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Oh, let's see, plaid, pasley, burnt orange :B
I still like the "LifeSaver" look.
theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio
IB subwoofer FAQ page
"Complicated equipment and light reflectors and various other items of hardware are enough, to my mind, to prevent the birdie from coming out." ...... Henri Cartier-Bresson -
Go the white enameled look, you know, like that apparatus in your basement utility room, beside that big unit that provides heat to the house, what's it called again.......?
BingBingComment
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Patrick, I particularly like the candy cane look for the holiday season, and it will be here before you know it!
But if you want something a little more long term, investigate these options:
1. very thin pourous foam that could be wrapped around it. Acts as both a sound resonance guard from the chamber, and could look good. I Think SVS uses a similar type finish.
2. Piano black Formica. I know they make this, but it wouldn't be real easy to find.
3. How about, and hang onto your hat. Chia-sub! you know, grow that cool green grass all around it. Of course, mowing could be a real problem, lol.
Lex
<A HREF="http://www.catcables.com" <IMG SRC="http://www.htguide.com/lexman/other/sm_logo.gif"Comment
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ThomasW, if I go back to the LifeSaver look, I'll even put some foily material on the endcaps.
Bing, grrr....
Lex, I'm seeing "Pillar of Bass" in my mind now that you've got me thinking...
But keeping the suggestions coming, I'm still in the process of deciding on a look that gives it an attitude.
I've started on Sunosub II today. I finished glueing the MDF together, and have some weight on them tonight and will be making some endcaps tomorrow. I was smart this time:
I bought two pieces of 24"x49" MDF (3/4") and had Home Depot make the cuts for me (so I got four 24"x24.5" pieces of MDF), so both cuts were free of charge and I didn't have mess with using my jigsaw to cut them - my fillings hurt the last time I had to use my jigsaw to cut up the MDF.
I also needed three 4" ports 36" long, so I bought a 10 foot section of 4" PVC and just used their PVC hacksaw cutter and made 3 sections when creating a nice mess on their floor.
Then I checked my list and bought what I needed, and after $61 later, I left Home Depot with MDF, PVC ports, screws, paint, legs, glue, caulk, t-nuts, sandpaper, etc.
I already had the power tools, sonotube, liquid nails, protective glasses, ear plugs, mouth/nose mask, and clamps.
I'll keep posting my progress pix as I go along because I know many are waiting on their 15" Tempest drivers, and are also looking to get their DIY sonosubs going. I'll post the pix from tonight tomorrow morning. Once I'm done, I should have another webpage detailing the construction for this sub, which will present some different challenges since I'm using three 4" ports and a 15" driver on a 24" wide MDF endcap on the bottom (I've decided to have a nice flat whole top with no ports blowing up on the top).
The mounting of the heavier PVC ports will require me to create a "seating" edge for the port to sit on (and glued in) to be installed with the ease I'm looking for. I doing this because I don't think I'll have to surface area for flared ports due to the 15" driver's larger surface area occupied.
I don't think this new sub will cost more than $200-$225 ($100 was for the driver) because I have the extra tube and the power tools now. So stay tuned!
PatCave; HT Pix;Gear;DIY Projects;DVDs; LDsComment
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Patrick
Yep you're going to be a "joy" to be around when the tube is built and you're waiting, waiting, waiting, waitin, waiti, wait, wai, wa, w,......
For the driver to arrive :B
theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio
IB subwoofer FAQ page
"Complicated equipment and light reflectors and various other items of hardware are enough, to my mind, to prevent the birdie from coming out." ...... Henri Cartier-BressonComment
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Would real wood veneer be a pain to apply to the cardboard tubing?
My concern is that the top skin of the tube may tend to pull away from the rest of the tube.
BingBingComment
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Bing
The answer is yes and no.
Yes, if a veneer with a "backing" is used then no problem attaching it to the tube.
No, because the tube has a spiral seam. It's made by wrapping a straight piece of paper around a column at a diagonal. This seam would probably show through the veneer.
