Ribbon woes...

  • Thread starter Thread starter PhilGood
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PhilGood

PhilGood

Juice box hero
I'm depressed. Well not very, but some.

I bought one of those Nady ribbon mics a while back and used it on guitar amps and thought it was OK. Nothing to write home about. Well, all the recent talk about ribbon sag made me think about taking it apart to look and see if there might be any sag. So I brought it home and opened it up.

The good news is the ribbin isn't sagging at all. It looks quite good in fact.

The bad news is that the chrome plating from one of the magnets is flaking away from the metal and there is no gap between the ribbon and that magnet.

What the hell do I do?:confused:
 
PhilGood said:
I'm depressed. Well not very, but some.

I bought one of those Nady ribbon mics a while back and used it on guitar amps and thought it was OK. Nothing to write home about. Well, all the recent talk about ribbon sag made me think about taking it apart to look and see if there might be any sag. So I brought it home and opened it up.

The good news is the ribbin isn't sagging at all. It looks quite good in fact.

The bad news is that the chrome plating from one of the magnets is flaking away from the metal and there is no gap between the ribbon and that magnet.

What the hell do I do?:confused:
Click to expand...

Sorry, should have read your post a bit more carefully. Delaminating metal bits is bad. I'd be inclinded to return the mic but beyond that, careful removal of the material is about I can offer. Hopefully you can pull away all the loose materials without damaging the mic element.

Sounds like a tough one.
 
is it the flakes that are touching the ribbon? If you could remove the flakes (with plastic tweezers?) would there then be a gap between the ribbon and what was left of the magnet?
 
I would CAREFULLY lift the ribbon up and sand/file down the peeling chrome plating. then use an enamel to coat the magnet to prevent it from rusting.
The hard part will be manipulating the ribbon.
 
tarnationsauce2 said:
I would CAREFULLY lift the ribbon up and sand/file down the peeling chrome plating. then use an enamel to coat the magnet to prevent it from rusting.
The hard part will be manipulating the ribbon.
Click to expand...

DON'T DO THAT!!!

You will screw things up completely. Never file the magnets or peeling plating--the debries will get into the gap because of very strong magnetic field and there is no possible way to remove them without damaging the ribbon.

As a side note, the magnets will not rust. The plating needed to prevent them from falling apart--literally, as the Neodymiums are made out of powder and are somewhat similar to a sand stone.

Best, M
 
Dang. Starting to look like I'm just going to have to trash this and buy something else. Maybe a Fathead!
 
Marik said:
DON'T DO THAT!!!

You will screw things up completely. Never file the magnets or peeling plating--the debries will get into the gap because of very strong magnetic field and there is no possible way to remove them without damaging the ribbon.
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Why couldn't you remove them by removing the ribbon, then wiping the magnets clean, then reinstalling the ribbon? Yeah, I know that would be a pain, but recoating the magnet is probably going to require removing and reinstalling the ribbon anyway.
 
dgatwood said:
Why couldn't you remove them by removing the ribbon, then wiping the magnets clean, then reinstalling the ribbon? Yeah, I know that would be a pain, but recoating the magnet is probably going to require removing and reinstalling the ribbon anyway.
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That sounds reasonable to me. Remove the magnets, clean off any debris/peelings (carefully so as to not disrupt any more of the neodymium), and give them a spray with your favorite color Ace Hardware paint. :) I presume the mic is useless now, so it couldn't hurt.
 
crazydoc said:
That sounds reasonable to me. Remove the magnets, clean off any debris/peelings (carefully so as to not disrupt any more of the neodymium), and give them a spray with your favorite color Ace Hardware paint. :) I presume the mic is useless now, so it couldn't hurt.
Click to expand...

I'm starting to think that's the way to go. It seems that this is headed the direction of another learning experience rather than a realistic restoration.
 
I think I might try cyanoacrylate glue rather than paint to reseal the magnet :confused:
 
is it still under warranty?

I bought one of these and I was very disappointed in it so I sent it back.

You can spend a few ducks and get it modded too. doesn't oktava mod offer sell a mod for these mics?
 
mshilarious said:
I think I might try cyanoacrylate glue rather than paint to reseal the magnet :confused:
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Why? What would be the optimal properties of the resealing material? (Besides inert, long-lasting, cheap and easy to apply.)

I only ask because in my experience, the CA's I've used have needed pressure application in order to form an optimal bond, which wouldn't be possible just flowing it on.
 
crazydoc said:
Why? What would be the optimal properties of the resealing material? (Besides inert, long-lasting, cheap and easy to apply.)

I only ask because in my experience, the CA's I've used have needed pressure application in order to form an optimal bond, which wouldn't be possible just flowing it on.
Click to expand...

CA would give you some penetration; I don't know if paint would bind as well, especially since it's already flaking off.

Also, you wouldn't need to remove the motor assembly to apply it. I suppose you could brush on the paint, but that might cause further disintegration. I don't know, how bad is this magnet getting?
 
Well, I give up. I got the ribbon out, cleaned up the magnets nicely. I used some strong duct tape to clean off the particles. I was all happy. Then the ribbon kinked trying to get it back in, then a screw fell on it and tore it.

It was $100 and I bought it over a year ago. Time to let go and move on.

I'm getting a Fathead!:)
 
PhilGood said:
Well, I give up. I got the ribbon out, cleaned up the magnets nicely. I used some strong duct tape to clean off the particles. I was all happy. Then the ribbon kinked trying to get it back in, then a screw fell on it and tore it.

It was $100 and I bought it over a year ago. Time to let go and move on.

I'm getting a Fathead!:)
Click to expand...

then send your Nady to me ;)

OK, as for an old buddy I will fix it for ya with 1.5um foil. If on top of that you put inside a Lundahl it will blow socks from the Fathead.

Best, M
 
What about the other brands of budget ribbons? Are they going to have this same problem?
 
And I've always wondered....

If these ribbons are so darn fragile, how in the heck do they ever survive the UPS/FedEx trip to my house? I dont care how they pack them, the thing has got to be getting jarred and jolted around in there, considering the way the UPS guys handle all those faceless boxes......
 
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