Corner superchunk bass trap FABRIC question

dc3hawaii

New member
What type of fabric is good for corner bass traps. For my regular acoustic panels i used felt. But they are sold out. So i was thinking of using the same material as they use on khaki pants(forgot the name). Basically i need it breathable but also protect myself from he fiberglass.

So how i was deciding was to look at the fabric thru a litght to see how much light i could see. Their were some like cotton which lots of light came thru and was thin. But then i came across that khaki material. The lady said next to felt, khaki is a little more breathable but still thick like felt. Btw felt is the material used on outaide of subwoofer(i think)

So at what point does is the matertial do more harm and bounce off instead of let it thru?

Basically the question is, more breathable to absorbe but also more likely to breathe in the fiberglass. OR less breathable but less likely to breath in fiberglass? Leaning towards that khaki material but please let me know what u all think

thank you
 
The test I always read about was to simply breathe through the fabric. If it doesn't impede your breath, it's "breathable" enough for sound panels. The light test might be useful as some kind of proxy for fiber control, but that's a WAG. I was thinking if you really want fiber control, buy the highest rated room air filters (those pleated 3M things) you can find, dismantle, and use that as a first layer over the rockwool. Then any cheap, breathable fabric will be fine for the outer, i.e., "looks" cover.
 
Does the fabric really need to be that breathable where you should be able to breathe normally if you have it over your mouth?

Can you also provide a link to those 3M things? I dont know what they are
 
Does the fabric really need to be that breathable where you should be able to breathe normally if you have it over your mouth?

Can you also provide a link to those 3M things? I dont know what they are
First, it's just what I read. You could put it over your ears and have someone talk and probably discern the same thing.

I know someone here says put plastic over the stuff - it does inhibit its ability to work as a HF damper, but probably makes no difference in a bass trap.

The filter thing was just a random thought passing through my head. Not sure the stuff is workable, but it lets air pass through and filters small stuff - the highest "Allergen" rated one would be the best presumably. There are other, cheaper brands, but here's 3M's Filtrete product.

Me, I'm not worried, so have used whatever is in the odds & ends bin at Wal-mart the last few I made. $0.99/yd is hard to beat!
 
Fiberglass is not listed as a carcinogen. The fibers are only an irritant if touched or inhaled when working with the product.

So the idea is to have a tight enough fiber to contain the fiberglass, but not so tight that it causes reflection of audio frequencies. Basically a loose burlap potato sack is enough to contain the fibers. Unless you have a 2000 CFM fan blowing at the panels. And that is not likely.

Or a cat that claws at it...

If you don't disturb the fiberglass or rub against it, then nothing to worry about. From what I have read...

I have also read that plastic (or Kraft paper) over corner traps can be a good thing for bass trap performance, but it will reflect higher frequencies. Again, just what I have read.

The size of your room and it's particular needs are what you should be focusing on IMO.

BTW, I have read a bunch and have great results with the methods I have used in my room(s). Every room is different tho.
 
Fiberglass is not listed as a carcinogen. The fibers are only an irritant if touched or inhaled when working with the product.

So the idea is to have a tight enough fiber to contain the fiberglass, but not so tight that it causes reflection of audio frequencies. Basically a loose burlap potato sack is enough to contain the fibers. Unless you have a 2000 CFM fan blowing at the panels. And that is not likely.

Or a cat that claws at it...

If you don't disturb the fiberglass or rub against it, then nothing to worry about. From what I have read...

I have also read that plastic (or Kraft paper) over corner traps can be a good thing for bass trap performance, but it will reflect higher frequencies. Again, just what I have read.

The size of your room and it's particular needs are what you should be focusing on IMO.

BTW, I have read a bunch and have great results with the methods I have used in my room(s). Every room is different tho.

Thanks fkr the advice. Yes my room is a 11x 12x8 amd according to sonarworks the most problematic areas are between 60-200ish. Which hopefully corner bass trapping take care of it. Any other advice? Please anything will hekp as i am new to treatment but once i out up my acoustic panels in my first reflection points it helped sooo much. But i do need bass traps as i can hear it when i listen in other places
 
I used burlap for my first traps (note that it smells when you first get it, but that goes away). Then I used thin cotton sheeting for my second batch (yeah, I could breathe through it).
AS Jimmy cautiously says, unless you are somehow disturbing the stuff, no fibers are going to come out.
 
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Does the fabric really need to be that breathable where you should be able to breathe normally if you have it over your mouth?

No...not really...when you consider that sound will travel even through many solid surfaces.

The whole "breathable" thing I think is more for speaker grills....where you want clear sound passing through the grill cloth.
With acoustic panels, you might not want a real tight, totally "un-breathable" cloth for panels that are real close to you...as they "might" reflect some of the very high frequencies back...but man, I think that's a real thin hair to consider.
Also...for super-chunk bass traps...the low-pend frequencies will cut through any kind of cloth you use, and pass into the traps...so you have more options for the cloth choice, IMO.
 
I've known people that used regular cotton batting over the (fiberglass, rockwool, etc.) that were pretty happy about it... Can't even imagine fiber migration through that stuff. Then, whatever sort of pretty fabric you like. I'd argue that low-stretch (cotton duck, etc.) tends to hold better over time if that means anything. I have a bunch of panels in here (most of the visible stuff is GIK) that have no visible sagging after -- I'm not even sure. 10-12 years...? Some of the for-the-space (custom sizes to fit specific areas) are considerably oversized (maybe 36" wide by 55" or so, one around 36"x82") and still no sagging.

Long story short, something with a little "weight" -- Typical 12-oz duck, denim, even low-stretch (1% lycra) denim -- that'll get you there relatively inexpensively and will last a good long time if installed well.
 
Ended up going back to Walmart today and they got a new shipment in of the Fabric I used last time which is like speaker cloth. I got really Lucky!!!

Thanks for all the help!
 
Anything polyester (or at least a poly/cotton blend) should hold up....where 100% cotton fabric may be affected by climate changes, and subject to some sagging at times.
 
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