If your interested in making a "fine finished" piece, I'd suggest starting with something from here:
http://www.cubiconcorp.com./ or here
theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio
IB subwoofer FAQ page
"Complicated equipment and light reflectors and various other items of hardware are enough, to my mind, to prevent the birdie from coming out." ...... Henri Cartier-BressonComment
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Okay, boys and girls, here's the 1st installment of photos of my progress on constructing Sunosub II:
I'm using the Tempest 15" driver from Adire Audio (formerly Avatar Audio). Just to recap the design specs for this effort:
1 Tempest 15" driver
3 4" ports 36" long - tunes enclosure to 16Hz
10 ft^3 of internal volume
24" wide sonotube roughly 43" tall before endcap thickness.
MDF used for endcap material.
Here we go:
Day 1 - I go shopping 9-1-00
The raw materials:
Photo 1: Here's the ports made from 4" PVC, 4 MDF (roughly 24"x24.5"x.75") pieces, one 1/4" piece of 24"x24" plywood.
Photo 2: Lots of knick-knacks - black spray paint for the sonotube, acrylic clear coat, 10-24 machine screws (2" and 2.5" long) and t-nuts, glue, speaker wire and terminal crimp-on connectors, liquid nails, short table legs and mount plates, silicone caulk. Also you'll see: protective glasses, mask, and ear plug - it is imperative that you use them when you are cutting up the MDF and making your endcaps, etc.
Photo 3: More stuff - Drill bits, hammer, wrench, masking tape, electrical tape, sandpaper attachments, weather-stripping.
Photo 4: Here's a look at the sonotube-like material that was left over from when I had to buy a 12 foot section. I will be using about 46" out of 66" of this section. I might have enough sonotube material left over for one more Sunosub! Muhahahaha!
Photo 5: The Power Tools - Skil Router 1823, Black & Decker Power Drill, B&D Jigsaw, Ryobi Orbital Sander - all bought on previous Sunosub I construction in July.
Photo 6: More stuff - Batting material (from Wal-Mart's fabric department), 2 router bits (I may or may not use them for rounding off my endcap and port holes if I can get away with using a sander), and some metallic paint for the endcaps (yup, I might go for a T2 look for Sunosub II).
That's it for the raw materials for now (you'll see the circle jig later on). Let's make some endcaps, shall we?
Photo 7: Squeeze out lines of wood glue on the MDF pieces so you can glue them together to increase the thickness to 1.5" or more. This will be for the top endcap.
Photo 8: The left one has both pieces for the top endcap glued togeather. The right one has the glue applied for the bottom endcap.
Photo 9: For the bottom endcap I glue a 1/4" thick piece of plywood to the 1.5" thickness of MDF. This is so that when I use the t-nuts later on, it has some real wood to sink its teeth into, which allows for me to take out the driver when I need to without stripping the t-nuts out of the MDF material.
Photo 10: To make sure the pieces of MDF/plywood are glued nice and tight, I pile on a bag of play sand, some cat litter and a bag of pine bark. I let this set overnight.
Day 2: 9-2-00
Good afternoon, I went shopping for ideas for the outer covering for Sunosub II, but came back empty handed for now, but that's okay, I have almost a month to wait for the Tempest driver.
I decided to make the holes and cuts for the endcaps today. It's threatening to rain, and I'll be damned if I cut MDF inside my garage (I learned that the hard way on Sonosub I), so I wait to around 4:30 p.m. to start cutting the endcaps.
I start with the top endcap because it's very basic (no inside holes. For this project, I have decided to route in a 1/4" edge/ledge so that each endcap's edge will sit on the edge of the sonotube material. This requires just a little more planning of the routing cuts.
Photo 11: I set up some saw horses to use for routing the circular cuts. I make sure I find the center hole for a 24" wide circle. Use whatever method to find the center hole. Then I used an 1/5" drill bit with my power drill and drilled a hole straight through the MDF. I find it's best to route what you need on one side, and then flip the MDF piece over and route the remainder. You see the circular jig piece that I got from Sears, and it accepts the Skil Router very well.
