How to Repair a Torn Speaker Cone

It is not hard to repair a torn speaker cone.

When moving, installing and arranging speakers in your home, car or business, accidents can happen including punching a tear or hole in the speaker's cone--the paper material surrounding the outer portion of the speaker's main element. Tears and rips in your speaker's cone leads to sound distortion since air is free to move back and forth through the tear or rip. The moving air changes the projection of the sound emitting from the element in the center of the speaker.

Things You'll Need

• Soft cloth or rag
• Latex gloves
• Silicone caulking or fast-drying adhesive
• Cotton swab
• Small paper bag
• Scissors

Instructions

Repairing a Tear

1. Place the speaker on a flat surface, if the speaker is not installed in a structure like a car's frame or other structure.

2. Sweep the area around the tear with a soft cloth or rag to remove any loose dust and dirt from the area. Wear latex gloves to keep your hands clean and to keep any adhesive from getting on your hands.

3. Apply 1 tsp. of silicone caulking or a fast-drying adhesive along the tear. Spread the silicone caulking or fast-drying adhesive with a cotton swab.

4. Let the silicone caulking dry according to the recommended time on the product's packaging.

Repairing a Large Rip or Hole

1. Complete steps 1 and 2 in the "Repairing a Tear."

2. Lay a small paper bag on top of the large rip or hole. Cut the shape of the rip or hole out of the paper bag using a pair of scissors. Use a brown paper bag instead of a white one so the bag won't be so noticeable on the speaker cone.

3. Apply 1 tsp. of silicone caulking or a fast-drying adhesive along the edges of the paper bag shape.

4. Quickly place the paper bag shape over the rip or hole. Spread any silicone caulking or fast-drying adhesive coming from the sides of the paper bag shape with a cotton swab.

5. Let the silicone caulking dry according to the recommended time on the product's packaging.

Tips & Warnings

• Do not use the speaker until the silicone caulking/adhesive has fully dried--the sound vibrations emitting from the speaker may loosen the silicone caulking/adhesive's bond.

References

• Watkins Restorations: Antique Radios Chassis Restoration

Resources

• Repair FAQ: Notes on the Troubleshooting and Repair of Audio Equipment