I will soon be refinishing my A-K Type "E" speaker, using metallic gold for the base and "spokes" and Krylon dark brown camouflage for the rest. Only problem is, I can't seem to get the fabric out of the holes in the backing. It is still in good shape and I don't want to wreck it, but it is glued in solidly. I'm worried that masking tape will be too hard to remove. How can I paint around the cloth without getting paint on it, and still get to the edge of the metal?

I would first paint as close to the cloth as reasonably possible, using an artist's brush. If the color is the same (as it should be) no one will notice the contrast. Then you can make some masks, and spray the remainder of the housing.

Don't go wild with the gold.

Okay, I seem to have found a good, working method. I cut five discs out of cheap photo paper, each one 4.300" across, which is big enough to cover the fabric and sort of "snap" into place under the edges of the holes. I'll post photos when I have both the radio case (A-K 40) and the speaker done, hopefully some time this week.

Done, and looking good (to me, at least...)

Before:


After:

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO nice

Makes me want to redo my AK-40 and model E speaker. Only problem with mine is in some spots on the radio I would have to recreate the wrinkle finish.

If the scuffed spots with missing finish are small, they kind of blend in with everything else once the radio is repainted. My set had a few "bald patches", but they were small and unless you know what to look for, you can't tell they're there.

If you want to ass more splash and dash, you should paint the bacground on the AK badge... black of course.

Errr....shouldn't that be "add"???

I was trying to keep the color scheme as close to original as I could get it. I think I got it pretty close, at that.

I just got done repainting the case for my Atwater Kent 35 today. Same dark brown as the 40, with a slightly lighter brown on the top panel. I found a latex paint in a small "sample" size at Ace Hardware, their own brand, color is called "Treehouse", which is a perfect match for the green color on the inside of the case. I post photos once the radio is repaired and assembled, and once I have the Type "M" horn repaired and refinished.

LOL! Little slip of the hand right there... 'D' and 'S' only have a little crack between them.



If you made the backround of the AK badge black, it would make the color scheme visually much more analogous between the radio and the speaker. It would be the visual equivalent of the knob on the radio.

Anyone know where to get a close to original grille clothe for the Type E speakers?
BOB

Last I knew, the "E" speakers did not have grille cloth. The "F" speakers, however, do. I have even seen some "E" speakers that were all brown, instead of brown and gold, that had the cone varnished or clear lacquered so that the wood grain could be seen.

Someone had in the last painted mine a lighter shade of brown, but I can still tell some of the areas where the wrinkle has worn off.

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Both of my E speakers have grill cloth on the back side of the speaker. One of mine is a green/black paint scheme. Wood grain on the cone??? I don't have any of that.

Yes, they did have grille cloth on the back of the speaker, but I don't recall the "E" series having grille cloth on the front, just a decorative metal grille. The cones are made of wood veneer, but I have only seen the clear finish over the wood grain on earlier ones that are marked "Type E" on the round medallion on the front. I believe the green/black color scheme was to match a later radio. The brown/brown speakers matched the Model 35, the brown/gold ones matched the Model 40, but I can't remember what the black/green ones were supposed to match.

How thin is the wood veneer on the AK model E speaker? Mine seems to be made of thick paper at least that's what it feels like.

HI ALL:
I should have mentioned this in my earlier post! The speaker I have is a Model Type E-3, not a Type E. I thought that all "E" versions were the same, just upgrades. Have discovered that the "E" and the "E-3" are quite different. My E-3 has a large (about 12" daim.) cloth in the front, and those ellipitcal cloth pieces in the back. My front cloth has two (finger) holes in it, which cannot be repaired. Rear cloth pieces are intact but discolored. Looks like the original cloth was "gold toned", having observed the cloth that was behind the metal frame. Have done numerous internet and fabric store searches with no luck. The speaker works well with my (restored) Model 44, so I would like to restore it to as original condition as possible.
Any suggestions/recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
BOB

The AK cone speakers came in three sizes, E, E2 & E3.
Only the E3 had cloth on the front.
The E speakers had several cone finishes, I have them
with paper surface, leatherette and wood grain.

I have Es with brown & gold paint scheme, black & green
and all dark brown.

I'd really like to fine one of the Es in black and silver
and the model 37 painted the same way.
Like the setup below.

It is pretty thin. If you undo the tiny nut and bolt that hold the speaker cone onto the reed, and pull the cone off (you will have to remove the front part of the case first, which can be a bit tricky...), you will see the individual strips of wood veneer on the back of the cone. It caught me by surprise, too! Mine had a bit of a dent in it that I had to carefully steam out from the back with a damp cloth and an iron. Got the dent warm (not hot...) and a bit damp (but not enough to cause it to delaminate), pushed the dent back in from the front, and held it in place until it cooled down enough to stay put.

Ah! See, you learn something new every day! I knew about the full sized "E" and the "E2", but not the "E3". Never even seen one before. I knew the "F" had front grille cloth, though (wasn't that A-K's competition for the Crosley "Dynacone"?)

Maybe I need to look mine over better. I had to reglue the center of the cone back to the cone and is nowhere near perfect having I suppose been damaged sometime before I got the speaker. Will that affect sound any?