Does anyone know what might be wrong with a speaker in a 1947 radio that appears perfect, no holes, tears, etc. but sounds distorted. Lightly touching the cone helps clear up the distortion. If you hook up another speaker, it sounds find.

Hi,
If the voice coil is not rubbing the pole piece/magnet, then most likely the cement has failed on the spider behind the cone, or the edge of the paper cone where it was glued to the frame has come loose.

Ambroid, or Duco cement work well for this repair.

If the speaker has a heavy cardboard gasket attached to the paper, it may be difficult to spot a failure on the edge, but gently pushing from the back side will reveal it.

:Does anyone know what might be wrong with a speaker in a 1947 radio that appears perfect, no holes, tears, etc. but sounds distorted. Lightly touching the cone helps clear up the distortion. If you hook up another speaker, it sounds find.

Thanks, John, Do I have to take anything apart, or do I just put the glue around the outside edges?
:Hi,
:If the voice coil is not rubbing the pole piece/magnet, then most likely the cement has failed on the spider behind the cone, or the edge of the paper cone where it was glued to the frame has come loose.
:
:Ambroid, or Duco cement work well for this repair.
:
:If the speaker has a heavy cardboard gasket attached to the paper, it may be difficult to spot a failure on the edge, but gently pushing from the back side will reveal it.
:
:
::Does anyone know what might be wrong with a speaker in a 1947 radio that appears perfect, no holes, tears, etc. but sounds distorted. Lightly touching the cone helps clear up the distortion. If you hook up another speaker, it sounds find.

Hi,
If it is just edge loose- Carefully push the edge up far enough to get the tip of the glue tube between the frame and the cone if possible, and put a bead about 1/8 inch wide or just under that width, then set the speaker against something that will not move, or better- Face down on a phone book, or flat surface.

Otherwise work with toothpicks and spread an even amount across the flat metal surface that is to be bonded to the cone. This is the same for the spider if it is loose, but there you only have room for the tooth picks. If the spider is loose- Shim with some craft paper, or small strips of light card stock (business cards) evenly around the voice coil to center it before glueing the spider down.

The extent of removal of stuff is jsut limited to what you will need to remove to get to the speaker to work on it. If you work with tooth picks, you may not need to remove anything but the chassis from the radio. Worst case- You remove the speaker entirely.

:Thanks, John, Do I have to take anything apart, or do I just put the glue around the outside edges?
::Hi,
::If the voice coil is not rubbing the pole piece/magnet, then most likely the cement has failed on the spider behind the cone, or the edge of the paper cone where it was glued to the frame has come loose.
::
::Ambroid, or Duco cement work well for this repair.
::
::If the speaker has a heavy cardboard gasket attached to the paper, it may be difficult to spot a failure on the edge, but gently pushing from the back side will reveal it.
::
::
:::Does anyone know what might be wrong with a speaker in a 1947 radio that appears perfect, no holes, tears, etc. but sounds distorted. Lightly touching the cone helps clear up the distortion. If you hook up another speaker, it sounds find.

Got it. I'll give it a shot. I appreciate your detailed advice. I've taken a closer look and can see that the edges are loose. I think I can get the speaker off easily enough. Thanks, John.
:If it is just edge loose- Carefully push the edge up far enough to get the tip of the glue tube between the frame and the cone if possible, and put a bead about 1/8 inch wide or just under that width, then set the speaker against something that will not move, or better- Face down on a phone book, or flat surface.
:
:Otherwise work with toothpicks and spread an even amount across the flat metal surface that is to be bonded to the cone. This is the same for the spider if it is loose, but there you only have room for the tooth picks. If the spider is loose- Shim with some craft paper, or small strips of light card stock (business cards) evenly around the voice coil to center it before glueing the spider down.
:
:The extent of removal of stuff is jsut limited to what you will need to remove to get to the speaker to work on it. If you work with tooth picks, you may not need to remove anything but the chassis from the radio. Worst case- You remove the speaker entirely.
:
:
::Thanks, John, Do I have to take anything apart, or do I just put the glue around the outside edges?
:::Hi,
:::If the voice coil is not rubbing the pole piece/magnet, then most likely the cement has failed on the spider behind the cone, or the edge of the paper cone where it was glued to the frame has come loose.
:::
:::Ambroid, or Duco cement work well for this repair.
:::
:::If the speaker has a heavy cardboard gasket attached to the paper, it may be difficult to spot a failure on the edge, but gently pushing from the back side will reveal it.
:::
:::
::::Does anyone know what might be wrong with a speaker in a 1947 radio that appears perfect, no holes, tears, etc. but sounds distorted. Lightly touching the cone helps clear up the distortion. If you hook up another speaker, it sounds find.