Credenza grill slat inlet removal

[SittingRabbit]

Hello all. I put a tear in my excellent shaped but highly filthy grill cloth, and I'd like to remove it in order to mennd it. I then want to roll it up and keep for its history. I have a replacement orthophonic grill cloth that was loomed by an old woman years ago, and quite frankly looks brand new in 20s style and is more elegantly dapper than the original one, with just as many holes for great sound to come out of.

I'm seeing that these inlet slats are very tight in their grooves, and I don't want to bust them. Any tricks to getting them out successfully? Water? Mineral oil? I have no idea other than carefully prying them out.

Thanks in advance!

[Phono48]

I had the same problem with the fret of an HMV 140 table model. Unfortunately the woodem slats were so dry and tight, that the majority of them broke. However, by carefully noting which piece went where, I managed to get the pieces back in their original positions, and put a tiny blob of wood glue on each broken end before pushing it back in place. One problem you may have is that with the new material being thicker than the original, it will be even harder to get the original slats back into the grooves. You may have to discard the original ones and replace them with something thinner.

Barry

[SittingRabbit]

I just wonder if I wet them a little if they'll slide out better. But the again, I don't want them to swell up. One way or another, I'll figure it out.

[JerryVan]

As I mentioned in your other thread, they are very hard to remove in one piece and almost impossible to remove without further damaging the original grill cloth.

[SittingRabbit]

Well that stinks. I'm still going to try though.