Repairing crumbling back speaker panel on Energy 22 Reference.

[Sitandlisten]

Hey folks! I recently picked up a nice set of Energy 22 Reference monitors (with perfectly working tweeters) with some damage to the back panel on one of them. Possible water damage? You'll see in the photos there's a ring around the spot, some swelling, and crumbling MDF/chipboard or whatever. My question is - can I repair this damage? If so, I'm open to hearing how I would go about this. Photos attached. Thanks in advance!!

 

[70's Rockfan]

I would just scrape off the loose stuff.
lay the speaker face down and pour some
epoxy on the area until level. sand flush and paint.

 

[Sitandlisten]

I would just scrape off the loose stuff.
lay the speaker face down and pour some
epoxy on the area until level. sand flush and paint.

Thanks! Any specific kind of epoxy you would use?

 

[glend123]

Scrape off the loose stuff and use wood filler and a putty knife. sand smooth and paint.

 

[70's Rockfan]

Thanks! Any specific kind of epoxy you would use?

I use Devcon. you can buy most anywhere in different sizes.

 

[Blue Shadow]

very low viscosity superglue is designed to wick into particle board to stabilize it. Works a treat.

then you have the divot or whatever to smooth over with bondo and then a nice candy-apple red and done.

 

[Scott75s1974]

Superglue / CA is my go to here too. It soaks in and stabilizes quickly. It cures with moisture, so it might be slow in winter. Then you can repair with whatever filler you like.

 

[Sitandlisten]

Thanks for all the help! I'll get busy this weekend.

 

[glend123]

let us know how you did it and how it looks

 

[Sitandlisten]

It turned out pretty nice! I took everyone's advice and scraped around the damage to remove the swelling, and loose stuff, then used wood filler to fill it, sanded, and painted black. I probably could have sanded flush a bit better - but overall way better than before! Thanks again everyone. Back to shaking the windows with these $35 speakers. Ha!

 

[glend123]

It probably looked pretty good before you painted it. Paint seems to bring out every imperfection. Looks better than before.