Casting resin? Dyed quick cure epoxy? Epoxy Putty? Black CA glue?

[Dan Gaylin]

Hi all,

Sorry if this is a little off topic. I have a speaker with a black acrylic top that was damaged by our window installer. I am trying to figure out the best way to fill in the very large chip in the acrylic top. I am thinking that Quick Cure with a little black dye is the best bet (would need to create some kind of dams with tape or a thin piece of waxed wood), but would appreciate any advice. Epoxy putty would be my second thought. Photos below.

Thanks!


chip view 1.jpgchip view 2.jpg

[John K Jordan]

I don't think the black CA would work, at least not the kind I buy - when it cures it's flexible. I'm wondering about countertop people. They often fix chips in granite, marble, etc.

Too bad the window installer wouldn't buy a new table.

JKJ

Hi all,

Sorry if this is a little off topic. I have a speaker with a black acrylic top that was damaged by our window installer. I am trying to figure out the best way to fill in the very large chip in the acrylic top. I am thinking that Quick Cure with a little black dye is the best bet (would need to create some kind of dams with tape or a thin piece of waxed wood), but would appreciate any advice. Epoxy putty would be my second thought. Photos below.

Thanks!


chip view 1.jpgchip view 2.jpg

[Frank Pratt]

Whatever you patch it with, the only way to get a perfect match with the rest of the top it to refinish the whole surface. What kind of speaker is it? Looks expensive.

[Dan Gaylin]

John, I think you are right -- the black CA glue all seems to be rubberized. Frank, yes its an English-made carbon fiber speaker, Wilson Benesch. Fortunately it still sounds fine. I'm not expecting a perfect match, but hoping for something pretty clean.

[Jim Tobias]

I would use one of the Alumilite products.....Amazing Clear Cast or Quick Coat. Check their site about adding color, etc.
I think the hardest parts will be: 1 Getting a REALLY good dam on the outer edge to prevent any leaking. UHMW material is the best for a clean release. If you use a small piece of UHMW for the outer dam, use a bead of hot glue to seal from the outside to prevent any leaks. Tyvek tape also works well as for a clean release.
Afterwards, I agree with Frank, the top will show some signs of the repair unless you redo the entire top. If you are careful to pour it to the exact level needed, it may look fine.
Good luck


Jim

[Frank Pratt]

The trick will be to get the patch to blend nicely with the surrounding area. I do not believe that it's possible to pour something in & have it level out. It's going to have to be slightly overpoured, then sanded down flush, which will involve buffing out the whole top. Trials with test batches of filler would be a good idea to arrive at a good color match. The good thing is that the black will be easier to match than other colors.

Definitely worth fixing. That chip would drive me crazy everytime I walked into the room.

[Frank Pratt]

I just had a look at their website. Wow, they make some gorgeous speakers. If they sound half as good as they look...

[Dan Gaylin]

Thanks for the additional replies.

John I think the idea of a counter-top restorer is a good one, but I'm going to try to do it myself -- my guess is that it is different enough from what they normally do that the results aren't likely to be great. The window installer did give me some $$ to make good.

Jim, the Alumilite is sold out most places unfortunately.

Frank, yes I agree, it will annoy me no end if I can't get it fixed satisfactorily. And I also think I have resolved myself to buffing the whole top. Yes Wilson Benesch makes speakers that are both aesthetically and sonically superb (and have the price tag to match) -- worth a listen if you get the chance; I'm in Kensington Maryland if you want to stop by. I was into music and audio long before I became a wood worker....

[Stan Calow]

They do make black two-part epoxy. I have seen it in regular hardware stores. Never used it, just noted it exists.

[Frank Pratt]

Frank, yes I agree, it will annoy me no end if I can't get it fixed satisfactorily. And I also think I have resolved myself to buffing the whole top. Yes Wilson Benesch makes speakers that are both aesthetically and sonically superb (and have the price tag to match) -- worth a listen if you get the chance; I'm in Kensington Maryland if you want to stop by. I was into music and audio long before I became a wood worker....

Thanks for the offer. I'd love to take you up on it, but Calgary is a fair drive away

Just a thought, have you contacted the manufacturer for ideas? They might even be able to hook you up with some thing that will specifically work for that.

[Dan Gaylin]

Thanks again for all the helpful suggestions. Here's how things turned out. Not perfect, but not bad. Much better than before anyway. I ended up using epoxy putty, gloss enamel paint, and buffing the whole surface. I cut a piece of wood to the curved shape of the speaker using my contour duplicator and the band saw. Pouring epoxy proved infeasible because there was no way to get the dams snug enough without risking further damage to the speaker. The putty worked great with the cut contour, but then color matching was difficult. From any more than a couple feet its not noticeable (photo 1) Closer up you can see it, but not unless you are looking for it (photo 2). If you compare to the photos in the first post, I think it turned out okay. (I am having the sideways orientation issue with the photos on this site that happens sometimes. Tried to rotate them but it did not work...)

IMG-0537.JPG.jpg repair2.jpg