Photo 12: Here's one of many (upcoming) shots of me after my battle with MDF sawdust. I wear the towel on my head to keep sweat out of my eyes, and I find that I get all sorts of funny looks from my neighbors when I dress this way.
Photo 13: With this 1/4" endcap edge that I've decided to route in, the endcap winds up being just a bit over 24", but my circle only does 24" circles. So using a little bit of ingenuity, I used a paint stirrer, 2 thin nails, 1 1/8" thick nail, and the power drill to create a circle jig extender: I drilled in holes on the wood paint stirrer: one for the pivot hole, one for the old pivot jig bit, two for the holding the circle jig straight. I drilled 2 holes in the metal piece of the circle jig, which then go through the holes in the wood paint stirrer and using thin nail to hold the circle jig in-line with the extender circle jig. I wish this photo was a close-up of my handy-work.
Photo 14: This gives you an idea of the result I was looking for. The endcap should just pop in on the top of the sonotube's opening and meet at the routed edge.
Photo 15: I use a small piece of sonotube to make sure I get a flush fit with the endcap after I make the cuts.
Photo 16: Here's another shot of the test fitting for the sonotube.
Photo 17: Obviously I had help from The Hollow Man on this shot. Actually, this is how I find the center of the bottom endcap - I line up the top endcap so the edges are just flush with the edges, and then I just drill the pivot center hole straight through the top endcap into the bottom endcap. Once I get the center hole started, I take off the top endcap, and continue to make sure the pivot hole goes through the bottom endcap.
Photo 18: The bottom endcap's inside surface is easily identified since it's got the plywood glued to it. Here I am about to route the circle, but remembering to not route all the way through and leaving enough thickness to make the ledge/edge like I did with the top endcap.
Photo 19: I test for sonotube fit. Notice that I've stopped the cut about 1/4" from the outer surface of the bottom endcap.
Photo 20: I am not winning the MDF sawdust war...
Photo 21: A wider shot of me and my shirt peppered with sawdust.
Photo 22: I'm using the top endcap as a work table surface when I do my routing cuts for the bottom endcap. As you can see, I've completed another edge cut with the use of my circle jig extender. You should be able to see the new pivot nail, and the 2 thin nails that keeps the extender on line with the rest of the circle jig.
Photo 23: This is my original idea (drawn to scale) for driver/ports placement on the bottom endcap, but it just wasn't possible due to the width constraint of the sonotube I had in my possession, and still have some MDF left over at the edges near the port. So, you'll see the configuration I ended up using (which looks remarkably like Andrew Platt's new Sonosub. It wasn't my intention to go with this idea, but the design dictated it given my constraints.
Photo 24: It's time to figure out where to put the hole for the 15" driver. Dan Wiggins from Adire said that a 14" hole would be fine for the 15" Tempest driver. I'm taking the man's word on this. If the hole winds up too small, I'll be screaming!
Photo 25: I use the router once again to cut in a 14" hole.
Photo 26: Here I'm done cutting out the driver hole.
Photo 27: I lay out the port holes, and the leg mounts. Then I pencil in their positions. That piece of PVC was left over from the 10 foot section I bought when I needed three 36" sections for each port.
Photo 28: I pencil in the port holes, and find the center pivot hole for each hole to be cut. You're on your own on determinine how to find the center pivot hole. I could explain, but I'm too tired tonight.
Photo 29: For the ports, I'm cutting in a ledge for the edge of the PVC ports to sit on, so I'm not cutting all the way through the port holes. It's easier to cut in a ledge than figure out another way to keep the ports from sliding through the holes if the glue and caulk don't hold them in place. So you see 3 holes cut with the final 1/4" not cut through the holes, and the diameter for the holes are about 4.5" since the PVC ports have a 1/4" thick exterior to them.
Photo 30: Well, it's getting late, and I've flipped the bottom endcap so you're looking at its exterior side with 2 of the 3 port holes cut out. I had to carefully re-adjust the circle jig to cut holes with the internal diameter of 4" for the PVC ports.
Photo 31: Okay, one last shot of me after 4 hours of all this endcap madness! Notice my shirt is totally covered with sawdust. It's very dark now, near 8:30 p.m.
