elysion
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Post by elysion on Jul 16, 2011 20:35:26 GMT
DIY is fun!  Finally, my textile headbands are finished! On a few pictures, you see also the leather headband from Claus. I've included it in the pics for comparison. Comfort is on par with the leather headband from Claus. The leather headband is a class of its own though (great work, Claus!), but the textile headbands offer also a few advantages. A lot of possible colours for example. This is only the first batch of textile headbands. I'll do more.  I will soon send out a few freebies to friends for testing. Especially the long large holes in the headband are difficult to do since the direction of the fibres is parallel to the cut. The borders are sealed with heat. I use a polystyrene cutter that heats up to 200 degrees Celsius and a "V-Fire Torch AGE IV" torch/jet-flame lighter. You see remnants of the markings used for the cut on some headbands. This is only on one side. For the black headbands and future batches, I'll use tape with markings on them, so no markings will be left on the final headband. The first batch isn't bad though. You won't notice those details if the headbands are mounted. The black headbands are somewhat special since they are of a different material than the others. AFAIK it's pure polyester. I don't know exactly what material is used for the other colours. The black polyester headbands need INTENSE heat. Only the torch lighter does the job here. The other headbands really need to be treated first with with the polystyrene cutter at lower temperature. A final seal with the torch lighter makes the borders almost indestructible. These headbands are very rugged and they can be washed at low temperatures. The cuts into the textile bands are rather exhausting, but I hope to improve my manufacturing skills. It took a lot of time to make the first batch, but this included also some testing. Overall, I'd say it's a quite easy way to make very comfortable and rugged headbands and you don't need a lot of tools for that.       What about listening Yello/Flag with these F1-'phones?     Pink-o-phones:   SR850's x 3:       Colours!         I don't recommend replacing the headband of absolutely new SR850's since the pressure/pull on the cardan suspension is very high intially. It looses a bit up over the time. Put a few books between the SR850's or place it on a ceramic head (like I usually do). The SR850's with the F1-headband have been pulled directly out of their sealed box for replacing the headband. It was a bad idea. I've managed to destroy two of the crappy plastic parts since the pressure/pull of the elastic band was very high. Instead of binning those SR850's, I decided to find a replacement for these parts. I took me about 15 minutes to find two credit-card-style plastic cards that are made of polycarbonate, a very strong plastic material. A hand-cutted disc of polycarbonate with a tiny little hole in the middle does the job. The hole is just enough big for the screws itself but fixes the head of the screw securely. So far no problem and it works fine.      The stock parts I've damaged for comparison (other pair of SR850's):  A lot more work is on the horizon:  |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 16, 2011 21:24:04 GMT
Suberb!!  The ingenuity of the members here never fails to amaze me  It surely can't be long before we get the Rock Grotto RockPhone, completely designed and built by RG members. Seriously, elysion, that is excellent work. I'm interested in a Black one for my Solderdude/Helliharris HD 681's. So whenever you go into full production, let us know the prices.  |
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Post by UzminiNu on Jul 17, 2011 0:36:49 GMT
They look comfortable..The orange color looks soo tasty:)~
Probably the black is more practical, only these colors are fun.
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mrarroyo
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Post by mrarroyo on Jul 17, 2011 13:00:16 GMT
Very nice work, maybe I should buy an SR850 just to try the headbands!
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Jul 17, 2011 15:21:23 GMT
So far, I have chequerboard/F1, black, green, pink and yellow headbands. Where do you see an orange one? Did you mean the yellow ones? The yellow is a very intensive colour though. It's definitely not light yellow...
BTW: I can get also a few other colours. What colours would you guys like the most? I'm just curious since it doesn't make much sense to make dozens of headbands in a colour that no one wants.
I guess the black headbands are probably best suited for universal use. Personally, I like the pink headbands best with the SR850's (it's a good contrast to those camouflaged olive earcups). The chequerboard/F1 headbands are intriguing, but probably not everybodies cup of tea. I like also the yellow headbands. The green one is so far unique and unless someone would request that colour, I won't buy more of the green textile bands.
I've seen also orange, brown and different black textile bands (the blacks have a different structure of the fibres). I can't remember if they had also blue and other colours.
I can't promise, what colours I really can get. But feel free to suggest some colours, you'd like.
