Speaker repairs can be performed with household items.
Tears in a speaker can cause that speaker to distort or sound as though it is distorting, which is undesirable in most cases. Torn speakers do not always need to replaced, and a repair can be performed that will close the tear and reinforce the strength of the cone itself. Once you have layered the correct amount of tissue paper, it is imperative to allow that paper time to dry. Once dry, the tear will be sealed and the speaker should sound normal.
Instructions
1. Dilute some Elmer's glue, enough to cover about one half of a piece of paper. In a bowl, mix water and the glue at about a one-to-one ratio until the glue is somewhat viscous, akin to vegetable oil. Diluting the glue will make it easier to work with when trying to apply the material to repair the rip in the speaker cone.
2. Rip up some tissue paper into small pieces slightly bigger than the tear itself. You can use any type of tissue paper, just make sure it is thin. Set the tissue paper into the diluted Elmer's glue, separated, until the tissue paper is fully saturated with the glue dilution. Make sure the small pieces are separated for easier handling when you move to the next step to apply to the tear.
3. Apply one piece of saturated tissue paper to the tear at a time to allow to somewhat dry. Place the tissue paper over the tear, trying to cover it as best as you can with each piece that you use. Allow the first piece to dry slightly, until it is somewhat tacky before placing another piece on top for a better bond between layers.
4. Apply two or three more pieces of saturated tissue paper on top of the first one, waiting a few minutes between each application to allow the tissue paper to become tacky, which will help with the bonding and the tear repair. You want three to five layers of tissue paper for a strong surface to prevent any more tearing.
5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for the other side of the rip. You want to reinforce the tear on both sides of the speaker so that when music or sound is fed through the speaker, the tear does not grow. Make sure to wait between applications on the other side as well. Allow the speaker repair to dry overnight as it may come loose if it is still wet and the speaker is used in any capacity.
