Wool for sound treatment - seriously

[Doc H]

So.. in the build out of my studio in my last home in Austin, I did a lot of research on sustainable and eco-friendly sound treatment and stumbled upon wool. Yes that stuff that suits, slacks, sweaters and coats are made from.

Inch for inch of thickness it has better performance than rock wool or fiberglass in NRC. So I built some acoustic panels using wool as the absorption medium. Works great and is lighter than the aforementioned standbys. Better in performance than hemp, which was the other alternative I was lookin at. And far less heavier than rock wool or Fiberglass.

The other upsides are the cost, it’s relatively low when compared to fiberglass (703) or rock wool. The other is handling, as there is no need for gloves or filter masks. If anything the lanolin in the fibers help dry hands.

There is a downside though. It takes about 2 years to get that sheep smell to dissipate. While it’s a mild odor it sure is noticeable.

[craigb]

[AndyB01]

2 hours ago, Doc H said:

There is a downside though. It takes about 2 years to get that sheep smell to dissipate. While it’s a mild odor it sure is noticeable.

I guess you need to be careful about which end of the fleece you use ???

Andy

[treesha]

What thickness did you use and who sells this type of wool? Thanks

[SteveStrummerUK]

3 hours ago, Doc H said:

... wool. Yes that stuff that suits, slacks, sweaters and coats are made from.

And sheep ?

[Sheens]

also lambs 

[Byron Dickens]

So, is it loose wool or cloth?

[craigb]

I hear it's only useful for B-A-A chord progressions... ?

[Sheens]

Doc can we expect a new version ?

 

[Doc H]

8 hours ago, treesha said:

What thickness did you use and who sells this type of wool? Thanks

2.5 inch (6.1 cm) thickness. It’s loose wool from Havelock Wool

 

https://havelockwool.com

5 hours ago, bdickens said:

So, is it loose wool or cloth?

loose  

 

[InstrEd]

1 hour ago, craigb said:

I hear it's only useful for B-A-A chord progressions... ?

You really needed to get your wool coat on with that one! ?

[Doc H]

54 minutes ago, Sheens said:

Doc can we expect a new version ?

 

No but I can sing Mutton On My Mind. 

[Doc H]

1 minute ago, InstrEd said:

You really needed to get your wool coat on with that one! ?

Not! Way to warm in Southeast Texas. 

[Doc H]

8 hours ago, SteveStrummerUK said:

And sheep ?

 

6 hours ago, Sheens said:

also lambs 

Gents, not to be sheepish about it but… I prefer me lamb chops and mutton steaks without the fur on it. Thank you and Good day! Or Good night if it’s after tea.

[InstrEd]

9 minutes ago, Doc H said:

Not! Way to warm in Southeast Texas. 

But the marlboro man jacket was always worn so sorry be a man and suk it up. ?

[paulo]

19 hours ago, Doc H said:

It takes about 2 years to get that sheep smell to dissipate

I'm kind of used to it now as there seems to be quite a strong whiff of sheep in most places these days. I've noticed that many people have taken to wearing cloth masks to try and avoid smelling it, but haven't yet figured out why the smell of sheep seems to follow them everywhere.

 

[RobertWS]

2 hours ago, paulo said:

I'm kind of used to it now as there seems to be quite a strong whiff of sheep in most places these days. I've noticed that many people have taken to wearing cloth masks to try and avoid smelling it, but haven't yet figured out why the smell of sheep seems to follow them everywhere.

 

It's a sheepdemic!

[John Nelson]

Not to be a downer, but any material you use for acoustic treatment should be fire retardent.

[Zo]

23 hours ago, Doc H said:

So.. in the build out of my studio in my last home in Austin, I did a lot of research on sustainable and eco-friendly sound treatment and stumbled upon wool. Yes that stuff that suits, slacks, sweaters and coats are made from.

Inch for inch of thickness it has better performance than rock wool or fiberglass in NRC. So I built some acoustic panels using wool as the absorption medium. Works great and is lighter than the aforementioned standbys. Better in performance than hemp, which was the other alternative I was lookin at. And far less heavier than rock wool or Fiberglass.

The other upsides are the cost, it’s relatively low when compared to fiberglass (703) or rock wool. The other is handling, as there is no need for gloves or filter masks. If anything the lanolin in the fibers help dry hands.

There is a downside though. It takes about 2 years to get that sheep smell to dissipate. While it’s a mild odor it sure is noticeable.

You can wash it , treat it (nuisible and fire)  and play with density , i used to have a pillow made with this , since my mum change it to ergo stuff back in the dayz , i had trouble to sleep well until now in fact  ..

[mettelus]

6 hours ago, John Nelson said:

Not to be a downer, but any material you use for acoustic treatment should be fire retardent.

I had this first reaction as well, but wool is hydroscopic, so went to their site.

https://support.woolinsulation.com/knowledge/is-havelock-wool-fire-resistant#:~:text=Is Havelock Wool fire resistant%3F The answer is,is fire resistant. Read below for more information.

One video is no longer linked from that article, but the last video is interesting (the 3-5 minute portion is impressive). Took 2 minutes to intentionally start it, then they put it out at 7 minutes because it got boring and inspected the damage. [The second half of that video is the same test on synthetic fibers and quite astonishing.]

 

Edited December 11, 2021 by mettelus