zingo
01-30-2009, 04:12 PM
I started a dampening project on my 4.1TLs with a little testing yesterday. I recently bought a can of Skid-No-More (http://www.americanmarinesupply.com/pdf/SkidNoMore.pdf). It's labeled as a "rubberized, acrylic latex non-skid coating containing ground rubber" and the can also states that it dampens sound. It seemed like a good product to try at $17 per quart from the local hardware store.
When I got the product home, I shook it to mix, then popped the lid. The first thing I noticed was the smell; awful. It's not a normal paint smell, or even really an abnormal paint smell. But, as long as you are in a well ventilated area it's not a problem because it's just a bit of a stink. The color of the stuff is gray-blue, and is feels a little thinner than regular paint. Clean up is soap and water, and it just uses a regular brush, so that part is easy enough.
To test, I pulled the PRs from my Monitor 5Jrs; they were to be my test dummies. I figured that I could test the "paint" on something else first, but I'd just end up testing it on the Mon 5Jrs anyway, so I'd just start there. Directions say to clean and prime metal before application, but since this was a test, and I knew these weren't going to be abused anyway, I just painted it straight onto the basket of the PR. As thin as the Skid-No-More seemed, I'm impressed how well it said in play on the metal. As long as I didn't goop it on, the coating stayed right where I put it without any running or dripping; an important property if you are painting the open frame of drivers.
One coat took me about five minutes to get good coverage down to the lip of the basket. It took about one hour to dry to the touch and after a few hours, I wasn't even able to scrap the coating off easily with my finder nail. Giving the basket a flick with my finger, the basket rang a little less than without the coating in a side by side comparison. The dampening factor was as good as I had hoped for being a first, thin coat. My goal with be 3-4 coats and hopefully that will give me the full dampening I am looking for.
Now having some faith in this product and as long as the test come out well, after I am finished with the baskets of the drivers in my 4.1TLs, I will also be applying Skid-No-More to the inside of the cabinets. That should help make the cabinets less resonant and the bumpy texture may help with standing waves a well; may.
One of the reasons I was interested in a "brushable" product like this is because I know it works well in speaker cabinets. I figured if it works there, why not on baskets, and being brushable, it would be easier to place and less intrusive than a Dynamat type material.
As I continue this project this weekend, I will provide more information and pictures, as well as I will up load the pictures tonight from this previous session.
When I got the product home, I shook it to mix, then popped the lid. The first thing I noticed was the smell; awful. It's not a normal paint smell, or even really an abnormal paint smell. But, as long as you are in a well ventilated area it's not a problem because it's just a bit of a stink. The color of the stuff is gray-blue, and is feels a little thinner than regular paint. Clean up is soap and water, and it just uses a regular brush, so that part is easy enough.
To test, I pulled the PRs from my Monitor 5Jrs; they were to be my test dummies. I figured that I could test the "paint" on something else first, but I'd just end up testing it on the Mon 5Jrs anyway, so I'd just start there. Directions say to clean and prime metal before application, but since this was a test, and I knew these weren't going to be abused anyway, I just painted it straight onto the basket of the PR. As thin as the Skid-No-More seemed, I'm impressed how well it said in play on the metal. As long as I didn't goop it on, the coating stayed right where I put it without any running or dripping; an important property if you are painting the open frame of drivers.
One coat took me about five minutes to get good coverage down to the lip of the basket. It took about one hour to dry to the touch and after a few hours, I wasn't even able to scrap the coating off easily with my finder nail. Giving the basket a flick with my finger, the basket rang a little less than without the coating in a side by side comparison. The dampening factor was as good as I had hoped for being a first, thin coat. My goal with be 3-4 coats and hopefully that will give me the full dampening I am looking for.
Now having some faith in this product and as long as the test come out well, after I am finished with the baskets of the drivers in my 4.1TLs, I will also be applying Skid-No-More to the inside of the cabinets. That should help make the cabinets less resonant and the bumpy texture may help with standing waves a well; may.
One of the reasons I was interested in a "brushable" product like this is because I know it works well in speaker cabinets. I figured if it works there, why not on baskets, and being brushable, it would be easier to place and less intrusive than a Dynamat type material.
As I continue this project this weekend, I will provide more information and pictures, as well as I will up load the pictures tonight from this previous session.