T48 Build Thread

[miked]

Assuming I primer the cabs first, can I get at least one heavy coat of Duratex on 4 T48s out of about 1-1/3 gallons of Duratex? I have roughly a third of a gallon left over from my OTop build. Would like to only have to purchase 1 additional gallon if I can help it. Thanks.

[Bruce Weldy]

Assuming I primer the cabs first, can I get at least one heavy coat of Duratex on 4 T48s out of about 1-1/3 gallons of Duratex? I have roughly a third of a gallon left over from my OTop build. Would like to only have to purchase 1 additional gallon if I can help it. Thanks.

You should easily get two coats on those 4 boxes with what you have left.

[miked]

Two coats on four boxes with a third of a gallon? DTex stretches far, but not that far.

[MissileCrisis]

I'm pretty sure he meant the gallon and a third.

[Bruce Weldy]

Two coats on four boxes with a third of a gallon? DTex stretches far, but not that far.

Yep, I read it wrong....I thought you had 1 and a third left. That will be plenty.

[Bruce Weldy]

I'm pretty sure he meant the gallon and a third.

Exactly....

[miked]

Ah, gotcha. I really didn't want to buy more than I need, it's good I'll only need to buy a gallon. I don't see me building any cabs for awhile after the T48s are done. I wouldn't mind having a little left for touchups, but having say, half a gallon left would be bad if it sat for years. Thanks guys.

[Bruce Weldy]

I wouldn't mind having a little left for touchups, but having say, half a gallon left would be bad if it sat for years. Thanks guys.

I don't know if this stuff can go bad. I've had some sit over a year and it's just the same as the day I opened it. When you store it, put a piece of plastic wrap on top of the product....not just the top of the can, but push it down all the way to the duratex to get out the air. Put another piece over the top and seal it.

[miked]

You know, I meant to do just that last time I used it, but forgot. That was a few months ago. I hope the remainder is OK. A little skin on top is no big deal, but if the remainder underneath is hard as a rock, that's going to be an expensive mistake. I will check tonight.

[Bruce Weldy]

You know, I meant to do just that last time I used it, but forgot. That was a few months ago. I hope the remainder is OK. A little skin on top is no big deal, but if the remainder underneath is hard as a rock, that's going to be an expensive mistake. I will check tonight.

Nah....my first gallon sat over a year with no plastic on it and there wasn't any skin. As long as the top went back on tight, it will be fine.

[sine143]

Where do you plan on puchasing the dtex from? leland is out

Acrytech wants to charge me 25 in shipping

[miked]

I bought a gallon and some textured rollers direct from Acrytech today; $16.62 via UPS to San Antonio, TX. It's probably a "UPS Zone thing." Depending on where you buy something from (and where you live) shipping can really kill you these days. Take PartsExpress for example. IIRC, a $50 order gets you free shipping on most orders (big, heavy drivers excepted). I ordered some Neutrik jacks from them. $30-something in parts and shipping was $12 for a box that weighed half a pound, maybe.

It's not that I mind paying for shipping; nothing is free, I get that. But I would like reasonable charges on things. I've found Leland's shipping to be reasonable. PE's shipping dept is just a bit looney, I think. BTW: The checkout form on Acrytech's website has a box for a coupon code. I'm a pretty savvy internet shopper and can usually find a code that works for most e-tailers. I'll go all the way back to the 20th Google results page if I have to. I couldn't find anything for Acrytech. There was one post on the AVSFORUM from awhile back that talked about a XFX2 code, but it doesn't work. Oh well.

Did you guys know that you can't buy flat black paint in a gallon can just off the shelf, that it has to be mixed? I mean, it's black paint. I had no idea it had to be mixed. I went to Home Depot today to buy a gallon of the stuff to prep the cabs with/paint the mouths. Got a gallon of Glidden (cheapest stuff) for $18 and change. I also grabbed a handful of paint stirrers to make Bruce's Caster Anti-Rattle Sticks of Surety from. The casters I'm using are cheapies, so I'm sure they'll rattle.

So, it wouldn't be a DIY build if you either almost forgot an important step or made a mistake...or both, in tonight's case. Got home from work and ran to the garage, all excited b/c I was going to start putting things together. So I put on the rubber gloves, get out the cordless drill, open the box of screws...you know the routine. As a final check, I grab the top and the baffle since they are the first panels to go on, and I'm eyeballing things and I say, "Yeah, those braces go right here...right b/t these lines....THAT AREN'T THERE." It's not a mistake if you catch it in time, right?

I forgot to draw the alignment lines for the braces. I have cut no corners at all, not even a smidgen w/this build. The experience I have tells me that small mistakes compound over the course of the build. I.E. not getting that first panel on completely square throws off everything. No way I was going to wing it w/imperfect braces when I've spent so much time and money already on these.

So, banished from the workbench, the tools temporarily were. I spent the next couple of hours laying out the alignment lines on both sides of all the panels that needed them. Talk about tee-dee-us work...and it was even more tiring b/c I knew this task was going to keep me from starting assembly tonight.

Being that my dreams for tonight were crushed anyway, I decided to check the braces for fit; hadn't done that yet. I was not happy with the fit of the 4/6 braces and I didn't want to "make it up with PL." Granted, all the braces are important but those first couple of braces take the brunt of the pressure generated by the cone (my thoughts/assumptions...not confirmed or anything) as well as any blows to the front of the cab on panel 6, so I want that area of the cab particularly strong. So I redid all the 4/6 braces. The new ones fit like a glove...or at least they do in mockup. We'll see how things shake out during the build. LOL!

Remember: "It's not a mistake if you catch it in time!"

[miked]

Assembly has finally begun. So far, it's going well. Only had 1 top that was a little bit bowed and had to be muscled into submission with clamps. The other tops and all 4 baffles are bone-straight.

As seen in a previous update, I clamped both sides together and pre-drilled the screw holes. What I purposely did not do was countersink the holes on that first side. Thought was that it would be a lot of holes to fill later. I forgot about the fact that without countersunk holes, the screw heads stand proud and make it very difficult to slide a big piece of wood that gets progressivley heavier as you add panels, around on the bench. So, I countersunk all the holes on that first side. Will be a PITA to fill/sand all those holes later, but it makes assembly easier.

Here I am using "W" braces to hold the top up. I align it with the side, then clamp it in place (clamp in the access panel hole). Then, holding the top/bottom clamped steady, I drill up underneath, through the screwholes in the side and into the top. Then I drive screws, which aligns the two panels perfectly. Remove the screws, add PL, screw it together and done. As someone who in the past would just hold the two pieces together and machine-gun shoot brad nails from below, stopping when I hit something, this is a much more accurate method. Takes more time, but it is worth it.



The baffles were a bit more difficult to do. You have to keep them aligned on two planes; angle-wise, respective to the top and left/right, respective to the alignment lines you drew out on the side panel. There are 3 screws holding the baffle to the side, then I shot 1.25" brads two ways; from the top, into the side of the baffle, and from the baffle into the 1-piece flange. Used copious amounts of PL everywhere and of course, ran a separate PL Fillet on all joints.


I elected to do the top and the baffle on all 4 cabs and let them fully cure. Panels 3 and 4 finish the driver chamber and I want that thing solid as a rock. So here's some pics so far.





The one top that wasn't bone straight, clamped against the baffle.


Probably tomorrow I'll get 3 and 4 installed and we'll see from there.

[PulseMan]

Hey Mike

As usual neat stuff there buddy.
I'm sure you can't wait to hear this combo of yours playing away.

PulseMan

[Bruce Weldy]

Looking good Mike!