. But ozone is a common air pollutant and it does harm susceptable organics. The rubber in older BMWs and Mercedes are infamous for needing replacement in areas with ozone pollution. Some new automobile radiators have a similar coating that removes ozone from the air as your drive.

As Outlaw noted, a replacement foam with have retardants incorporated as modern practice so your replacement foam will last longer than the original.
 
The surrounds on my JBL Prima L25's (there's an odd speaker for you) started to go years ago. I applied several thin coats of acrylic painters medium, available at any art supply store. They have been fine since and as far as I can tell it had NO effect on the sound. They still rock! Although they are BUTT UGLY speakers and now are heard only when I'm down stairs playing pinball.
 
dc270 said:
I have heard a thinned down mix (like skim milk) of while surround glue painted on the foam will help fill the pours and extend the life- I have done several of mine like that- now I am waiting for the 20+ years to make an absolute report....sheck with me about 15 years from now.......
DC
Click to expand...

Actually could be the same as some of the commercial foam coatings for all I know.

As I mention above, there is a commercial foam coating described as a PVA compound. And PVA is common in white wood glues. :)
 
outlawmws said:
As I understand it, the foams were reformulated a few years back. The new grades of foam should be a lot longer lived than the 15 years or so that used to be the lifespan of foam.

I’m not too worried about it. Most of mine might need reforming once more before I go, and then its someone else’s problem…
Click to expand...
Very interesting way of looking at life. I've probably got 1 1/2 re-foams left.
 
tjg1953 said:
Thanks,

Terra1, I had not heard of a product marketed to preserve the foam.
I wonder if anyone has tried it? Of course, time will tell if it does work.
I just feel that keeping the original driver intact as long as possible is the way to go. Not all new foam is the same, and it is surgery to replace. Lots of variables to that job that I'd like to avoid. Foam rot got to my AR 9's.

TJG
Click to expand...

It's easier then you think. The key is patience and taking your time. I picked up a cheap pair of Nova-5's to practice on first. They turned out perfect. I just finished my third refoam a month back.
 
what is foam made of?

Great comments everyone. Somebody suggested Armor All, but I admit I do not know what the composition of foam is. Is it basically plastic?

I pursued this discussion for those of you who've had to watch the foam surrounds on your favorite speakers (usually old and precious) crumble and maybe if we share solutions we can remove this time bomb element.
I dreaded peeking under the AR's grilles for fear of what I'd see.

Thanks for the encouragement on doing new surrounds. From all I've read, drivers are quite delicate with very tight tolerances and there's always the wondering if the repair compromised something.
Wish we didn't have to go through it.

TG
 
One More Thing, heheheheh!

tjg1953 said:
Hi,

This may be covered in another thread, but given the fact that all foam surrounds go bad, is there anything that can be done to slow the process down, like keeping them out of the sun? And can a foam surround be safely cleaned of fingerprint oils or sticky dust, etc.
If so, how? Has anyone "washed" a foam surround? Touching or pressing the foam and leaving oils behind can't be good.
Owning beloved speakers with foam surrounds is a bit worrisome.

Thanks all,
TJG
Click to expand...

hey TJG, one more thing I forgot to mention. Yes, you can "wash" the foam surrounds. But, you must be very careful when doing so, one slip of the finger or tool(if you use one) and you'll be having a foam funeral! The way I wash them is after I wash my hands and dry them with a paper towel, I use the damp paper towel to gently brush over the foam and cone to clear them of any dust accumulation. It works very nicely.

Charlie:nutz:
 
Great advice, Charlie. As I just wrote to someone else, this foam plague is bad to look at and it ruins the sound. To those who don't know, enough to give up the gear over
Thanks,
tjg
 
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