[alexsabree]

First thing's first. The subwoofers sound AMAZING... and a picture is worth a thousand words.....




Disclaimer: This was my first DIY audio venture.


And due to this - I've no doubt run into a few roadblocks... One of my drivers seem to be rattling even at moderate volumes. And I did notice quite a lot of air leaking out the side, making a slight "fart" for those times that I really push it. I can't really pin down what's causing all this rattling. But when I put my hand against the driver with little force the rattling seems to cease (for the moment). So I'm assuming the driver is loosely attached to the enclosure.


I'm planning on retrofitting my enclosures with tons of gorilla glue for the inside (for the fart) and mounting brackets for the drivers (for the rattling). Right now they're secured with some spare wood screws I had laying around. I'm also planning on painting the outside black and maybe sanding down the edges so that it looks more modest. How do you get that "truck bedliner" look and is it pretty hard?


Also... is it possible to "sand" away the edges?


Thanks!

 

[young13]

Good start...


However, you should post this in the DIY section if you want advice on finishing and such.

 

[Mpray1983]

Did you use weather stripping or gasket tape for your drivers? Another good idea would be hurricane nuts and instead of using gorilla glue...try out PL adhesive (will expand to fill air pockets) or plumbing silicone. A good way to test for leaks is light a cigarette and play some dubstep and see If the smoke blows. Honestly You would have better luck with two boxes that are sealed correctly then 4 leaking boxes. Also your amp looks like an EP4000 but what are those blue lights?

 

[alexsabree]

It's an EP4000 with two 12v fans wired in series. The stock fan that came in there was unbearably loud.


I didn't use anything to mount my drivers, just wood screws. And putting plumbing adhesive on the inside sounds like a good idea.

 

[drewTT]

I think you need bigger mains.

 

[Mpray1983]

You didn't do much research did you?


There is actually a very simple fan mod that can be done for $8 and 5 minutes of time with an internal lower db fan. Get some mounting hardware and gasket tape as well. Also fill with polyfil.

 

[vitod]



Quote:
Originally Posted by alexsabree /forum/post/20855829


It's an EP4000 with two 12v fans wired in series. The stock fan that came in there was unbearably loud.


I didn't use anything to mount my drivers, just wood screws. And putting plumbing adhesive on the inside sounds like a good idea.

You only needed one fan.


Use weather strip instead of adhesive.

 

[alexsabree]

Thanks guys!


As of right now, my shopping cart looks like this: PL Adhesive, Hurricane Nuts, Low Density Gasket Tape, an Orbital Sander,


I'm not sure what kind of paint to go with. I'm contemplating whether or not I should try to get that nice piano black finish.


Also, I realize that I could have only used one 24v fan. But it made more sense to have a push/pull configuration. Plus, I already had 12v fans laying around. I also tried modding the original fan with an in-line capacitor. It helped a lot - but not enough.

 

[Mpray1983]



Quote:
Originally Posted by alexsabree /forum/post/0


Thanks guys!


As of right now, my shopping cart looks like this: PL Adhesive, Hurricane Nuts, Low Density Gasket Tape, an Orbital Sander,


I'm not sure what kind of paint to go with. I'm contemplating whether or not I should try to get that nice piano black finish.


Also, I realize that I could have only used one 24v fan. But it made more sense to have a push/pull configuration. Plus, I already had 12v fans laying around. I also tried modding the original fan with an in-line capacitor. It helped a lot - but not enough.

You are going to need the threaded 10-32 bolts to put into the hurricane nuts also. They are cheaper to buy online. For a cheap easy finish you can use vinyl laminate that works extremely well for less than $20 a sub. Much easier to use than paint just make sure that if you do use it that you paint the corners, edges and baffle where the driver goes.

 

[dragonleepenn]



Quote:
Originally Posted by alexsabree /forum/post/20855075

First thing's first. The subwoofers sound AMAZING... and a picture is worth a thousand words.....




Disclaimer: This was my first DIY audio venture.


And due to this - I've no doubt run into a few roadblocks... One of my drivers seem to be rattling even at moderate volumes. And I did notice quite a lot of air leaking out the side, making a slight "fart" for those times that I really push it. I can't really pin down what's causing all this rattling. But when I put my hand against the driver with little force the rattling seems to cease (for the moment). So I'm assuming the driver is loosely attached to the enclosure.


I'm planning on retrofitting my enclosures with tons of gorilla glue for the inside (for the fart) and mounting brackets for the drivers (for the rattling). Right now they're secured with some spare wood screws I had laying around. I'm also planning on painting the outside black and maybe sanding down the edges so that it looks more modest. How do you get that "truck bedliner" look and is it pretty hard?


Also... is it possible to "sand" away the edges?


Thanks!

First get some wood filler, elmers glue makes an excellant product . It is easy to work with and has a longer work time very easy to spread. Fill in all gaps and sand when dry, let it sit for a day or more. Go over every corner inside the cabinet with a quality wood glue, let dry completely. Get another 3/4 mdf sheet and cut to the size of the front driver baffle of the cabinet. Glue both sides, the cabinet and the cut mdf, place the mdf on top covering the cut out hole for the driver. Screw down the mdf so it is tight, you can take out the screws once dry and fill in the screw holes.Cut out a new driver hole. This will give you a much stronger front. You can get Duratex paint, they have one black just for subs , it's labeled on there website like that. I used duratex paint on four sub cabinets I made that are like yours,it drys hard and takes a very short time to dry. It is a good sealer from the outer/finished side and has a nice texture, sort of like that of a football/basketball/orange peel skin. And the cabinets should be braced internally, Which still can be done easily. You can also use silicone inside the cabinet after the glue drys for more sealiant of the cabinet, but let it dry for a day or more as the silicone fumes can cause some damage to the driver paper material. Hope this helps!

 

[alexsabree]

Thanks a lot for the help. Duratex is exactly what I was looking for. I have an Elemental Designs A2-300 subwoofer and I was looking to get a coating similar to that. Duratex it is.


I'm glad you warned me about the sealant. I've already used a lot of wood glue on the inside so I just need something to fill in some of those small leftover gaps.


So...

Seal up the inside with PL Adhesive.

Fill the outside gaps with wood filler.

Sand down the outside.

Apply Duratex.

Mount drivers with nut/bolt.


Sounds like a plan. Thanks everybody!

 

[NicksHitachi]

Nice!


He's got bling in his Beri!

 

[dragonleepenn]

The duratex is easy to apply,use a small roller,and paint 4 coats at least for the texture to show.

 

[Mpray1983]

Can you spray it and do you need to prime first?

 

[alexsabree]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mpray1983 Can you spray it and do you need to prime first?

It comes in two versions. One suitable for spraying and one for rolling. link


According to their website you don't need any primer. But you'll definitely want to sand it down.

 

[dragonleepenn]



Quote:
Originally Posted by alexsabree /forum/post/20872415


It comes in two versions. One suitable for spraying and one for rolling. link


According to their website you don't need any primer. But you'll definitely want to sand it down.

There was no need to sand the duratex between coats! Or did you mean something else?

 

[alexsabree]



Quote:
Originally Posted by dragonleepenn /forum/post/20873942


There was no need to sand the duratex between coats! Or did you mean something else?

I was talking about initial sanding. Not in between coats.

 

[dragonleepenn]

Got IT, cool!