Hi all, would this be any comparison to rockwool? I'm planning on making some bass traps and I'm just looking for suitable materials.

http://www.wickes.co.uk/invt/161236

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http://www.williammorrismusic.com

The one thing you need to know for acoustic purposes is missing - the density.

However, if the pack weight is mentioned you should be able to work it out - the ideal for bass traps is 45 or 60Kg/m3


Martin

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YewTreeMagic

How do you know its NOT rockwool ?

Quote zzalsar9:

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How do you know its NOT rockwool ?

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I don't, but as it says general purpose insulation I'm guessing its something slightly different? I'm certainly no expert on different types of insulation though.

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http://www.williammorrismusic.com

Wickes' insulation is Rocksilk, manufactured by Knauf. As you can see from this thread I bought some of their panels without realising they are much less dense than the usually recommended RW3 Rockwool (I later picked some Rockwool up from Condell). The RW3 was noticeably stiffer and thicker than the Wickes stuff and has held its shape much better in the absorbers I constructed.

Hope this helps

Wickes are expensive - the Rocksilk version can be had for just over £20 plus VAT. You could also buy a pack of 4 RS60 slabs (the proper stuff for bass traps) for 20 quid plus VAT if you go to a proper insulation supplier.

James.

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JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

I contacted wickes who tell me their slabs are indeed rockwool and the density is 40kg/m3. I had a look at Condell too who have RW3 for around £20:

http://www.condell-ltd.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProductID=16767

The problem with most of these places is you need to spend about £100-£200 to qualify for an order and I only only need around £40 worth.

Does anyone know of an online supplier that caters for small orders at a reasonable price?

Also is the width of bass trap of huge importance? Most of the rockwool slabs I've seen are between 45-60cm which seems reasonable.

Edited by Will_m (23/01/12 05:10 PM)

Hi Will,

You’d be better off finding a local building materials supplier like Travis Perkins - I’ve bought a few packs of Rocksil from them with no problems, and they even delivered it free of charge.

However, they have LOADS of branches, so you should be able to find one relatively close to you:

www.travisperkins.co.uk/Branch-Locator


Martin

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YewTreeMagic

Thanks Martin, I've got one about a mile away so I'll give them a ring and see if they have what I'm looking for, if the delivery is free too that'd be great.

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http://www.williammorrismusic.com

It may have helped me get free delivery when I ordered by phone and said I was going to build a recoding studio and wanted to try out a small amount of their absorbent products first

I was lucky that my local branch had already been involved in supplying all the materials for another studio build, so they were probably expecting another large order from me to follow


Martin

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YewTreeMagic

Travis Perkins are a trade business, so they may just direct you towards their retail arm, which just so happens to be Wickes!

You will find somewhere else though in the Manchester area which will sell to the general public at more like trade prices.

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http://soundcloud.com/richie-royale
http://www.mixcrate.com/richieroyale

It's so cheap and easily obtainable I think you'd be daft to use anything else really

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Mac Pro, Logic Pro, lots of software and 17 hard drives!

Tried travis perkins today, they told me they didn't stock rockwool but gave me the number of their sister company who apparently do all manner of insulation. After ringing them it turns out they can order rockwool in but they don't actually stock it so it was going to be a month wait for 4 sheets of rw3.

Decided instead to get everything from condell who do 4 sheets of 100mm rw3 for £20 inc vat and I got the timber frame from them too, will let you know how the build goes!

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http://www.williammorrismusic.com

sounds like a very odd travis perkins piss taking staff member.


while not all branches carry insulation , the larger ones certainly do, and a month wait is total BS.

they can almost always get it within 48 hours from another regional branch.

as for the sister company, they're the distributor that supplies all the TP branches, and are owned by the parent group....

they rarely deal direct, and they do not deal in small quantities.



also note, that rockwool is often used as a generic term, but is in fact a trade name.... alternative products have pretty much identical properties and performance, such as Rocksilk ,




i'm very familiar with TP, i have a trade account there..... precisely because i can get what mineral wool and timber products i need as an acoustic installer, almost anywhere i the UK.. delivered free, ..... at a competitive price.... Encon, for example are sometimes cheaper, but charge for delivery.... by which time it often comes to the same price as TP.


that said there ARE web based companies that can supply at better prices, but the price is directly affected by quantity, and delivery costs are likewise.... if you have a substantial order (over i think £250 worth) then it's free, but below that it costs.....

Just for interest


Wickes is owned by Travis Perkins

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Madman_Greg

Rockwool at Studiospares

... and if you order via the web then delivery is £4 + VAT.

Studiospares price is expensive. I got my Rockwool RW3 in Bristol from Kellaway at £25 per pack for an 8 pack of 1200 x 600. They didn't have it in stock, but it was ordered in and with me in 3 days.

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http://soundcloud.com/richie-royale
http://www.mixcrate.com/richieroyale

I got mine from Encon, there is one in avonmouth of anyone's interested...

The last rockwool I bought was from Sheffield Insulations they have a branch in Manchester.

I seem to remember getting a good price.

Quote Will_m:

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Tried travis perkins today, they told me they didn't stock rockwool but gave me the number of their sister company who apparently do all manner of insulation. After ringing them it turns out they can order rockwool in but they don't actually stock it so it was going to be a month wait for 4 sheets of rw3.

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Travis Perkins' sister company is CCF. While they may not keep Rockwool in stock, they certainly keep the Knauf equivalent (Rocksil) in stock. Rocksil RS60 is what you need.

James.

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JRP Music - Audio Mastering and Restoration.
http://www.jrpmusic.net

Quote James Perrett:

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Travis Perkins' sister company is CCF. While they may not keep Rockwool in stock, they certainly keep the Knauf equivalent (Rocksil) in stock. Rocksil RS60 is what you need.

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Cheers James, turns out Condell were out of stock of the RW3 so I had to go for the Knauf RS60 instead,they assure me it will do the same thing, seemed to be exactly the same spec at any rate.

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http://www.williammorrismusic.com

TP were a bit weird with me when I asked them for Rockwool, I think they may be better with trade customers.

Whenever I have bought Rockwool I have always ended up driving somewhere and getting the slabs in my car. That way you save them the cost of shifting the stuff so there can be room for a bit of a haggle.

So all my stuffs now here, turns out that Condell just source all of their stuff from other suppliers and then have them deliver it. So I had a literal cue outside of my door, a guy from Sheffield insulation with my rocksilk, one from TP with my timber and then one more guy behind them with a small box of screws.

I'm just waiting on the fabric and then I'll be set, the rocksilk seems good, was easy to trim and seems to hold its shape reasonably well.

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http://www.williammorrismusic.com