[Bilavideo]

HOW'S YOUR MAD SCIENTIST WEEKEND?
 

 
So, here's the deal.  My wife wants me to go with her to look for a car.  I don't want to go because I know what's going to happen.  They're going to show her a car she'll fall in love with, then they're going to ask me to pick a penny off the show-room floor.  I'll bend over and - well, you get the idea.
 

 
So, I was working at the drill press, stamping out some shells and catching up when I got this idea to make a cover for the plastic, one that would let a person just drop the whole plastic inner in.  These aren't sanded or lacquered but thankfully they fit.
 

 
I created a lip for the pad and a little - I don't what you call it - but it holds the screen in.  I must be getting high off splinters and sawdust (Now, THERE'S a cocktail).
 

 
Time to test this little digression.
 

 
In like Flynn!
 

 
AMBERvision!
 
1. The OD uses a 2 5/8" hole saw for the lip (producing a 2 1/2" outer lip).
2. The cavity for the actual plastic lip uses a 2 1/8" hole saw.
3. Flipping the board over, after poking the center hole through for reference, I use a 2 1/2" hole saw to get a 2 3/8" OD on the back.
4. With the board still flipped over, I use a 1 7/8" hole saw to create a window/panel a little smaller on the outside on the inside.
5. Flipping the board face up, I cut an ID at 2", remembering to take it easy as I get to the end so I can stop cutting right before I get to that lip I've created so I've got a nice molding/brace built into the shell.  I'll use it to hold the screen.
 

 
I didn't set out to make a full shell, just "inners" or inner covers - what I'm playing calling True Hats.  

 
Still, and this is with a one-inch board (nothing deep), you could get away with such a shell and still have something decent to play with.
 

 
You can see the slim profile these give off.  In some situations, that may be all anybody really needs.  Otherwise, this is the base from which a larger hat can be built.
 

 
I really need that shower - and a comb! - but I can't let this one go just yet.  At the risk of losing my modeling contract - ahem - here is what these look like from the side.
 

 
It's funny to think that this is basically and inner cover rather than a secondary shell squeezed onto the back of the inner.  Basswize, I'm surprised at the amount of bass I'm getting just off this primary stage shell.  I'm listening to organ music and I'm getting some decent grumble.  I'm not going to say it's HD800 grumble but it sounds like I'm shelled up - and I'm only halfway there.
 

 
Here they are with screens.  They still need to be sanded and lacquered - and that guy in the picture is beginning to creep me out!  But this isn't bad for a Saturday afternoon on my way to sell my soul for a trade-in.
 

 
If I can do it, you can do it better.  Now, off to the shower!

 

[alphones]

Bill strikes again! Well done my friend.  Those shells would be the perfect solution for a travel set of phones.
 
 

 

[Melvins]

fantastic. 

 

[eclein]

Guys...Bill...anybody...we need some sort of cap/top/ring or something that lets us use all different types of wood and just be able to switch back and forth. What I mean is you got the driver in the plastic shell(my case and others I presume) and Bill made shells that fit over the plastic tray very, very nicely and then we are all finding a way to put a screen mesh of some sort over the top, inside the opening in the top, of the shell and put that last bit of a personal touch on our mods...what if someone came up with a ring of some sort that had the screen of your choice inside that we could just take off and put on a new/different shell etc...that way you could change out the shell depending on what music your listening too, or look you want to achieve and keep the ring with the screen in it consistent from shell to shell or make up several different rings with screen to attach to the shell you like the most---follow me. 
 
If we make the parts somewhat interchangeable we open up the whole thing to endless possibilities, my SR60's could have a Coccobollo shell with my favorite screen mesh top one day and the next have that favorite top on different shells...Tuesday could be Limba day, certain ring of screen and mods to that screen (I use the thin foam inside the mesh screen) to make the sound your sound, your personality...etc...Good idea?? Bad idea? The meds are getting to you Ed??  LOL...
  THOUGHTS!!!....LOL

 

[unchain]

Guys...Bill...anybody...we need some sort of cap/top/ring or something that lets us use all different types of wood and just be able to switch back and forth. What I mean is you got the driver in the plastic shell(my case and others I presume) and Bill made shells that fit over the plastic tray very, very nicely and then we are all finding a way to put a screen mesh of some sort over the top, inside the opening in the top, of the shell and put that last bit of a personal touch on our mods...what if someone came up with a ring of some sort that had the screen of your choice inside that we could just take off and put on a new/different shell etc...that way you could change out the shell depending on what music your listening too, or look you want to achieve and keep the ring with the screen in it consistent from shell to shell or make up several different rings with screen to attach to the shell you like the most---follow me. 
 
