Owners of orthophonics : What needs to be done here?

[AmberolaAndy]

I had the back off of my 8-4 and I noticed this horn connector with cracking pot metal. My question is can I get a reproduction of this part? If not what did you do to fix this issue? Thanks.

[kirtley2012]

It may be possible to get the part scanned and 3D printed if no reproductions are available

[Retrograde]

If it's not leaking air I'd leave it alone.
Why create a problem if it's functioning as is?

[JerryVan]

If it's not leaking air I'd leave it alone.
Why create a problem if it's functioning as is?

Agreed. Leave it alone. I put a bead of silicone sealant around the joint at the top & bottom, just in case it leaked.

[AmberolaAndy]

If it's not leaking air I'd leave it alone.
Why create a problem if it's functioning as is?

Agreed. Leave it alone. I put a bead of silicone sealant around the joint at the top & bottom, just in case it leaked.

Ok. I was wondering if that part is a cause of any significant air leaks or not. I guess I won’t mess with it... maybe It was just me and my overthinking...

[gramophone-georg]

Exhaust flange repair kit to reinforce the disintegrating pot metal piece:

[OrthoFan]

I was wondering if that part is a cause of any significant air leaks or not. I guess I won’t mess with it... maybe It was just me and my overthinking...

If you want to ensure an air-tight seal, as noted, apply a little (clear) GE Silicone Calk, or even some window putty which you can easily be removed later, in the areas where the couplings are joined -->

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OrthoFan

[AmberolaAndy]

I was wondering if that part is a cause of any significant air leaks or not. I guess I won’t mess with it... maybe It was just me and my overthinking...

If you want to ensure an air-tight seal, as noted, apply a little (clear) GE Silicone Calk, or even some window putty which you can easily be removed later, in the areas where the couplings are joined -->

The attachment Capture.JPG is no longer available

OrthoFan

Thank you! I will keep this in mind! I also still haven’t done that glycerin and alcohol thing to the horn either yet. But I need to find out how to get the grill off without breaking it lol.

[85corvetteman]

I re-hydrated my 8-4 a couple years ago. Best way to get the grill out is to remove the door hinges from the cabinet sides.
Then the grill will come straight out after removing the 4 retaining screws. Be careful to not drop the little washers that should be on the 4 screws
It might be possible to twist the grill enough to get it out without removing doors, but not worth the chance of breaking the fragile grill. Make sure you wait on alcohol and glycerin to completely dry before re-installing the grill. If not, any residual can run down and soak into the grill cloth.
When re-installing doors, if any of the screws won’t tighten you can use the old carpenter trick and break off wooden toothpicks or match stems in the holes before reinserting the screws..
BTW my flange was exactly like yours. I did as other members suggested. I actually used a two part epoxy mix first and then silicon.

Hope this helps.
Terry

[jamiegramo]

I'm not sure if this is worth mentioning but it's something I used to do when restoring antiques and parts made from spelter and pot/junk metals. You could try it 'aswell' as the suggestions above. Squirt super glue (cyanoacrylate) into the cracks of the junk metal. The glue must be new and newly opened so that it is really thin and runny. If you are lucky the cracks will soak it up like a sponge and get as much in there as possible while wet. A good absorption and build up can take sometime to really harden. I have found this can add strength to the metal but more importantly it helps to seal the cracks against the gases and air that cause this 'intergranular corrosion' and should help slow or prevent further decay where it's occurring.

I guess its like using a wood hardener but for metal. No good if the glue is thick or 'gel' type superglue or the cracks are oily or dirty. Here in Britain they sell a product called 'Detach' which might help thin the glue further for greater penetration. No good too if the metal has to be plated of course! I don't know if anyone else has tried this?

Jamie