Photo 32: Here's the final interior side of the bottom endcap.
Photo 33: This gives you a better shot of the ledge I built for the PVC ports.
Photo 34: Here's a shot of the interior side of the top endcap. I'll putty the pivot hole up with either glue or putty.
Photo 35: Here's a shot of the interior sides for both endcaps. Hey, I worked for 4 hours on these, so if I want to show the world these endcaps, I will!
Photo 36: Here's a shot of the exterior sides for both endcaps.
Photo 37: Here's a shot of the exterior side of the bottom endcap.
Well, that wraps up Day 2 for the construction of Sunosub II.
What's up next?
1. Finalize the sonotube length I truly need after taking account of the thickness of the endcaps, and cut the sonotube down to size.
2. Put/glue the batting on the inside of the sonotube.
3. Wait until 9-5-00 (Tuesday) to get to my local audio store to get a dual-input terminal cup. Once I get then I'll cut in the hole, and screw it in to the bottom endcap, and caulk the insides for it.
4. Create speaker driver cables for both voice coils for the Tempest driver.
5. Check out routing rounded edges for the endcaps, and the port openings. May sand them down. Do what's needed to integrate endcap and sonotube edges.
6. Paint the top and bottom endcap, apply clear coat (multiple coats) if needed.
7. Paint the sonotube exterior black, and then sand down the roughness of the exterior side. This is to prep it for cloth cover in the future.
8. Attach top endcap to sonotube topside, tack in small nails along the sonotube into the endcap for better stability, and caulk the inside edges.
9. Put on the leg mounts, drill holes for machine screws to keep leg mounts in place.
10. Wait until Tempest driver shows up, drill in the driver mounting holes, glue in the t-nuts using liquid nails.
11. Put PVC ports in their position/hole on the bottom endcap, glue/caulk the edges.
12. Attach bottom endcap to the bottom of the sonotube, caulk the edges, nail in small nails into sonotube/endcap.
13. Mount the Tempest driver: Apply weather stripping around the mounting hole to keep a good air-tight seal between driver and enclosure; connect the voice coils to the proper terminal connection; screw in the Tempest driver with the 8 machine screws into the t-nuts.
14. Put the legs on the bottom endcap, and move Sunosub II into position in the HT.
15. Hook it up and take it for the spin.
16. Hopefully it works, if not, figure out what's wrong with it.
17. Settle on exterior covering for Sunosub II, and implement the design.
That's it!
I don't envision finishing this project until the Tempest driver shows up in October, so stay tuned! I'll try to use this thread for my updates, which might a sparse for a month or so after this weekend.
PatCave; HT Pix;Gear;DIY Projects;DVDs; LDsComment
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Once again, very nicely documented and photographed Pat!
So, is the plan to run both Sun-O-sub I and II in tandem? Yikes!
Thomas, thanks for those links, the last one had tubes that were reasonably priced. How do you find all these cool links? 8) :B
BingBingComment
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Bing
I frequent lots of online forums, and harvest links as I go along. Also I subscribe to the Bass-list it's another good DIY source
theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio
IB subwoofer FAQ page
"Complicated equipment and light reflectors and various other items of hardware are enough, to my mind, to prevent the birdie from coming out." ...... Henri Cartier-BressonComment
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Good Job Thomas!
BingBingComment
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Here's an update:
Day 3: 9-3-00
It rained early in the afternoon today, so it wasn't conducive to doing too much on the project.
Once it cleared up, I was able to do some work. Today was basically sonotube day.
I measured out the length of tube I needed and made the tube cut. I calculated that I needed 45.5" of tube (2.75" is taken up by both endcaps), and I wound up with 42.75" of internal height for the sonotube.
Here's my day with the sonotube preparation:
Photo 38 : I clean up the edges of the sonotube on one end with a pair of scissors.
Photo 39 : To get the line around the tube, I made a 80" banner out of typing paper taped together.
Photo 40 : I use a tape measure and make marks around the tube so that I can tape the banner around the tube.
