Help!, how to change cloth on b&o penta

[calania]

Hello! A few months ago I bought a pair of used B&O penta although they sounded great  the speaker fabric was in very bad condition and needed replacing. I decided to try to replace one of smaller the top grills first. After looking at videos on YouTube on how to change the cloth on “normal” speakers  I started with gluing one of the long sides and then when that had dried I glued the opposite side while stretching the fabric. The front and the long sides turned out great but no mater how I tried I couldn’t get the small top side of the speaker good. There was always folds or creases there. Since I saw that I couldn’t make it work I decided to try to detach one of the side I had just glued so I cold start over. I was lucky enough that the the fabric was fairly easy to remove and separate from the glue and the glue left no residue on the fabric.  I have tried playing around with the fabric again now when it’s only attached to one side but still I can’t get it to sit without the creases on top like it does originally. Can anybody here share their tips for how to change the fabric?

[Glitch]

calania wrote:

Can anybody here share their tips for how to change the fabric?

A high tack, double sided tape will make the job much easier. I’ve had good results using  iCraft SuperTape. There are other “industrial quality” tapes that are just as good, but might be harder to find.

It will also be helpful to pick a very thin, very stretchy fabric. Try to keep the tension on the fabric just high enough to remove the wrinkles.

HTH

Glitch

 

[calania]

Thanks for the help. Didn’t think about using double sided tape. Like you said that might be easier than glue. Have you changed the fabric on a pair of pentas yourself? If so in what order did you do the sides on the top piece? Did you start with the two long sides and then do the the short ones?

[Glitch]

It has been a long time since I recovered a pair of Penta grills. I don’t recall the exact order that I did things.

The advantage of the tape is that the fabric is repositionable. Apply the tape to the plastic frames, press hard to “permanently” attach it, then remove the protective film on the other side of the tape. Drape the fabric over the frames/tape, stretch slightly, and LIGHTLY press the fabric onto the tape. The fabric can be repositioned and stretched to remove any wrinkles. After it looks good, “hard press” the fabric into the tape to permanently attach it. Trim off any excess fabric as needed to get the grills to seat properly.

The first time I did this I was skeptical about the tapes holding ability. My concerns were unfounded.

Glitch

[calania]

Thanks for the tips. Even though the glue held well and was easy to apply it dried so fast that I wasn’t able to reposition the fabric after pressing it into the glue. Will try with tape like you said and see if that is easier.

[Glitch]

Another advantage to the tape is that it could make it easier for the next person that wants to recover the grills. Tape should be easier to remove from the plastic frames than glue.

I like to make it easier for the “next guy” that works on the equipment because it probably will be me ;-).

Glitch

[Tignum]

Glitch wrote:

I like to make it easier for the “next guy” that works on the equipment because it probably will be me ;-). Glitch

?

[calania]

I must confess that I initial were very skeptical about your suggestion to use tape instead of glue but since I couldn’t get the top piece looking good I though it was at least worth a try. And I must say it was so mush easier and came out looking great! I used some decent 3M double sided tape I had and it was so nice and useful to be able to adjust the fabric while attaching it.  It seems to hold it quite well for now so now lets hope that it will last.

[Glitch]

I’m glad to hear that it worked out, but where are the pictures? 😉

Glitch

[calania]

How could I forget 🙂 I have only had time to change the two top pieces but those look great so far. Need to do some polishing once I finish changing the cloth

[Glitch]

Looking good! It appears that you have found a pretty good match with the original fabric.

The fingerprints on the stainless is part of the charm of owning Pentas (at least that I what I keep telling myself 😉 ). I’ve tried many different things with varying degrees of success. I’ve settled on just wiping them down with isopropyl alcohol once they are installed in their final location and try not to touch them.

Glitch

[calania]

Yea I’m very happy about the fabric myself! I was having such a hard time finding a reasonably priced dark grey fabric and was so close to just using black fabric. But then I found a danish website which sold it for the same priced I would have payed for black fabric (Antrasit grå from netsound.dk in case anybody finds this post in the future).

I bought my speakers used and the steel wasn’t in the best shape with scratches and even some rust spots. I have bought some autosol aluminum polish which I have used on a few sides with good results. Once I finish polishing them I will probably not let anybody near them ?

[Glitch]

calania wrote:

I bought my speakers used and the steel wasn’t in the best shape with scratches and even some rust spots.

Yep, pristine Pentas are increasingly rare. Mine have their share of scratches and dents. I’ve considered sanding the stainless to a matte/brushed finish. This would make the flaws less noticeable.

There is also the option of painting. I’ve painted the plastic trim and bases (but not the stainless). One thing that I like about the paint is that it makes the speaker look more cohesive by not having so many different colors (shades of gray) and textures.

Painting the stainless seems blasphemous. It reminds me of a painted Delorean (the car). It may (arguably) look better, but is just isn’t a Delorean. 😉

Glitch

 

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