Attaching fiberglass to the walls of a speaker enclosure
 

Not really a repair issue, but I'll bet someone here has an idea on
this. I have a couple MDF cabinets which will each house 1 10" woofer &
1 10" passive radiator as subs. I have some of that white "softer" owens
corning fiberglass insulation that comes in a pink plastic cover (the
type that is totally enclosed in the plastic) which I intend to remove
from its covering & use to line the walls of the enclosures. What is the
best way to attach the fiberglass to the walls of the boxes? Glue I'm
assuming, but what type is best?

TIA

Dan

"Dan" wrote in message
...
| Not really a repair issue, but I'll bet someone here has an idea on
| this. I have a couple MDF cabinets which will each house 1 10" woofer &
| 1 10" passive radiator as subs. I have some of that white "softer" owens
| corning fiberglass insulation that comes in a pink plastic cover (the
| type that is totally enclosed in the plastic) which I intend to remove
| from its covering & use to line the walls of the enclosures. What is the
| best way to attach the fiberglass to the walls of the boxes? Glue I'm
| assuming, but what type is best?

I don't like fibreglass for this. There's always a chance it will come loose
and cut through the voice coils etc. Look in fabric shops for fibre filling
as used in comforters.

N

Thanks for the reply. I'm assuming you mean a polyester material such
as dacron? Anything else I should look for when buying this material?
Each box is ~ 2.25 cu'. I had thought of attaching a ~ 3" layer of
fiberglass directly the panels, but would I be better off simply loose
stuffing the entire interior rather than gluing the damping material
directly to the panels? Sure would be easier.

Dan

NSM wrote:

"Dan" wrote in message
...
| Not really a repair issue, but I'll bet someone here has an idea on
| this. I have a couple MDF cabinets which will each house 1 10" woofer &
| 1 10" passive radiator as subs. I have some of that white "softer" owens
| corning fiberglass insulation that comes in a pink plastic cover (the
| type that is totally enclosed in the plastic) which I intend to remove
| from its covering & use to line the walls of the enclosures. What is the
| best way to attach the fiberglass to the walls of the boxes? Glue I'm
| assuming, but what type is best?

I don't like fibreglass for this. There's always a chance it will come loose
and cut through the voice coils etc. Look in fabric shops for fibre filling
as used in comforters.

N

White glue ( a.k.a PVA) works. So do a few flat head nails - just don't
drive them more than what is required to slightly compress the fibreglass.

finally, loose filling works too - just cut the glass slightl oversize and
the compression will hold the sheet in by tension alone. This is not always
suitable for every cabinet, mind you.

Craig


"Dan" wrote in message
...
Not really a repair issue, but I'll bet someone here has an idea on
this. I have a couple MDF cabinets which will each house 1 10" woofer &
1 10" passive radiator as subs. I have some of that white "softer" owens
corning fiberglass insulation that comes in a pink plastic cover (the
type that is totally enclosed in the plastic) which I intend to remove
from its covering & use to line the walls of the enclosures. What is the
best way to attach the fiberglass to the walls of the boxes? Glue I'm
assuming, but what type is best?

TIA

Dan

"Dan" wrote in message
...
| Thanks for the reply. I'm assuming you mean a polyester material such
| as dacron? Anything else I should look for when buying this material?
| Each box is ~ 2.25 cu'. I had thought of attaching a ~ 3" layer of
| fiberglass directly the panels, but would I be better off simply loose
| stuffing the entire interior rather than gluing the damping material
| directly to the panels? Sure would be easier.

Some actually like loose wool (from sheep yet), but to me that's going too
far. Most designs I have seen just involve layering the material inside
without packing it tightly. There were several quite good books produced in
England on ways to make speaker boxes that are high quality.

N

Thanks for the replies on this. I went to the fabric dept at the local
walmart & got 4 22" x 22" x 2" polyester fiber cushion squares,
basically the fiber but pressed into a square. 8 bucks each (I was
surprised how much this stuff cost at a fabric only store). It's nice &
firm so it can be shaped easily & is rigid enough to hold in place w/o
glue. Already did one box, I think it will be great for this
application & not too expensive.

Dan

NSM wrote:
"Dan" wrote in message
...
| Thanks for the reply. I'm assuming you mean a polyester material such
| as dacron? Anything else I should look for when buying this material?
| Each box is ~ 2.25 cu'. I had thought of attaching a ~ 3" layer of
| fiberglass directly the panels, but would I be better off simply loose
| stuffing the entire interior rather than gluing the damping material
| directly to the panels? Sure would be easier.

Some actually like loose wool (from sheep yet), but to me that's going too
far. Most designs I have seen just involve layering the material inside
without packing it tightly. There were several quite good books produced in
England on ways to make speaker boxes that are high quality.

N

On Sun, 21 Nov 2004 19:14:23 -0500, Dan
wrote:

Not really a repair issue, but I'll bet someone here has an idea on
this. I have a couple MDF cabinets which will each house 1 10" woofer &
1 10" passive radiator as subs. I have some of that white "softer" owens
corning fiberglass insulation that comes in a pink plastic cover (the
type that is totally enclosed in the plastic) which I intend to remove
from its covering & use to line the walls of the enclosures. What is the
best way to attach the fiberglass to the walls of the boxes? Glue I'm
assuming, but what type is best?

TIA

Dan

Don't use fiberglass unless the enclosure is totally enclosed.(no
venting or porting)
Better to use dacron hollow fill which can be gotten cheaply at any
department store fabrics department.
Use spray mount on the mdf and then press the hollow fill onto the
board. Allow to set then fluff the hollow fill out a bit, just don't
leave it compressed tightly.
The theory is to use the the loosely packed hollow fill as an
"acoustical maze" to cut down on flyback distortion.(second wave
harmonics etc...)
In the old days we used a wool composite called kimsul.(don't think
it's available anymore as the more modern materials are better
anyway.)
I use 3M Super 77 spray mount though just about any brand will
do.(I've even used low temp hot glue striped onto the cabinet linings
to glue down the dacron in a pinch.)