If we make the parts somewhat interchangeable we open up the whole thing to endless possibilities, my SR60's could have a Coccobollo shell with my favorite screen mesh top one day and the next have that favorite top on different shells...Tuesday could be Limba day, certain ring of screen and mods to that screen (I use the thin foam inside the mesh screen) to make the sound your sound, your personality...etc...Good idea?? Bad idea? The meds are getting to you Ed??  LOL...
  THOUGHTS!!!....LOL

You could just buy PVC caps and threads, cut out most of the PVC and have a thin band of screw on material. Male end on the inner, female on the cups. With a piece or two of PTFE tape inbetween the two threaded pieces, they'd fit quite tightly together. Better yet would be to get threads directly on the inside of the outer cups, but I don't know quite how to do that yet. If i had another pair of Grados to play with, I'd try it out. Maybe I'll order some just for that purpose.

 

[sml1226]

Guys...Bill...anybody...we need some sort of cap/top/ring or something that lets us use all different types of wood and just be able to switch back and forth. What I mean is you got the driver in the plastic shell(my case and others I presume) and Bill made shells that fit over the plastic tray very, very nicely and then we are all finding a way to put a screen mesh of some sort over the top, inside the opening in the top, of the shell and put that last bit of a personal touch on our mods...what if someone came up with a ring of some sort that had the screen of your choice inside that we could just take off and put on a new/different shell etc...that way you could change out the shell depending on what music your listening too, or look you want to achieve and keep the ring with the screen in it consistent from shell to shell or make up several different rings with screen to attach to the shell you like the most---follow me. 
 
If we make the parts somewhat interchangeable we open up the whole thing to endless possibilities, my SR60's could have a Coccobollo shell with my favorite screen mesh top one day and the next have that favorite top on different shells...Tuesday could be Limba day, certain ring of screen and mods to that screen (I use the thin foam inside the mesh screen) to make the sound your sound, your personality...etc...Good idea?? Bad idea? The meds are getting to you Ed??  LOL...
  THOUGHTS!!!....LOL

Ok here's my idea. (only works if you're willing to replace the inner or modify the plastic pretty heavily):

Cut two notches in the "inner" in an L shape 180º apart. Make the "inner" deep enough that your gimbal can mount directly to it rather than the usual outer shell. Then make an "outer" that fits inside the "inner" with two small screws or pegs in the bottom part that fits inside. Use the notches to "lock" the outer shell in. Then repeat that process with multiple "outers" giving you the option to randomly select a new shell and swap them out.

I can't freehand with a trackpad and I don't have the old XP MSPaint to do the simplistic straight lines or I'd get a pic of this. Let me know if you follow my reasoning there.

 

[kite7]

Great work Bill, do you think that works better than liberated drivers?

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Great work Bill, do you think that works better than liberated drivers?

No.  Nothing works better than the liberated drivers.  They are the most uncompromising approach you can take.  You start your shell at ground zero.  You surround your driver with the best tonewood.  You get the most shell with the least amount of space.
 
But not everybody is up to even partial liberation.  Some of us are very much afraid of going anywhere near the drivers, and - after killing a few drivers myself - who can blame 'em?  If a person is going to be stuck with plastic on half their shell, the best option I can think of is to place that plastic into its own wooden coat.  Between that and the use of a wooden inner, you could attenuate any plastic issues and get more out of less.
 

 

[kite7]

So it is a less risky approach compared to liberation and still provides benefits. How do the bowls fit? Seems like they really have to be stretched out around the outer wood over the plastic shell of the driver so I'm quite curious how much of your ear is touching the plastic now.

 

[sharkz]

Hey Bill, sorry to be a pain, but I was wondering when you sent my driver? I still haven't gotten anything. Thanks a ton!

 

 

[Bilavideo]

 

So it is a less risky approach compared to liberation and still provides benefits. How do the bowls fit? Seems like they really have to be stretched out around the outer wood over the plastic shell of the driver so I'm quite curious how much of your ear is touching the plastic now.

They're a little more stretched, because of the wider diameter, though it's not drastic.  People always said the bowls were providing a sneaky version of circumaurals.  That's about right.  While I was wearing the bowls this way, I couldn't stop thinking about how to complete the seal by adding another layer to the cushions.
 