I have to improve the manufacturing also. The part that takes the most time is making the holes in the headband. If I can do this more efficient (I'm thinking of a custom made press that will cut the holes out in one step), then I can reduce the overall effort needed greatly. It will probably still remain a lot of hand work, but nowhere near the effort it takes at the moment. The synthetic textile materials are VERY strong, that's why some tools for making holes don't work here.
Probably, it's still less effort at the moment to make one synthetic textile headband than one made of leather. I have great respect for Claus and his leatherwork. Leatherwork needs IMO more skills than for making a few textile headbands.
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Post by UzminiNu on Jul 17, 2011 16:33:16 GMT
Yes i mean the yellow, probably i'm not good at this color recognition;D.
Even if my favorite color is purple...
After a sleep i really start to love the look of pink/SR850/AKG earpads.
Just can't imagine a different color that would be better suited;).
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Post by PinkFloyd on Jul 19, 2011 11:16:58 GMT
Christian, that is lovely work.... superb stuff. Put me down for one of the chequered ones please, I will fit them onto my 681's  |
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Jul 19, 2011 23:33:43 GMT
I was shopping today. From left to right: bordeaux (vine red), light brown (beige), dark brown, black with chequered pattern, F1/chequerboard pattern, poison green, blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow. In the foreground: Other black textile bands with different pattern.      I have completed my stockpile of textile materials today. More colours and different weaving techniques. I've asked the seller in the shop if they know from what material these textile bands are made. It's simple: Everything is polyester. But in varied carrying out. I don't find my original SR850 headbands at the moment. I hope that I didn't manage to bin them accidentially or something other stupid like that. It's not a problem though. I have more than enough headbands now for comparision and I have also the dimensions. My holidays are over (very unfortunately...), so please be a bit patient. I hope to make enough samples/freebies for a few friends (not only from RG) in the next 2-3 weeks. I'll hurry, but I have a lot of other things to do at the moment. I'll contact those that will receive freebies soon. I hope the other guys can wait patiently until my friends (you can call them "beta testers" ) confirm that the headbands are really working for everyone. With some luck, I'm able to make enough headbands for those that want a headband while that "beta testing phase" is running. I can't say much about prices at the moment. The whole material shown above is almost the monetary equivalent of a DT 990 Pro. But it should be sufficient for a few dozens of headbands. The blue and red textile rolls are about 5m. That's enough for about 14 headbands (each approx. 35cm in length). I will not give away the purple textile materials at the moment. I have only a very limited amount of that material (at the most enough for three headbands, maybe less). Maybe I can get more purple stuff in the future, but my intention is to use most of the textile shown above before buying more stuff. My main goal at the moment is to improve the manufacturing of the headbands. Since I can't spend to much time making headbands, this will be a very important factor. It doesn't luck bad though. I guess it should be possible to make a halfway fair price while getting at least the effective cost of material, tools and postage back. BTW: Mike, of course, you'll get a chequerboard headband. I'll send you also a few other colours for testing. Claus is certainly also on top of my list for receiving freebies. Mike and Claus: Please tell me what colours you'd like. 2-3 headbands for each of you are absolutely no problem (if you like). |
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2011 0:07:56 GMT
Cool stuff Christian! The bordeaux and chequered flag colours look nifty. Good luck and have fun ps once you are in full production mode I'll get back to you |
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mrarroyo
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Post by mrarroyo on Jul 20, 2011 0:51:08 GMT
Nice going Christian!
