Repairing a Headset Band
My partner owns an AKG headset model K52 (it's old). He likes it because it's lightweight, well-constructed, and fits him well (he is larger than average).
After many years of use, the headband was giving out. The elastic and ribbon had been stretched out, and the faux leather surface was peeling. My partner retired his headset, which meant I was free to tinker around and try repairing or replacing it!
The first step was figuring out how to remove the headband from the metal casing.
I learned that you can buy a replacement headband, and the images gave some hint to how the headband attaches:
It's got rivets. So inside the cross piece (the part that has the company logo), there must be some kind of post that fits inside the rivet. The cross piece also has screws holding it together, but this is separate from the rivet post.
I had a lot of difficulty trying to gently coax the rivet out of the post. I used a flathead screwdriver to try to gently enlarge the opening. Angled tweezers were also invaluable here!
Finally I got both ends free.
The headband is comprised of faux leather, sandwiching a piece of foam and a piece of plastic which gave the band its tendency to spring back to a flat shape. The headband is open on both short ends, allowing the elastic piece to freely move inside.
The elastic piece was made of several parts too: in the middle, a strip of elastic, and sewn to either end, a strip of ribbon; at the farthest ends were installed rivets.
I didn't take many photos of the original headset, so I'll show you those things using the finished product:
Recreating the headband would surely be easy (lol), but I wondered at how to get correct measurements for the elastic. Every elastic has different levels of stretchiness. My sewing machine would also struggle with stitching such small things as 1cm wide elastic and thin satin ribbon--and neither did I wish to hand sew those!
In retrospect, what I should have done was use a non-fraying ribbon made of a heat-sealable material (eg: polyester, nylon), and not worry about encasing raw edges. But instead, I chose a scrap of purple bias tape (which I made from salvaged fabric!), sewing only one to the elastic at first, right sides together, then turning it right-side out. I used a lot of Fray Stop on the purple tape before punching holes for the rivets.
I traced the faux leather headband and cut out my replacement piece (I did briefly consider making the headband purple also).
Sewing the faux leather at exactly the correct distance to allow the plastic insert to still fit, was nerve-wracking. I don't have advice about how to do this, but I can tell you generaly how I did it, and it turned out ok I think?
Using a 1/8th inch seam allowance (or possibly smaller), position the needle right at the pivot; hand-crank 1-2 back stitches (along the short ege), then hand-crank forward; pivot, and sew the long edge for a few stitches, then hand-crank some back stitches and the forward stitches; continue sewing the long edge; repeat the hand-cranked back stitching before reaching the short edge; pivot to the short edge; hand-crank 1-2 forward and back-stitches on the short edge. Do one long edge first, then check that the plastic insert fits. If not; start over. If good: trace the plastic insert to create a stitching guide (you want to sew just outside this line, so that the plastic insert still fits inside). Put the plastic insert, foam, and the ribbon/elastic inside before sewing (unless you enjoy suffering).
With the headband sewn, I put a big safety pin through the rivet at one end of the elastic (so that I wouldn't accidentally pull it through the headband!) and set about tying to set the other rivet into the rivet post. I used several different long slim tools to try to finagle everything into place, including angled tweezers to push the ribbon; and a flathead screwdriver to pry open the crosspiece.
Then I kind of... guess-and-checked until the elastic seemed about right, pinning the purple ribbon in place. I have no measurements. When it seemed right, I sewed the purple ribbon to the elastic (again, right-sides together and then turning out, because I enjoy suffering apparently); then fought to get the second rivet inside the rivet post.
There it is!
I'm so happy I used a bright purple contrast thread (Glide no. 40 trilobal polyester in "Iris"), I think it looks great!
(Also: yes, it also still functions, I've tested it out and both sides work. Whatever way the electrical runs in this headset, replacing the elasticated headband did not interfere with it. Maybe the electrical runs through the metal parts?)
