Hi
I just pulled my speakers out of storage [about3-4 years] and decided to refinish the cabinets to match new surroundings.
I Found the baskets of the driveres [8"vifa p120] to be very corroded....a big fluffy white mess😱
well i very carefully scraped and vacumed the corrosion away...But HOW do i prevent it happening again
They were not stored in damp conditions at all
Please help...
Maak
I just pulled my speakers out of storage [about3-4 years] and decided to refinish the cabinets to match new surroundings.
I Found the baskets of the driveres [8"vifa p120] to be very corroded....a big fluffy white mess😱
well i very carefully scraped and vacumed the corrosion away...But HOW do i prevent it happening again
They were not stored in damp conditions at all
Please help...
Maak
Maak,
I have seen the same gummy but fluffy white mass on Vifa cast AL woofer baskets. I have no clue what the substance is and so I have no good idea about how to prevent it.
The stuff I have seen is water soluble and can be dissolved. Just be careful about where the water is going. Since it dissolves in water, a coating of a hydrocarbon based lubricant should prevent it from coming back, but that is just a guess and needs to be tested.
For me, I only worry about it if is on the part of the basket that can be seen when the driver is mounted. If it is inside the cabinet I do not worry about it.l
Good designing and good building,
Mark
I have seen the same gummy but fluffy white mass on Vifa cast AL woofer baskets. I have no clue what the substance is and so I have no good idea about how to prevent it.
The stuff I have seen is water soluble and can be dissolved. Just be careful about where the water is going. Since it dissolves in water, a coating of a hydrocarbon based lubricant should prevent it from coming back, but that is just a guess and needs to be tested.
For me, I only worry about it if is on the part of the basket that can be seen when the driver is mounted. If it is inside the cabinet I do not worry about it.l
Good designing and good building,
Mark
The best thing to do would be nothing. The oxide which forms on aluminium is usually nice and impermeable, preventing further corrosion of the metal underneath. It may not look pretty, but who cares what the basket looks like.
Polish it up a little with s Scotchbrite pad and hit it with a little lacquer out of a spray can.
Finished.
Finished.
Chipco,
I don't think a spray anything is a good idea near your drivers.
Maak,
My concern would be the cause of this corrosion. Was silicone used to seal the enclosure. If so, maybe it wasn't fully cured when the drivers were mounted and the acetic acid released settled on any exposed metal it could find and you should be sure to get it all off before remounting them.
I don't think a spray anything is a good idea near your drivers.
Maak,
My concern would be the cause of this corrosion. Was silicone used to seal the enclosure. If so, maybe it wasn't fully cured when the drivers were mounted and the acetic acid released settled on any exposed metal it could find and you should be sure to get it all off before remounting them.
no silicone used...paper....and a real good fit.
as to the guy who sed it was impermeable and to leave it....it was freaky fat and like furry fungus and it seemed to have caused tiny pieces of the paint to mix with the corosion dust and sit all around the driver in the dampening material like salt and pepper...
... i was most worried about this getting inside and wearing moving parts.
strangely enough the paint still seemed mostly ok under the corrosion????
i guess ill just paint it againor some non drying but solidish butimen goop might be good...what you think?
Maak
as to the guy who sed it was impermeable and to leave it....it was freaky fat and like furry fungus and it seemed to have caused tiny pieces of the paint to mix with the corosion dust and sit all around the driver in the dampening material like salt and pepper...
... i was most worried about this getting inside and wearing moving parts.
strangely enough the paint still seemed mostly ok under the corrosion????
i guess ill just paint it againor some non drying but solidish butimen goop might be good...what you think?
Maak
Scary,
I'm glad I use OB's or I'd want to pull out and check any aluminum basket drivers I have. Sh**, got one in the Jeep. Gotta remember to pull it out soon.
I'd say something that dries. Varnish, maybe if it sticks to aluminum ?, a paint like rustoleum made exactly for that purpose would probably be better. Then damp those baskets while you have them out to prevent ringing, which is one of those almost mandatory DIY things anyway.
I'm glad I use OB's or I'd want to pull out and check any aluminum basket drivers I have. Sh**, got one in the Jeep. Gotta remember to pull it out soon.
I'd say something that dries. Varnish, maybe if it sticks to aluminum ?, a paint like rustoleum made exactly for that purpose would probably be better. Then damp those baskets while you have them out to prevent ringing, which is one of those almost mandatory DIY things anyway.
Be wary of paints designed to prevent rust on ferrous metals, as they may react unexpectedly with aluminium.
so for safety of the driver i cant spray or use rust inhibitor..and rust paint may do worse to aluminium...what can i use ...maybe i'll try nailpolish
Maak
Maak
Aluminium is a fairly inert metal and should not corrode under normal conditions. I'd say the drivers are being exposed to some sort of acid or base which corrodes aluminium. There would be no other reasonable explination that I am aware of.
Aluminium is a very reactive metal. It's the aluminium oxide which forms on the surface which is unreactive. Sorry, just nitpicking😉BassAwdyO said:
How about paint for aluminum siding? I'm sure a paint store can tell you something designed for aluminum.
Could it possibly be some kind of electrolysis that grounding the basket would eliminate?
Could it possibly be some kind of electrolysis that grounding the basket would eliminate?
Aluminum oxide will forma protective finish if its the right stuff. But aluminum "rust" isn't the right oxide. The difference is between Al2O3 and AL2O4, The latter (if I remember correctly) is the one formed during the anodization process. The other just keeps on working ~ like a form of rust.