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Post by Deleted on Jul 20, 2011 0:59:52 GMT
Christian's post was a nice change from a line of 4 wobbly bums in a row !  |
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mrarroyo
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Post by mrarroyo on Jul 20, 2011 10:37:42 GMT
Christian's post was a nice change from a line of 4 wobbly bums in a row ! What? You want some booty?  Attachments:
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Post by Deleted on Jul 31, 2011 6:51:49 GMT
Christian's Textile HeadbandsFirst off, as you can see, these have been fitted to a pair of Superluxe HD681’s. Obviously they will fit Samson’s as well. I think most R.G. members would have the 681’s and I would imagine these headbands would fit all the Superluxe variants, but since I’ve only got the 681, I can’t be 100% sure. Fitting - Really, really easy. Mine popped through the door yesterday while I was watching the Formula 1 Qualifying for the Hungarian G.P. I got a very small ‘Phillips’ head screwdriver and swapped headbands over while I was still watching the T.V. – that shows how easy it is. A little bit tricky lining up the three parts that make up the bottom tensioning assembly, but not particularly difficult. 1-0 to Christian’s modded headband.  Comfort - I think this is a definite step up in comfort. The stock headband could sometimes get a little sweaty (being a vinyl material), but I had a four hour session last night and not once did the headband feel sweaty. The modded band is softer and more supple and flexible. 2-0 to Christian’s modded headband. Aesthetics - Obviously this will be a personal taste kind of thing, whether you prefer the look of the stock band or the modded band, but speaking personally, and even on looks alone, I much prefer the modded band, so it’s staying exactly where it is. Christian had mentioned to me that these first bands were kind of pre-production prototypes and were maybe a little rough around the edges, so to speak. Well Christian, I disagree – I think these are spot-on. Any little imperfections are completely hidden behind the mounting assemblies! - I don’t think you are giving yourself enough credit for a job (very) well done. I hope you get an idea of what it looks like fitted to the cans from the (not very good) shots I have uploaded. As you can see I went for Black which I think fits in well with the general look of the rest of the headphone, but when Christian gets into full production I think I’ll buy a pink or red band from him, just to ‘funky’ them up a bit. 3-0 to Christian’s modded headband, and game over. Thanks Christian      
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Aug 1, 2011 2:30:15 GMT
Jeff, have you tried both headbands I've sent to you? I'm just curious because one is from the newest batch and has rather tight tolerances (in contrast to the other which isn't as accurate). I just want to get sure the slightly tighter holes of the newer ones are still big enough.
I've ordered a HD681 from Thomann. Just for testing headbands with it. I'm sure I can't live with the treble of the unmodded HD681, but it's the cheapest headband test device available.
If the Euro continues to drop, then I'm also thinking about a K240 MKII. The K240 MKII has the same 3-pin Mini-XLR connector for the detachable cable as the K702/Q701 have. The dark blue and black of the K240 MKII's would match many of the headband colours. I'm sure I can try the K240 MKII's in case I'd buy them. But, honestly, I need another pair of 'phones like a hole in the head (as Mike says in similar situations). Perhaps another DT 990 Pro would be a better investment (in case I really want to toss out that amount of money).
Even if I won't buy a K240 MKII, I'm almost sure you'll see a couple of K24x's or K27x's with the textile headbands in the next few months. One of my friends has a K240 Studio (55 Ohm) with black/gold parts and has already a yellow headband mounted. Another friend who has a K271 will get also a free headband.
Maybe it's also time to open a new thread for the textile headbands. Furture headband projects could be also about other types of headbands from different kinds of headphones.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 1, 2011 15:14:15 GMT
No Christian, I just fitted the first one I took out the envelope, sorry  IIRC the holes didn't look particularly different, but I suppose if they were it wouldn't be visible to the eye.  You're definitely on to something here Christian, your band is much comfier than the stock one. I agree we would probably be better off with a new thread. Are you able/have you tried to make headbands for other cans out-with the the K240/Superlux/Samson design? I will try the other one Tuesday or Wednesday and get back to you right away about tolerances. Jeff |
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Aug 1, 2011 23:25:52 GMT
Maybe it's already too late... At the moment, my main goal are the K24x/K27x/HD681/HD662/SR850 style headbands. I guess many 'phones that have a similar headband would be also possible candidates for a textile headband. If you know some candidates, don't hesitate to post about them... Next big project will be a replacement for the pleather head cushion of the DT770/880/990 Pro series. But don't expect to see much in the next few months. It also doesn't hurry since the original Beyer pleather head cushion isn't bad at all. At least the look could be improved though. Although all of the textile headbands are made from polyester, there are a lot of different weaving techniques used. Not every type of textile material is equally stiff and strong, they also need a different amount of heat for sealing of the borders. The light/dark brown, bordeaux and purple textile headbands are those that make the most problems with sealing. I guess, I won't buy more of that kind of textile material, but I'm interested to get such colours from the same materials used for the other colours which I have available at the moment. BTW: I've promised a couple of freebies to various people on RG. That's how it looks at the moment: First samples: – Jeff: has already received the samples – Mike: doesn't know that he will receive samples (I didn't tell him... ), but he should receive them soon if they did not arrive already... – Chris: same as above (Mike) Second batch of samples: The headbands of the following guinea pigs are ready to ship: Claus, Frans, Kaspars, Nathan |
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natospec
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Post by natospec on Aug 2, 2011 19:51:46 GMT
thank you for the headbands... i wasn't aware that the color choices i made were the hardest to seal, practice makes perfect right? have you tried the flame of a kitchen range or a butane torch to seal the edge fibers?
