Are these Heybrook HB3's cabinets repairable ? (Help)

[JwEs]

Hmm, well the black parts on the front and back of the HB3's are really stiff, don't think that's normall chipboard. The sides and upper/down sides seem to be just veneered chipboard though.

I also need advice on what to do to some parts where the veneer is just falling apart but on a pretty small area and the chipboard underneath is ok.

Thanks for all the hints!

PS Can some mod change the title to include Heybrook HB3's in it ? These were pretty good british speakers back in the day so maybe that will draw some more to the thread

Cheers

[colin.hepburn]

Originally Posted by JwEs

Hmm, well the black parts on the front and back of the HB3's are really stiff, don't think that's normall chipboard. The sides and upper/down sides seem to be just veneered chipboard though.

I also need advice on what to do to some parts where the veneer is just falling apart but on a pretty small area and the chipboard underneath is ok.

Thanks for all the hints!

PS Can some mod change the title to include Heybrook HB3's in it ? These were pretty good british speakers back in the day so maybe that will draw some more to the thread

Cheers

There you Go

[Richard]

Yes they should be stiff so that's a good sign at least. Heybrook stuck with chipboard even though the rest of the industry was going to MDF due the the varied density and inherent self damping of the material. Veneer is usually cut out and a piece matched and glued in. A wipe or two of button polish will avoid having to relaquer the whole cabinet. Result will depend on the amount of damage you find, the quality of the restoration you want and your ability. That last bit, knowing when to seek professional advice, may be key. It's easy to start a job full of enthusiasm only to get bogged down and wish you'd paid someone else a few quid. Only one more hint I can think of is to stabilize any flaky bits you want to keep rather than remove with pva/water 50/50 and let it dry thoroughly. There's a danger it will swell the board but it looks like it will have to be re-dimensioned after repairing anyway.

[audiophilistine]

I experienced a similar thing with a pair of Dynaco A-35's. My solution at that time was to have cabinets made for the drivers. I measured the interior and architecture of the cabinets and made a drawing. I visited a local cabinetmaker and asked his advise on what to use, 1" thick MDF was the ticket. He made them and I had a bird's-eye maple veneer put on them (they still look absolutely gorgeous).
Expensive, well, maybe, but anyone who knows the A-35's will understand why I did what I did :-)
Good luck with your decision

[Shane]

Originally Posted by JwEs

Hmm, well the black parts on the front and back of the HB3's are really stiff, don't think that's normall chipboard. The sides and upper/down sides seem to be just veneered chipboard though.

IIRC later HB3s used MDF for the baffle and back due to it's superior dimensional characteristics, whilst using chipboard for the top and sides because of it's superior damping properties.. The trickiest part of the cabinet construction was the piece of 6" plastic pipe between the baffle and rear panel which formed the mid-range enclosure and was a b****r to seal properly. The give-away was whether pressing the bass unit inwards caused the midrange unit to move outwards. If so, then the sealing needed attending to.

[steve271955]

why not take all the front of the cabinet "back" to behind the repair and reface with some solid wood?,if you do both speakers it will look like a matched pair