Micro Balloons as sound deadening?
03-07-2015, 06:12 PM
#1
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Micro Balloons as sound deadening?
Hey guys. So I recently Herculined my Jeep.. ripped all the carpet out, sanded it etc. Put about 3 coats on the whole thing.. pretty thick. It has smelled like craps for a few weeks now.
Anyways, I am happy with how it does with heat... nothing different then stock but I am not really happy with the sounds/vibrations. I went looking online, found lizard skin and a few other roll on sound deadening materials. They are pricy and I don't really want to put much more in this project so i looked up how they were made. Turns out, for sound control, it is basically just epoxy/paint and this tiny glass spheres called micro balloons. They sell them by the gallon bag for like 10$. I guess people use them in producing RC airplanes and they pour like a liquid.
So I was curious... do you think it would work if I bought some more hecruliner and mixed a bunch of them into it? After it dried, I would do one last coat of Berliner. I get the herc pretty cheap through work and most of the sound deadening stuff says it wont adhear to a Berliner. What do you think?
Anyways, I am happy with how it does with heat... nothing different then stock but I am not really happy with the sounds/vibrations. I went looking online, found lizard skin and a few other roll on sound deadening materials. They are pricy and I don't really want to put much more in this project so i looked up how they were made. Turns out, for sound control, it is basically just epoxy/paint and this tiny glass spheres called micro balloons. They sell them by the gallon bag for like 10$. I guess people use them in producing RC airplanes and they pour like a liquid.
So I was curious... do you think it would work if I bought some more hecruliner and mixed a bunch of them into it? After it dried, I would do one last coat of Berliner. I get the herc pretty cheap through work and most of the sound deadening stuff says it wont adhear to a Berliner. What do you think?
03-07-2015, 06:39 PM
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Engine: Golen 4.6 Stroker, AFE Headers, 62mm TB, 24 LB Injectors, Brown Dog kit, HF Cat, 3" Exhaust
Screw it... I'm gonna try it. Ill post back with results in a few weeks.
03-07-2015, 07:52 PM
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Should work! There are some guys on classic car forums that I found that mix it with paint for good results. Mine is too loud with the 3" exhaust/stroker... Lizardskin is spray on, not durable enough for a top coat and more than 100$ for enough. You can bedline ontop of it but not the other way around. Just bought 100 oz of the balloons (1gallon) for 12$ on eBay.
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03-07-2015, 08:49 PM
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Haha.. Its not THAT bad. It is similar to a humvee. (military ones) If this doesn't work, ill put my subs back in. Lizard Skin has good reviews.. who knows.
Last edited by Ianf406; 03-07-2015 at 09:02 PM.
03-13-2015, 09:28 PM
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So I did it today.. Ill post back with results.. I will add this... I knew Microballons were small/light but no idea how small/light. I poured them in and had to run away from it as it was like flour in the air... (except glass/ceramic)... Didn't want it in my eyes/ lungs. Really weird stuff. Reminds me of liquid nitrogen when on a solid surface. I would highly recommend a respirator when dealing with it. Mixed great with the liner... I have another coat in the am.
03-13-2015, 10:06 PM
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So this is how they look under a microscope (not my picture). Just looks/feels like flour in person
03-14-2015, 07:53 AM
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I subscribe to Don Sambrook's methods for sound deadening (sounddeadenershowdown.com), but I'm interested in hearing how this turns out. Skeptical, but interested.
03-14-2015, 08:12 AM
#14
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For vibrations/noise a 1/4" thick, low density, rubber mat would work well, laid over whatever coating is used.
Microballons are a good start, but those coatings are so dense that vibes and noise will easily transmit through even a thick layer of it.
Microballons are a good start, but those coatings are so dense that vibes and noise will easily transmit through even a thick layer of it.