This wood overcoat, which I've nicknamed TrueHats in an effort to throw somebody into diabetic shock, is not intended to be pure audio bliss, though I'm actually surprised at how effective it is.  It's an option for those situations where the plastic inners are here to stay.  Some have gone on to liberated drivers while others have hit their sweet spot at partial liberation (which is what Grado and several others do).  Even then, there are going to be those who are going to say, "No way, I'm not going to chance it."  In that situation, I'd already come up with Skinnies, which go into the air chambers and wall off the plastic.  With the TrueHat concept, I wanted to explore what might happen if I went up and over the plastic on the front.  Because LF waves are less directional, radiating outward in a more circular motion than HF waves, I thought it worth the effort to see - and hear - what difference it would make if those lateral waves radiated outward through wood.
 
I'm not suggesting it as a replacement for full or partial liberation (which already employ wood in much the same place), just as a way to get the most out of plastic when you're stuck with it.  If it had had no effect, I'd at least have found out for myself, but I'll take all the smileys I can get.  Life is short.  Play hard.
 
 

Hey Bill, sorry to be a pain, but I was wondering when you sent my driver? I still haven't gotten anything. Thanks a ton!

I sent it last week.  I'll PM you the address I have so you can confirm.
 

 

[eclein]

Guys, gals, I got some health issues as some of you guys know and I've lost the feeling in my legs and feet along with my hands and my arms up to my elbow at this point. Its only gonna get worse and I'll be unable to drive a car again or walk without a cane, walker, wheelchair for the rest of my days, I'm 53 so it sucks but so far I'm not dying and my ears are good and I got in under the wire and was able to mod myself a set of headphones I'm very happy with but now I'm unable to handle with any efficiency taking apart the shells,etc.. my fingers just burn, its hard to open a DVD case and I'm serious, it hurts. So I have some stuff I'll put in the For Sale Listings.
 
 Peace
 Ed

 

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Can't wait to see pics of this idea, Bill!

Don't laugh if it seems a tad simple to get worked up over, but it does seem to provide a step forward.
 

 
This is actually a pretty awesome shell but in some instances the shells are cracking during home assembly.  The double wall, which provides an effective grip that doubles the contact surface and holds the shell on without glue or putty, is still a bit fragile.  When a person puts this shell on, it's important to remember to be gentle and careful.  If the inner is not pressed on straight, with care to maintain a proper balance, both shells could be damaged during the attempt to extricate the inner and start over.  After the second time it happened, I began looking for better ways to preserve the integrity of the shells.
 

 
I started doing two things: making the shell walls thicker and removing the inner lip/grip.  I started replacing it with a shelf that prevents the inner from sliding in beyond a certain point.  I wasn't sure if this would be tight enough but it worked like a charm. 

 
On this shell, I created a thicker ridge at the point where shells are most vulnerable.  It gives the shells surprising durability.  As a test, I dropped this shell on the floor to see if it would crack.  It didn't come close.
 

 
This shell has yet to be sanded or lacquered so it isn't nearly as pretty as it will be.  For right now, the important thing is that it's holding the inner without the need of glue or putty.
 

 
The reason I want to avoid glue or putty, as much as possible, is the simple fact that glue and putty are not part of the design.  I don't want to take a chance on having soundwaves damped for no compelling reason.
 

 
I won't use this ridge on every design, but where it can provide an extra layer of protection, it's an option worth having.

 

[alphones]

Hi Bill,
 
regarding your last post do you use just hole saws to get your new and improved shells or do you use other tools such as a dremel?
 
Cheers,
Al

 

[Bilavideo]

 

Hi Bill,
 
regarding your last post do you use just hole saws to get your new and improved shells or do you use other tools such as a dremel?
 
Cheers,
Al

Hole saws come in handy for cutting rings of various sizes for shells, liners, overcoats, inners, etc.  I cut the shells and then cut the grooves.  I use sanders to smooth out the shells.  I sometimes use the grinder to make more radical changes or to grind harder items.  I use the dremel for a variety of tasks because it has all of these cool little tips, brushes, saws, sanders and the like.  The dremel lets me get where other devices can't.  It can also be gentler than other items.  For a while I was using a jigsaw to cut grooves.  Never again!  It broke my heart every time a cherished piece of wood chipped or cracked on me.  The dremel behaves better.  But it's also a matter of taking your time, being patient and being careful.
 
P.S.  I didn't use a dremel or a sander on the above pics.  These were fresh off the drill press, with a need for sanding, laquering and dremeling (to make all the proper grooves). I still use the drill saw to cut holes at 3 o'clock and 9 o'clock.  I use an old C clamp, with gaps filled by Dynamat, to position the holes so that I have proper alignment each time.