Photo 41 : Using the tape banner's upper edge, I draw a line around the tube with a thick black marker. This gives me the line I need to make the cut.
Photo 42 : I use a normal saw to groove in the cut on the black marker line. This guides the saw. Lots of paper fiber will clog the saw teeth as you make the cutting groove.
Photo 43 : I tried using my power jigsaw, but I found that the cut was getting too rough, so I stop after a couple of inches, and I go back to my hand saw to complete the job. I got a cleaner cut using the hand saw (more work, but worth it to me).
Photo 44 : I finally finish cutting through the sonotube.
Photo 45 : Here's a shot of the sonotube section that I just created.
Photo 46 : I sand the tube's edge with sandpaper (shown) and also with my paper sander (not shown).
Photo 47 : I start spray painting the tube black so the name of the manufacture doesn't show up through the outer covering I will use later.
Photo 48 : Here's the sonotube painted all black. I'm allowing it to dry overnight, and will sand the surface tomorrow to get rid of any surface roughness.
I do a little bit of work on the endcaps:
Photo 49 : I check for port fit in the holes I made yesterday in the bottom endcap.
Photo 50 : I decide to sand the edges for the holes for the driver and ports.
Photo 51 : I use sand paper to get into the tight spots of the port holes.
Okay, I'm done for today.
Up for tomorrow:
Besides smoothing out the sonotube's surface with a sander. I think I'll glue in the batting to the insides of the sonotube, and also glue/caulk/nail in the top endcap to the sonotube. After that, I'm basically in the wait mode for the driver, and for the terminal cup.
PatCave; HT Pix;Gear;DIY Projects;DVDs; LDsComment
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Day 4: 9-4-00
I didn't do much today since I had to cut my yard about 3 times to mulch everything so I didn't have to bag anything.
All I did was paint the top and bottom endcaps:
Photo 52 : I plugged up the pivot hole with caulk on the top endcap.
Photo 53 : Once the caulk dries, I sand away the excess caulk. I may still have to use some wood filler.
Photo 54 : Okay, the secret is out, here's the color to my top and bottom endcaps. You like?
That's all for today since I had to attend a Labor Day BBQ.
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Day 5: 9-5-00
I went to Audio Labs during my lunch hour and picked up my dual-input terminal cup, and I only had an hour to work on Sunosub II, so I decided to put in the hole for the terminal cup. I decide to use the router over using the jigsaw (which took out the whole chunk of MDF) to conserve a litte bit of surface area of MDF on the bottom endcap.
Photo 55 : Here's the terminal cup and the outline I drew for the cup that is recessed into the bottom endcap.
Photo 56 : I decide to use the router to cut in the hole (1" deep) for the cup. I start with the outline that I just drew.
Photo 57 : Here's part of the hole that I route out laboriously and carefully.
Photo 58 : After after 15 minutes of plunging and routing, I finish the hole.
Photo 59 : I begin cutting in the terminal holes to feed the voice coils.
Photo 60 : Ta-da! Here's the finished terminal cup seat and holes for the terminal cup.
Photo 61 : Here's the terminal cup seated in place.
Okay, that's it for today. I'll work on the bottom endcap tomorrow (attaching the legs and screwing in the terminal cup).
Note: I have changed Photo 6: More stuff (updated 9-5-00) Batting material (from Wal-Mart's fabric department), some really thick table legs with felt bottoms and straight mount plates, wood filler for the endcap edges, dual-input terminal cup, power sand paper, and some metallic paint for the endcaps (yup, I might go for a T2 look for Sunosub II).
PatCave; HT Pix;Gear;DIY Projects;DVDs; LDsComment
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Day 6: 9-6-00
I had to make a trip to Home Depot to return some items (the skinny legs and angle leg mounts), and I picked up more spray paint, caulk, and 10-24 (2.5") screws while I was there. Today I mainly work on the bottom endcap, but before I did, I smoothed the outside of the sonotube surface to get rid of the surface grit on there.
Photo 62 : Using my power sander, I start removing the grit from the outside of the sonotube.
Photo 63 : Here's the finished product, and its nice and smooth now.