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Aug 2, 2011 22:48:08 GMT
I've got the best results with a torch/jet-flame lighter. The center of the blue flame can be around 1500 degrees Celius. Of course, it's already a lot cooler at the sealing point, depending on the distance the torch lighter has to the border.
I could also melt the borders with my polystyrene cutter. This one is around 200 degrees Celsius. But it's much more time consuming and the results vary greatly.
I'm in a constant learning process. Now, I know already a few things about the best types of polyester textile bands and I will take that into account next time I go shopping for headbands. I'm sure there are lot more possibilites for textile headbands.
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natospec
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Squeal like a hawg! Yeeehaw!
when in doubt, the simplest and dirtiest fix will do, even if it is twisted wire and tape
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Post by natospec on Aug 3, 2011 9:09:58 GMT
hey you got your own thread!
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pjc68
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Post by pjc68 on Aug 3, 2011 13:37:14 GMT
Christian
Put me down for a black one for my hd681 when you go into full production.
paddy
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2011 21:13:00 GMT
Christian, I've now mounted the 'newer' one which does have slightly tighter tolerances but still fits perfectly Jeff |
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Aug 4, 2011 10:33:52 GMT
BTW: I've promised a couple of freebies to various people on RG. That's how it looks at the moment: First samples: – Jeff: has already received the samples – Mike: doesn't know that he will receive samples (I didn't tell him... ), but he should receive them soon if they did not arrive already... – Chris: same as above (Mike) Second batch of samples: The headbands of the following guinea pigs are ready to ship: Claus, Frans, Kaspars, Nathan I had no time to go to the post office. But the second batch of samples and the red headband, that Jeff has ordered, have been shipped today anyhow. I've had some help from the dispatch department in our corporation. pjc68: I have already four black ones ready (same material as those that Jeff already has). Send me a PM with your address and I'll look to ship it tomorrow. |
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elysion
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Post by elysion on Aug 4, 2011 10:51:36 GMT
Here are the prices for the headbands:
– One headband shipped to Europe = 15CHF (World = 17CHF)
– Two headbands shipped to Europe = 25CHF (World = 27CHF)
– Three headbands shipped to Europe = 33CHF (World = 35CHF)
Prices are in CHF (Swiss Francs) since the currency exchange rates are changing frequently at the moment. PayPal allows to send Swiss Francs. I don't accept any other currencies at the moment (otherwise I'd have to chance the prices everyday).
Since some members use Pound Sterling, some Euros and others also US Dollars or even Australian Dollars and we have a very turbulent economic situation now, I don't see many other ways to make it as fair as possible.
I've found also a way to put the headbands into the envelope without making the "fold" as strong as it was. I hope the fold will disappear now faster.
I have the following headbands ready at the moment:
from pre-production:
– 1x pink
– 1x green
– 1x F1/chequerboard
– 2x black (same style as the blacks of E.K. Bluesboy)
from newest batch:
– 1x orange
– 2x black (same style as the blacks of E.K. Bluesboy)
One of the blacks is reserved for Paddy.
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pjc68
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Post by pjc68 on Aug 4, 2011 19:11:08 GMT
Christian Pm me your details for paypal The title of these headphones is getting longer Friend- "what headphones are they paddy me - "Er ? frans filtered heliharris ringed elysion superlux hd681,s friend - ;D paddy |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 5, 2011 15:51:14 GMT
Hi Christian, Hope you (or the mods) don't see this as thread crapping and in no way am I entering into competition with you in your headband mini-business but I thought there might be some interest in my solution to the 'sweaty headband' problem. All that's needed is some sticky-backed felt/baise material and a pair of scissors: -     If possible please try to ignore the mass of long grey hairs - we have 3 Persian cats . In the 'flesh' the colour is forest green rather than the turquoise that it appears on my monitor. Cheers, Dave. |
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I will soon send out a few freebies to friends for testing. Especially the long large holes in the headband are difficult to do since the direction of the fibres is parallel to the cut. The borders are sealed with heat. I use a polystyrene cutter that heats up to 200 degrees Celsius and a "V-Fire Torch AGE IV" torch/jet-flame lighter. You see remnants of the markings used for the cut on some headbands. This is only on one side. For the black headbands and future batches, I'll use tape with markings on them, so no markings will be left on the final headband. The first batch isn't bad though. You won't notice those details if the headbands are mounted.