Any coating will keep it from forming. And most everything will stick to aluminum if there's enough "tooth" in the prep of the aluminum material. The most desirable primer would be a zinc cromate, but that may be hard to find.
Polish it up and hit it with lacquer or epoxy bsed paint. It will stop the corrosion by being a barrier to moisture.
Any coating will keep it from forming. And most everything will stick to aluminum if there's enough "tooth" in the prep of the aluminum material. The most desirable primer would be a zinc cromate, but that may be hard to find.
Polish it up and hit it with lacquer or epoxy bsed paint. It will stop the corrosion by being a barrier to moisture.
It's not the same oxide as deposited during anodization, but it is stable and impermeable, so it does prevent further corrosion, unlike rust. You can tell it works by looking at an aluminium structure that stays outside, such as older window frames. You can see a thin white layer over the top, which forms quickly and is solid and very hard, but the metal underneath remains perfectly intact even after many years.
johninCR's suggestion of acid or alkali attack is the most likely. If it eats through the oxide then it will damage the metal underneath, forming pits. Salt from living by the sea could cause it.
johninCR's suggestion of acid or alkali attack is the most likely. If it eats through the oxide then it will damage the metal underneath, forming pits. Salt from living by the sea could cause it.
I believe I might have been the first person to mention AL. If so, then I apologize for my mistake.
The Vifa basket may be cast magnesium. Many of Vifa's cast baskets were magnesium. The drivers I own with the gummy/fluffy white substance are cast magnesium (really a magnesium and aluminum alloy).
On mine, the substance comes off cleanly with water, a small brush, and a little effort. The coating on the basket appears to be unaffected by the buildup and removal of the substance. I speculate that the substance is a magnesium salt leached from the basket by atmospheric moisture. To prevent redevelopment after cleaning I suggest preventing water condensation on the basket.
Since the units I had that developed this condition were stored in an unheated space (and so went through a freeze/thaw process) this may be accomplished simply by storing them in a heated space and if mounted in a sealed cabinent, include a couple of those moisture absorbing packets.
Best to all,
Mark
The Vifa basket may be cast magnesium. Many of Vifa's cast baskets were magnesium. The drivers I own with the gummy/fluffy white substance are cast magnesium (really a magnesium and aluminum alloy).
On mine, the substance comes off cleanly with water, a small brush, and a little effort. The coating on the basket appears to be unaffected by the buildup and removal of the substance. I speculate that the substance is a magnesium salt leached from the basket by atmospheric moisture. To prevent redevelopment after cleaning I suggest preventing water condensation on the basket.
Since the units I had that developed this condition were stored in an unheated space (and so went through a freeze/thaw process) this may be accomplished simply by storing them in a heated space and if mounted in a sealed cabinent, include a couple of those moisture absorbing packets.
Best to all,
Mark
If we are only speaking of ingestible compounds of magnesium, then let's not forget milk of magnesia or epsom salt.
Regardless, it is likely that the white substance on the baskets is non toxic.
Mark
Regardless, it is likely that the white substance on the baskets is non toxic.
Mark
No, I'm sorry, please don't eat it.
What I meant was that magnesium, in moisture, disolves like Alka-Seltzer.
What I meant was that magnesium, in moisture, disolves like Alka-Seltzer.
I had the problem too...PJ17W..
I had the same problem on my PJ17W mid/woofers that were installed in a sealed cabinet . It was not used for about three years. I decided to pull it out and put it into another box and discovered the white fluff on both drivers. Only on the inner surfaces.
I have bought other Vifa drivers since and they did not develop any fluff on them as yet ( 5 years ). But these drivers are not in a closed box.
Cheers,
Ashok.
I had the same problem on my PJ17W mid/woofers that were installed in a sealed cabinet . It was not used for about three years. I decided to pull it out and put it into another box and discovered the white fluff on both drivers. Only on the inner surfaces.
I have bought other Vifa drivers since and they did not develop any fluff on them as yet ( 5 years ). But these drivers are not in a closed box.
Cheers,
Ashok.
I had four Scan Speak 8 inch mid-basses (21W/8554) in boxes in a closet on the floor. Water from a leaking shower surround in the adjacent room rotted the boxes of two. 
The back plates corroded in spots, into an orangey colour. I carefully masked the cones and the 12 mm holes in the centre – is that a cooling vent?
I then sprayed them with “killrust fishoilene”, which claims to penetrate rust.
The back plates are greyish, I might have guess Aluminium; but the spots being orangey suggests they’re iron based.
I should have checked what metal they are – does anyone know? Presumably this is just cosmetic damage, though they will be visible when used on the open baffle Phoenix.
On both, the surrounds were a little flattened and dimpled. 😱 Could this affect the sound at all?
😕
Thanks
The back plates corroded in spots, into an orangey colour. I carefully masked the cones and the 12 mm holes in the centre – is that a cooling vent?
I then sprayed them with “killrust fishoilene”, which claims to penetrate rust.
The back plates are greyish, I might have guess Aluminium; but the spots being orangey suggests they’re iron based.
I should have checked what metal they are – does anyone know? Presumably this is just cosmetic damage, though they will be visible when used on the open baffle Phoenix.
On both, the surrounds were a little flattened and dimpled. 😱 Could this affect the sound at all?
😕
Thanks
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