Now I start on the bottom endcap - I'll be putting in the terminal cup and the leg mounts (straight, not angled).
Photo 64 : I caulk the sides of the terminal cup hole to make an air tight seal with the hole.
Photo 65 : Once I put in the terminal cup, I know where to start drilling the holes around its frame, and again, the Hollow Man helps me.
Photo 66 : Here's a shot of the screws being inserted into the newly drilled holes.
Photo 67 : The nuts are used to tighten down the screws.
Photo 68 : Finally, all 4 screws are bolted down for the terminal cup, so that's done.
Photo 69 : Now I work on the placement of the leg mounts (I did my best to get all center to center distances nearly the same).
Photo 70 : The Hollow Man drills more holes for the leg mounts.
Photo 71 : And now the screws are being placed in the holes to be screwed down.
Photo 72 : Finally the 12 screws for the leg mounts are bolted down. Yay!
To handle the connection of the driver's 2 voice coils, I use a dual-input terminal cup which has these connector shunts that allow me to "parallel" the 2 voice coils from just one amp channel connection.
Photo 73 : Here's a close-up of the terminal cup, which should explain the shunts. If I took the shunts out, I could run the driver as a 8 ohm load, or hook up 2 amp channels into each voice coil at 8 ohms each.
Now, let's see how the bottom endcap looks with everything in place:
Photo 74 : Finally I get to screw in the beefy legs, I really like the size of these legs. I'll paint the legs later.
Photo 75 : This is a shot of the interior of the bottom endcap with all the screws bolted down.
Photo 76 : Here's an angled view of the bottom endcap on its new legs.
Photo 77 : This is a side view of how the bottom endcap and the legs look, and the amount of clearance (roughly 6").
That's all for tonight. I'll be working on attaching the top endcap to the sonotube next time up, and I will have to figure out how to get the top endcap caulked and all attach the batting to the interior of the sonotube. I haven't figured a good way to do this yet. Any idea would be appreciated.
PatCave; HT Pix;Gear;DIY Projects;DVDs; LDsComment
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Day 7: 9-7-00
I wondered how I would attach the batting to the inside of the sonotube. I made yet another visit to Home Depot, and was intent on getting a hot glue gun, but left with 2 cans of Elmer's Adhesive Spray (I tested it out on some plastic wrapping on a pallet in the aisle, and it sold me on the spot).
Photo 78 : This is how NOT to attach the batting inside the sonotube. In a fit of boredom and stupidity, I used duct tape, but I forgot how hard it would be to caulk the endcap and the sidewalls with all this duct tape in place. So don't do this!
Photo 79 : I finally extracted all the batting out of the sonotube, and once I folded it to the right height, I used to adhesive spray to keep the folds "stitched together". Once I was done, I rolled it up again and put it away until tomorrow when I'll install it.
Now I get started on attaching the top endcap to the sonotube:
Photo 80 : Just to get it rolling, I squeeze some Elmer's glue around the inner perimeter.
Photo 81 : Then I smear the glue where it'll be mating to the sides of the sonotube.
Photo 82 : I also apply some glue smeared on the endcap's sides that will reside inside the sonotube.
Photo 83 : Once the endcap is in place, I tack some small nails into the side where the endcap material resides. I hammer in nail roughly every 2.5" from one another.
Photo 84 : You probably can't tell, but I've finished hammering in all the nail around the perimeter of the sonotube.
Photo 85 : Finally, I get to caulk the inside edge of the top endcap and the sonotube.
Photo 86 : I finally finish the caulking - I had to lie on my stomach and caulk carefully and in a back-breaking position, but some suffering must occur if Sunosub II is to sound good!
Photo 87 : As you can see, the endcap's edge doesn't quite mate with the sonotube, so I am using wood filler to fill in enough material so I can sand away the MDF and wood filler to come up with a smooth curved/angled edge once I'm done.
Photo 88 : Here's half of slopping of the wood filler in the edges. This stuff is not the easiest stuff to work with. I also slopped on a little to cover up the center pivot hole just in case of air leaks.
