Making your own Paper Cones (Ripping out the RS150's metal cone and using Paper)

[cotdt]

I like the Dayton Reference motors, but would prefer paper over metal cones. My plan is to recone the RS150 driver with a paper cone. It will be lighter and be used as a dedicated midrange. I will keep the same voice coil, just change the cone with a paper one.

I have some ideas already, but would like additional advice from you guys on how to make it, and what kind of paper to use. Or should I rip out the cone from an existing driver? If so, which one? Preferably one with the same voice coil diameter would be easiest to install onto the RS150's voice coil; I could trim the cone to fit of course.

[ThomasW]

My plan is to recone the RS150 driver with a paper cone...... It will be lighter.....

Might want to do a little more research into paper making before you trash a perfectly good driver. It would be extremely difficult to hand fabricate a pulp cone weighing less than the metal one in the PE driver.

[Rolex]

You might have a better chance having a place like meniscus audio do a recone for you with paper. Though I'm not sure they will do custom cones.

[cotdt]

Well this is mainly for my own amusement, so I don't mind sacrificing a perfectly good driver for it. I'm not planning to create any world class speaker with this obviously, since consistency might be an issue. I want to measure (and hear!) the differences between the cones, etc. Consider it research, though if it works out, I do plan on actually making a speaker from it!

[alias2]

Paper does mean it is essentially wood pulp based but "paper cones" have
very little to do with common paper as we know it. Cones are usually hot
pressed with a whole cocktail of additional ingredients, including plastics.
What is a "paper" cone exactly ?

You may also have to trash a perfectly good paper driver, as the surround
for it should suit the cone more than the Daytons surround, or perhaps not ....

I do not think the lack of a low distortion motor for a paper driver will mask
the differences in the sound of metal and paper cones, it will only come into
it when your giving them some real beans, most of the time distortion low.

[cjd]

I've pondered doing this with the cone-trashed (but otherwise pristine) RS270 I have...

[Notorious_AK]

cotdt, I recomment you slice cones (revelator style) and fill cuts with "cascade" damping stray. then spray entire cone.
I ve done it to cheaper dayton woofers. There was a thread at diyaudio.

http://img90.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc0053ic4.jpg

it'll loose sensitivity a little, but overall sound will be more relaxed and you don't have to worry about cone breakups.

[cotdt]

cotdt, I recomment you slice cones (revelator style) and fill cuts with "cascade" damping stray. then spray entire cone.
I ve done it to cheaper dayton woofers. There was a thread at diyaudio.

http://img90.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dsc0053ic4.jpg

it'll loose sensitivity a little, but overall sound will be more relaxed and you don't have to worry about cone breakups.

Very nice! I will try...

[Brian Walter]

I would suggest that you take the speaker to a place that does re-coning and either have them do it for your or see if they will sell you the parts to DIY. Most large cities have places that repair speakers for the pro-sound industry; I'd check the local yellow pages or possibly Google.

Brian Walter