homemade tube traps - (reposting of perennial favorite)
Jim Roth
In article <1991Oct7.1...@infonode.ingr.com>, ca...@infonode.ingr.com (Bill Case) writes...
>If someone still has the article on making tube traps...
Here is some info that appeared a while back. Have fun!
[Someone should post construction details for RPG diffusers - this is
also prime fodder for home building. I have all the theoretical papers
on the subject but not the practical construction details, nor the time
to experiment with them right now.]
- Jim
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Sure, here's the summary - expert advice by ru...@unisoft.uucp,
sent to me by mosk...@paul.rutgers.edu. My friend looked into
Mico Loc, turns out it is quite a bit more expensive when sold
in small quantities to audiophiles. Oh well. Enjoy...
-Stanton
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From ru...@unisoft.UUCP (Russ Button) Wed Apr 11 13:30:11 1990
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: Home brew tubetraps
Date: 11 Apr 90 17:30:11 GMT
In article <529...@hpscdc.scd.hp.com> da...@hpscdc.scd.hp.com (Dave Angelini) writes:
>It would be interesting to find out how to compress the fiberglass.
> One day I took one of mine apart and realized that these would not
>be hard to build. They are along with RPG diffusors and abfusors one
>of the most significant positive changes to a listening environment.
Puleeze give more details!!!
You don't have to compress it. You can BUY it that way, in cylindrical
form already! It is a product called "Micro-loc", made by John's/Manville.
It comes in 9", 11", and 16" diameters. It is intended to be used as piping
insulation. You buy it from anyone who supplies insulation contrators.
Look in the Yellow Pages!
This is the same stuff that Tube Traps are made of! Go for it!
From ru...@unisoft.UUCP (Russ Button) Wed Apr 11 18:16:20 1990
From: ru...@unisoft.UUCP (Russ Button)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: Home brew tubetraps
Date: 11 Apr 90 22:16:20 GMT
As an addentum to my earlier posting about making tube traps, I need to
mention that tube traps are made with the 1" thickness Micro-loc. As I
mentioned before, the diameters used for commercial tube traps are 9", 11",
and 16".
From: ru...@unisoft.UUCP (Russ Button)
Newsgroups: rec.audio
Subject: Re: Tubetraps (HELP)
Date: 23 Apr 90 18:59:44 GMT
Reply-To: ru...@unisoft.UUCP (Russ Button)
Tube traps are just cylinders of formed fibreglas with wooden disks to
seal the ends. They are covered with chicken wire only to strengthen
them for shipping. If you are building them for home use, then the
chicken wire is unnecessary.
Tube traps are made from formed fibreglas insulation called "Micro-loc",
made by John's/Manville. It is available from suppliers for insulation
contractors. Have you noticed that they are available in 9", 11", and 16"
sizes? Those are the sizes that Micro-loc comes in. And all this time
you thought that some genius audio engineer had designed 'em that way.
Also make sure to get Micor-loc in 1" thickness.
Micro-loc comes as two half rounds. You need to "glue" them together.
The simplest and best thing to use is silicone caulk. Buy in the big
tube and use your caulking gun. Then caulk the wooden disks (cut to
size appropriatly) to the ends.
The most difficult part is putting an attractive covering on them. You
can go down to the local yard goods store and use most anything that is
reasonably acoustically tranparent. And unlike CD's, you can use any
color you want, and you don't have to Armour All it!
The tricky part is what to do with the ends of the cloth. You've rolled
the cloth around the tube trap, and tacked it together some way or other.
Now you've got cloth hanging out over the ends. The commercial guy has
routed a circular groove in the wood. He then stuffs the end of the
cloth into the groove with a window screening tool and some window
screening... uhhhh, I don't what you'd call it, but it's got to be
something that keeps the cloth in the groove.
Am I experienced in this? No. I got all this info from a friend of mine
who is a writer for Stereophile.
The fibreglas costs under $20 for a tube trap from what my friend tells
me. You can estimate the cost of the rest of the materials.
Russ Button
ru...@unisoft.UUCP
<ucbvax,uunet,sun>!unisoft!russ
Mithat F Konar
<stuff deleted>
>
>[Someone should post construction details for RPG diffusers - this is
> also prime fodder for home building. I have all the theoretical papers
> on the subject but not the practical construction details, nor the time
> to experiment with them right now.]
Try lots of big, leafy plants. I do, and the results are very pleasing - in
many senses (pun intended).
-Mithat Konar