Photo 89 : I spread the stuff all around, and I will let it dry for a day before I either add more (if needed) or start sanding.
Okay, done again for one evening. You folks must think I'm truly slow, and I guess I am.
If I were to use a wider piece of MDF, I would not have to be doing the wood filling, and you're probably right, but I didn't want a table top for Sunosub II since it's still too tall to double as an end table. So I'm happy to do a little extra work, plus it's a learning experience.
Until next time!
PatCave; HT Pix;Gear;DIY Projects;DVDs; LDsComment
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Day 8: 9-8-00
I come home during my lunch hour and did some sanding because I wanted to add a second coat of the wood filler to build up any areas that I missed on the first go-around.
Photo 90: I've done the preliminary sanding of the wood filler into the shape I want. I go ahead and apply a second coat so I don't have to wait for it to dry when I get home today.
Photo 91: I get home from work, the second coat has dried, and things are taking shape as I sand both the endcap and the wood filler so I get a slightly rounded edge on the top endcap.
Photo 92: This is where I had to build up the wood filler in a spot were my endcap was too narrow. I won't kid you, this whole top endcap edge re-shaping takes a while to get all the sanding done in an acceptable manner with my trusty power sander using both 80 and 120 grit.
Photo 93: After I'm done with the sanding, I do my best to fill in any other small cracks with Elmer's glue and apply a thin coat to the sanded surfaces. I wind up also sanding away some of the glue after it dries.
Photo 94: This is the final sanded down top endcap, ready for painting.
Since I still have to put the batting inside the sonotube, I figure it's best I do it before I paint the top endcap because I had to had the sonotube on its side.
Photo 95: Here I roll up the batting material and stick it inside. I use liberal amounts Elmer's Spray Adhesive on the inside walls and on the batting material. You can get a real "high" with the spray glue while inside the sonotube, so keep your mask on and watch out!
Photo 96: I hurry to get all the spray on glue on all the side walls and flip it upright with the bottom facing upwards. I use more spray glue to get the batting to stick to the walls, and I use a broom handle to press the batting into the walls.
So after the batting is securely glued to the inside walls of the sonotube, I move to painting the top endcap and the legs.
Photo 97: Someone was curious about the leg and the leg mounts, this should clear up any questions on how the leg is screwed into the leg mount.
Photo 98: I rig up a leg holder out of a USPS cardboard mailer by drilling 3 holes for the leg screws to fit through and hold the legs upright while I paint them.
Photo 99: Here are the painted legs. I will apply some clear coat on them tomorrow. Don't they look menacing?
Photo 100: The top endcap gets a layer of paint.
Photo 101: I finish spray painting the top endcap, and let it dry overnight. I'll sand down any imperfections tomorrow, and apply one more coat of paint, and then apply the clear coat.
That's it for today. I'm running out of things to do! I wish that driver would hurry up and get here!
PatCave; HT Pix;Gear;DIY Projects;DVDs; LDsComment
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Another fantastic job on the pic's pat. I love following your work on these subs, keep up the good work.
Comment
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Thanks, Andrew!
Day 9: 9-9-00
Nothing too exciting on this installment. I finish up the legs, and think about the exterior covering for the sonotube.
Photo 102: I apply a coat of clear coat on the 3 legs.
Photo 103: I went back to Hancock Fabrics, and I decided to go with a silver colored satin material for the exterior covering for the sonotube. I also buy some velcro from Wal-Mart, and I still have the Unique Stitch leftover from the last Sunosub.
Note: if you ever buy satin material, request that they put it on a roll as depicted in Photo 103. On my first trip, the lady who cut up 3 yards of the material also folded the material and placed it in a bag. Well, this puts all sorts of creases down the fold lines, and as a single man, I do not iron fabrics or shirts or pants. So I made another trip to Hancock Fabrics, showed them what happened, and one of the ladies suggested I get it dry cleaned to get the creases out.
Of course this didn't sit well with me because why should I pay more for their screw-up. I just wanted to get another piece of the material and thank goodness there's a 60 day return policy, so I asked them to exchange it, and the owner relented and had one of the helpers cut me another piece and rolled it on a empty roll so I now have a nice flat piece of material for now.
