Glue or Stretch Grill Cloth on Supro 1696TN build

[scstill]

Have finally gotten to the point of being ready to add the grill cloth (synthetic) on this build
It is the largest cabinet I have built (15" speaker).
On smaller builds I just spray glued the cloth in place which has worked fine with a wooden roller to smooth.

But on this larger cab, I was thinking of stretching (with a pull bar) and stapling this cloth in place.
If I do glue, are there any good techniques for smoothing the grill cloth before application, I have already tried ironing with towel didn't work.
Any pros/cons to these approaches?

Also should I redo the T-nuts to be flush to the surface, worried about seeing bumps?

[sluckey]

No glue, use staples. Countersink the T-nuts. Better yet, replace them with threaded inserts. Watch this short video...

[acheld]

Sluckey is right about the staples.    You have much more control with staples than with glue.  And a lot less mess.   For a grill cloth like this (I'm assuming mounted interior), you don't need to stretch it like a gorilla.   Easy does it. 

While I love threaded inserts (and Rivnuts), that may not work well on a baffle as thin as yours. 

I've been using reverse threaded baffle mount screws for years (see https://www.tubesandmore.com/products/screw-8-32-12-reverse-thread-speaker-baffle-mount).  I do countersink them. And I've found that four of these is plenty for any guitar speaker (no need for eight -- if there is going to be that much physical stress on your speaker, the cabinet will fail first anyway).

[tdvt]

Have finally gotten to the point of being ready to add the grill cloth (synthetic) on this build
It is the largest cabinet I have built (15" speaker).
On smaller builds I just spray glued the cloth in place which has worked fine with a wooden roller to smooth.

But on this larger cab, I was thinking of stretching (with a pull bar) and stapling this cloth in place.
If I do glue, are there any good techniques for smoothing the grill cloth before application, I have already tried ironing with towel didn't work.
Any pros/cons to these approaches?

Also should I redo the T-nuts to be flush to the surface, worried about seeing bumps?

Timely post, as i spent yesterday initially working on a stretching jig & then covering a grille for a project.

Definitely use staples, I have never seen grille cloth surface glued to a baffle, in fact, Fender used(s) a 1/4" thick/1"±w  frame around the perimeter of the baffle so the cloth would float & also avoid the issue you now have with the T-nuts creating a bump. They would add a similar thickness pad in the upper left corner to mount the badge.


With that said, this air-powered stapler approaches game-changer status. Hand-powered staplers are notoriously inconsistent, with every few staples, bent or not fully set. I bought this one a few months ago, takes the same T-50 staples you can buy everywhere & has never misfired. Fairly inexpensive too.

I have tried most of the methods of stretching that you will find online with never-quite-there results; not as tight as I would like, pattern not straight, etc. & they all have you stretching with the fabric & cloth face-down & you can't see what you are getting until it is done & you flip it over.

For the last 3 grilles I have done recently, I stretched them face-up; with the baffle elevated on a box & stretcher bars clamping the cloth on each edge drawing the fabric down over the baffle with screws/bolts through the bars to adjust the tension. Trying to describe it is harder than doing it once your jig is made.

In my case, I was using patterned Fender cloth & needed to keep all the lines square & straight, which this method allowed. I can also get it really tight with no heat (a common method to tension cloth after installing)
Your cloth should be more forgiving as it is more of a regular weave without lines.

I didn't take any pic of the process & the grille is done, but can post a pic of the jig if that would help.




Did the Bassman yesterday, the Showman/cab a few weeks back
 

[tdvt]

I wanted to add/clarify that when stretching the cloth over the top, you then staple the cloth to the edge of the baffle first.

Once you are done & the baffle is off the jig, you wrap over the back, stapling again. Then trim the excess.


I came to try this method after noticing that all of the vintage Fender stuff I have or have seen, had staples all along the baffle edges. So I suspected they used a similar procedure.


