Nicotine reidue on drivers

Aren't those drivers Beryllium? Maybe a Qtip and some alcohol if you're very gentle.

I've never tried cleaning a Be driver, but a spray bottle of cleaning solution and a spray bottle of water and air are all I'd let touch them.

If the alcohol is warm it will evaporate faster if you decide to try it.

91% isopropanol will not harm beryllium. Will it remove dried-on nicotine? Next to try could be acetone - again, not harmful.

Thanks, all. I was hoping to hear from someone who had actually tried this. I was thinking rubbing alcohol. I'll brave and give it a go here one of these days. 

you could probably market nicotine coated drivers. smoke filled nightclub sound

how about removing nicotine from lungs? I smoked for 30 years, coughed up nasty junk for 6 months, that was 30 years ago.

Here is a different answer from someone who would manage to ruin something if he tried to do it himself.  I would call Bill at Millersound and see if he would tackle the job.

When I used to repair TV’s back in the late 70’s to early 80’s I had many a TV come into the shop coated in nicotine.  It took a very strong concoction of Windex to clean the innards and picture tube.  I would use 80% Windex Concentrate with 20% ionized water.   It worked like a charm.  

Wow smoking is very bad for your health.

No kidding, I personally have chosen not to smoke. However the previous owner of these speakers chase to smoke heavily.

mizike OP
Is there a safe and effective way to get old nicotine residue
 off speaker drivers? Yamaha NS 1000m
  Thanks, all. I was hoping to hear from someone who had actually tried this.

No leave them be don't listen to anyone saying to clean them, I have and was shocked, the mid and tweeter on theNS 1000, 1000x and 2000, are clear polypropylene cones, that just have a very thin vapor deposited coating of Beryllium on the polypropylene, any cleaning or rubbing will take it off and expose the clear polypropylene cone underneath.
Only one or two Yamaha's had pure spun Beryllium cones, and were as fagile as egg shells, the mighty GF-1
https://www.hifido.co.jp/sold/14-84924-31512-50.html?LNG=E
 and I think the NS10000 also.
  https://www.hifido.co.jp/sold/16-06185-99993-50.html?LNG=E

Cheers George

An individual on Audiokarma had a pair that were very nasty looking and cleaned them up with dish soap, water and a soft cloth.

https://audiokarma.org/forums/index.php?threads/yamaha-ns-1000m-drivers-cleaning-and-rufurbishment.6...

I was under the impression the Beryllium was vapor deposited onto a copper plated aluminum mold. I believe the vapor deposited Beryllium was only 0.03 mm thick (about twice the thickness of Al foil).  If it was free standing, it would certainly be very fragile because Beryllium is very brittle.

Whether they are free standing or on a polymer base, I would be very careful with them.

I forgot to add, vapor deposited Beryllium would never adhere to polypropylene without a surface treatment. Typically we would use an oxygen plasma treatment of the polypropylene before vapor deposition of a metal such as Beryllium.

I forgot to add, vapor deposited Beryllium would never adhere to polypropylene without a surface treatment.

 Well once the Beryllium was wiped off all that was left was a clear see though flexible cone under it.

Cheers George  

George, I was not disputing what you observed. In fact what you observed is what would happen if the Beryllium was vapor deposited onto an untreated or poorly treated polypropylene surface. I was just commenting on the need to introduce reactive bonding sites on the polypropylene surface for the vapor deposited Beryllium to bond with.

Why would you buy speakers from a heavy smoker?

What you have to think about is, can it be possible to stiffen a polypropylene cone just with vapor deposited Beryllium partials on it.
To be honest I don't think so, as the Beryillium particles would have no structural strength in either plane at all, unless it's spun or forged as in the GF-1's then there's no need for a polypropylene former under it.

Cheers George  

I have a set of Yamaha NS 1000m speakers. I really like the sound. Once put on stands at the proper height and set up with a bit of rake and toe they are spooky magical. However found the most perfect amp for them. The Bryston B60 integrated amp. I have had some really big expensive amp/speaker systems and this right up there.  Do not laugh that is the perfect power for NS1000 speakers!

In fact what you observed is what would happen if the Beryllium was vapor deposited onto an untreated or poorly treated polypropylene surface.

It wasn’t a causal light wipe, thinking they were pure Beryllium and nothing else, and could take some cleaning solvents like metho, turps which shouldn’t effect Beryllium.
I wiped lightly what looked to be nicotine stains with dust embedded in it, almost salt air corrosion to look at, on the tops of the mid and tweeter domes. With cotton buds moistened with mentholated spirit, after a few light wipes I could see through the dome where I wiped, being a clear polypropylene dome.
Lucky I had a store back then of a few JA0548A and JA0803 which are the Yamaha part no’s for the mid and tweeter.

Cheers George