[Arran]

So the speaker had a sandpit in it... any thoughts on what I should do here?  What happens if I unscrew this to try and clean it up?  (I'd just do it and see, but I really don't want to trash a speaker that works when its 82-odd years old...)

Is it ok to give it a bit of a vacuum in around the spider?  It feels a little crunchy when moved by hand, but it does sound ok when the radio is playing through it.

[Image: http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff222...ypauxd.jpg]

[Image: http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff222...uym3m6.png]

Steve;
  It could be sand or it could be rust, if you are careful with a vaccuum cleaner you can try that, though it's nice to have one where you can adjust the speed of the motor so you can crank down the suction. Another way is to just lay the speaker face down and play it till whatever is in there falls out, which may or may not work. As a last resort you could always remove the cone, a little laquer thinner or acetone on the surround/hinge to melt the glue helps, alone with disconnecting the voice coil and removing that center screw from the pole piece. Part of the problem maybe be dirt, sand, or rust, or even just the voice coil alignment.
Regards
Arran