From my previous post, the one exception to the perimeter frame on the front of the baffle is the head unit baffles as they are so small & still get a badge. In those cases the cloth is right against the baffle.


Stretching jig pic below. Cloth is clamped between the two layers of the bar, then tensioned by tightening the bolts. You can loosen/tighten one against another to get lines straight, etc.
 

[scstill]

Great advice, but did not turn out to my liking.
I changed to rivnuts and resprayed the black.
I stretched very tight (w/help from wife and a pull bar stapled on),
made sure the cloth was straight,
stapled every inch or so making sure no slop on edge.
But after installing baffle to cab it is unacceptably loose.
Maybe I need to borrow that stretch jig :-) or find a way to pre-stretch.

Never had this issue with spray glue. Always nice and tight.

[sluckey]

Spray with water then blow dry with heat. Might help.

[tdvt]

You are that far in, so I would try heat.

I know that frustration, as you do your best to keep things tight yet when you are done, they aren't..



The previous method I had used, with OK results, was to staple off, then initially heat just the edges with a heat gun to snug things up. You can see it tighten up slightly as you hit the right temp.

Then you heat the face in multiple multiple passes always in CONSTANT motion & things would tighten up.

I will share that I moved on from that method as, while working on a big cab grille, something caught the corner of my eye, I looked away for a split-second & I had a 2" hole melted in the middle of an otherwise nice grille...

Building the jig seemed like a lot of extra work at first, but I am sorting it out & getting better at it.

No heat, patterns stay nice & straight, you SEE what you are getting as you work it & the cloth is really tight.

[Jalmeida]

I learned a pretty cool trick from a friend for stretching grillcloth that helps alot.

Got to Home Depot and get these two things:

https://www.homedepot.com/p/TrimMaster-Gold-1-3-8-in-x-72-in-Carpet-Gripper-Transition-Strip-H7109-HG-6/202247385


https://www.homedepot.com/p/TrimMaster-Gold-1-3-8-in-x-72-in-Carpet-Trim-Transition-Strip-H7116-HG-6/202247389

The carpet spike strip grips the grillcloth and the other piece holds it in. Use c-clamps to anchor the strip and pull the tight using cargo straps. This method can be modified numerous ways to work depending on your baffle size or material. Be careful if you use ratchetstraps to not overtighten. 

[scstill]

The hair dryer did the trick. Its not tight like glue but it clearly is better and I think I can live with it.
Thanks for all the great ideas to help my first grill stretch.

Seems that stretch is the consensus, but other than being messy why not use spray glue?
Its fast and avoids all the contraptions. Alignment can be tricky but works with marked guidelines.

[Jalmeida]

The hair dryer did the trick. Its not tight like glue but it clearly is better and I think I can live with it.
Thanks for all the great ideas to help my first grill stretch.

Seems that stretch is the consensus, but other than being messy why not use spray glue?
Its fast and avoids all the contraptions. Alignment can be tricky but works with marked guidelines.

Most of the spray contact type glues release over time and your grillcloth will be floppy and/or fall off. And the only spray adhesive in my experience that is worth using is the 3M Industrial Super 90 (standard, not the low VOC formula) which is difficult to find in some areas. I use it for tolex only. And even then I hate the stuff. It certainly wont hold the proper stretch of grillcloth.

[scstill]

So do I leave the baffle screws stainless or paint black?

[tdvt]

So do I leave the baffle screws stainless or paint black?

Can you age them to knock back the shine?

Land somewhere in between?

[sluckey]

I like the look of a black sharpy on stainless steel. Gives a transparent black that kinda looks like anodized. Test on any shiny screw to see if you like.

[scstill]

I tried the sharpie and like the black chrome effect (great idea),
although I think I'm preferring a dull metal look here.

Because these screws are stainless there are not reacting to overnight vinegar soak which works great on zinc screws. So I scuffed it with scotch brite and think that might be a good look.

Now if I would have thought better and used flat black instead of satin black, all would be well....