Before I leave for an afternoon after-Labor-Day cookout at one of my friends, I applied a layer of clear coat on the top endcap, and let it dry overnight.
Day 10, 9-10-00
Well, for some reason there were straight crevices in the clear coat when I got back from the Braves game this afternoon. I wonder if the heat had anything to do with it. Well, after a disasterous attempt to repair the crevices and to maintain a smooth surface endcap, I wound up using paint thinner and stripped the entire paint job from the top endcap. It had to be done. So, I'll be repainting the top endcap.
I've learned my lesson, if you're going to put on some clear coat, lay it on thick, with multiple coats one right after the previous coat dries, and make sure no crevices develop on each coat. Sanding the paint and wood filler only results in the paint getting "melted" by a power sander, and the surface of the paint just gets ugly. Yet another lesson learned the hard way. Sigh.
PatCave; HT Pix;Gear;DIY Projects;DVDs; LDsComment
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Patrick, your nothing if your not thorough, that's for sure!
Great job!
LexComment
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Patrick.....Sanding the paint and wood filler only results in the paint getting "melted" by a power sander, and the surface of the paint just gets ugly. Yet another lesson learned the hard way. Sigh
That's the reason "wet sanding" was invented :?
BTW, your "mantle" of the "man with the greatest number of photo's" is about to be challanged. I finally found a digital camera that functions the way I wanted, so I spent this W/E practicing. :B
theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio
IB subwoofer FAQ page
"Complicated equipment and light reflectors and various other items of hardware are enough, to my mind, to prevent the birdie from coming out." ...... Henri Cartier-BressonComment
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Pat I know exactly how you feel with that top end cap...I lost count of all the times I had to wet sand the paint down and try again and again and again and again and again....and again
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Pat
Wetsanding involves using the black oxide waterproof sandpaper. You literally dip it in water and then do the sanding, generally by hand. The reason you had problems before, is that the friction created by the power sander began to melt the finish. This is why it turned into a mess.
Hummmm 1300 pics, I'm not sure but I think this is indicative of a significant mental health problem :B
theAudioWorx
Klone-Audio
IB subwoofer FAQ page
"Complicated equipment and light reflectors and various other items of hardware are enough, to my mind, to prevent the birdie from coming out." ...... Henri Cartier-BressonComment
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Pat having tried wet sanding for the first time on my last SonoSub project I'll say its the cats meow for this kind of job. I ended up pouring water on the surface and gently sanding the surface, its a lot less dusty but becareful of the watery soup you'll make (yes it does stain carpet!)
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Okay, Andrew, I'll make sure I keep the wet sanding done in the garage.
Day 11: 9-11-00
Very boring day, but I need to correct the screw-up I made yesterday. I went to Home Depot and picked up some more sandpaper stick-ons for the power sander, some more paint, and some sheets of wet sandpaper so when I need to do some paint sanding, I will do it via wet sanding.
Photo 104: I slapped on more wood filler around the sides of the top endcap during lunch today. I do this so I can sand away the wood filler and come up with another nice smooth rounded edge on the top endcap.
Photo 105: Finally, after 45 minutes of sanding, I am left with a nice smooth endcap on its sides, and I was able to give the endcap a more rounded edge to it too.
Photo 106: Here's a close-up shot of the edge of the newly sanded endcap.
Okay, I think I'm just about done for now until I get the Tempest driver.
Next up:
1. I can't attach the bottom endcap until I am able to drill in the holes to mount the driver, and then I'll be able to add the T-nuts.
2. Once that's done, I'll attach the bottom endcap to the sonotube, and caulk it on the inside.
3. Then I'll sculpt the sides and round off the edges, and apply some more paint and clear coat.
4. After that's done, I'll be able to screw in the Tempest driver.
5. Finally, I'll be able to paint the top endcap, and attach the cover to the sides of the SunosubII.
PatCave; HT Pix;Gear;DIY Projects;DVDs; LDsComment
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