Looking for Ribbon foil

SQFan · 9th June 2006, 10:41 AM

Hi all, I am searching for some foil for a ribbon project. The foil should be in the region of 15microns. At present, we have used 8micron foil, but need something much stronger. This is for a special ribbon driver which a friend is busy developing. As soon as I know more, i will let you guys know. Any correspondence regarding where i can get the 15micron foil can be sent via e-mail to me : nass@mweb.co.za

Thanks for your assistance.

LineSource · 9th June 2006, 02:24 PM

Household aluminum foil sold at the supermarket typically comes in 15-25 micron thickness. 15u = 0.0006" 20u = 0.0008"

Cheap household aluminum foils imported from China might be a source of 15u ribbon material. Worth a trip to the market.

SQFan · 18th June 2006, 01:39 PM

Hi Linesource, thanks for the suggestion but we have tried normal household foil and it is not delivering the results that we require. It sounds too "tin-like" which in turn creates an effect as if one has a standard speaker mounted into a tin can. I will still look around an try other brands of household foil (there are probably about ten brands available), it could also be that the foil we tried is of a low quality therefore the thickness is also less than that of a decent quality foil.

LineSource · 18th June 2006, 06:02 PM

SQfan,

You can treat the aluminum foil several different ways. This can affect how the material sounds and how well it holds a fold. Might be worth some experimenting.

1) work harden: crinkle up and then smooth out

2) heat soften: heat up over 575F and cool slowly

3) heat harden: heat up to over 575F and put in cold water

You can also glue thin AL foil onto mylar or kapton, or cut open a film/foil capacitor to get very thin aluminum sputtered onto mylar.

SQFan · 20th June 2006, 06:44 AM

Hi LineSource, thanks for the info. It is quite interesting to know that the foil can be treated. We will attempt the "heat harden" method and will let you know what the outcome is.

SQFan · 14th July 2006, 07:43 AM

Hi Guys,

My colleague has managed to locate some foil from a manufacturer/producer in SA. From the info he gave me, i reckon that the foil is not annealed. He has in the meantime done some tests with the new foil and it seems to be working at a satisfactory level.

Regards,

SQFan

9th June 2006, 10:41 AM	#1
SQFan diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Gauteng	Looking for Ribbon foil Hi all, I am searching for some foil for a ribbon project. The foil should be in the region of 15microns. At present, we have used 8micron foil, but need something much stronger. This is for a special ribbon driver which a friend is busy developing. As soon as I know more, i will let you guys know. Any correspondence regarding where i can get the 15micron foil can be sent via e-mail to me : nass@mweb.co.za Thanks for your assistance.

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9th June 2006, 02:24 PM	#2
LineSource diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: SiliconValley	Household aluminum foil sold at the supermarket typically comes in 15-25 micron thickness. 15u = 0.0006" 20u = 0.0008" Cheap household aluminum foils imported from China might be a source of 15u ribbon material. Worth a trip to the market.

18th June 2006, 01:39 PM	#3
SQFan diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Gauteng	Hi Linesource, thanks for the suggestion but we have tried normal household foil and it is not delivering the results that we require. It sounds too "tin-like" which in turn creates an effect as if one has a standard speaker mounted into a tin can. I will still look around an try other brands of household foil (there are probably about ten brands available), it could also be that the foil we tried is of a low quality therefore the thickness is also less than that of a decent quality foil.

18th June 2006, 06:02 PM	#4
LineSource diyAudio Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: SiliconValley	SQfan, You can treat the aluminum foil several different ways. This can affect how the material sounds and how well it holds a fold. Might be worth some experimenting. 1) work harden: crinkle up and then smooth out 2) heat soften: heat up over 575F and cool slowly 3) heat harden: heat up to over 575F and put in cold water You can also glue thin AL foil onto mylar or kapton, or cut open a film/foil capacitor to get very thin aluminum sputtered onto mylar.

20th June 2006, 06:44 AM	#5
SQFan diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Gauteng	Hi LineSource, thanks for the info. It is quite interesting to know that the foil can be treated. We will attempt the "heat harden" method and will let you know what the outcome is.

14th July 2006, 07:43 AM	#6
SQFan diyAudio Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Gauteng	Hi Guys, My colleague has managed to locate some foil from a manufacturer/producer in SA. From the info he gave me, i reckon that the foil is not annealed. He has in the meantime done some tests with the new foil and it seems to be working at a satisfactory level. Regards, SQFan

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