mic body materials

ive seen a few people use copper, and Neumann uses a nickel alloy on all their mics, correct?

so what materials should i stay away from when using on the body, and internal parts.

also, does does the capsule screen have to be any specific materials?

thanks!

t

Copper and Brass usually are painted, or have a plated/anodized finish. Nickel plating is the most common, and quite durable.

Painting is the easiest.

Ise a denser metal is you can. Aluminum, for instance, may have a tendency to ring id the design is not careful.

Stay away from kryptonite. I hear it;s bad for you. Good luck!

Shane

can i use Stainless steel for the microphone body ?

You can use any metal you want - it all comes down to how it is to work on. Stainless steel, e.g., is VERY tough to cut..

Jakob E.

I'd always thought a galvanized fence post would look pretty cool. :green: I had also given thought to using a piece of bamboo if I could line it with RF shielding somehow.

Really, the possibilities are limitless.

[quote author="gyraf"]You can use any metal you want - it all comes down to how it is to work on. Stainless steel, e.g., is VERY tough to cut..

Jakob E.[/quote]

thanks a lot Jakob, can you give me a nice material to work to ??

thanks a lot

http://www.davisound.com/1950.html

I'll bet I build something like that. I still like the bamboo idea, too. I'll see what I can toss together once I'm gainfully employed again.

Bamboo? Isn?t that what they used for mic bodies on Gilligan?s Island?

[quote author="Gabriel Sousa"]

thanks a lot Jakob, can you give me a nice material to work to ??

thanks a lot[/quote]

I'm not Jakob, but Brass is nice for cutting, copper is tougher, I never tried Aluminium.

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale....

This is how Thom Felicia would design a mic body...

Personally, I prefer brass for microphones, as it's stable, easy to work on, and relatively easy to solder if needed...

Consol:

If'n you're really interested in bamboo I'd be glad to part with a nice piece. I'm in possession of a pile of it that was salvaged by an industry buddy from the Gilligan's Island set.

I would simply line the inside with wire mesh, much like the protective layer in front of the condenser element.

Oh, now wouldn't that be a great piece of work. :green:

"One pair of Gilligan's Island G7 microphones, built in bamboo from the actual set of the show. Do I hear a starting bid?" :green:

I would be game if I were in an actual position to build such a mic right away (ie, if I had capsules, all the electronics, etc.). On the other hand, if you've been really, really wanting to part with this pile for quite some time, I'd be willing to take a stalk off of your hands. :wink:

Would anyone else like to take up this challenge?

Lining the inside with brass screening would probably be the best way to build such a beast. I can already see in my head how one might do it...

Stupid me forgot to mention... I already have a supply of bamboo I plan to use for making some didjeridoos, so if I really want to do this, I can already. I was merely commenting that the Gilligan's Island connection could be a lot of fun.

For microphone bodys I tend to like a High Q body. What i mean is something that rings when tapped. This sounds alittle crazy at first but think about this. We don't want it to weight to much.

Take a wine glass and tap it it rings like crazy. touch the lip and tap it you get a well damped thunk.

Take a plastic glass,cup etc and tap it you get a wide low Q noise if you try to damp it by touching it it sounds the same.

If you find a materal that can damp the ring of a high Q materal you can have a very dead body.

If you look at the fence post microphone the dirty white materal is the foam used to seal outlets in houses from drafts. It is used to damp the guts and body of the microphone.

The 800type has a plastic lining that "holds" the insides tight for damping.

Tap stuff and use you hand to feel nodes. This is how I damped a sealed cab 18" bass speaker cab with glue wood blocks and screws you can use a 1,500 amp on it and it behaves itself.

I've more or less standardized on 1" copper water pipe, for a few odd reasons:

1. It's easy to get - I go to my hardware store and they cut me off a chunk.
2. It's easy enough to cut with a Dremel cutting wheel.
3. It's actually something like 1-1/8" OD, and with a short piece of 3/4" non-metallic electrical conduit as a spacer a Switchcraft B3M connector fits perfectly in the end.
4. Polished up and clear-coated it looks really nice.

One of my ribbon mics (in META) I built completely from cooper stuff from plumbing supply store.

I like using shock mounts, which "grab" the body of the mic, as they provide some good additional damping.

I have two hardware stores near by and they think I am a crazy girl asking for 1' copper or brass.
what do girls know anyway?

I would love to pick out the mic body by hand.

what is the name of your hardware store?
and what did you ask for?
ace and truevalue here

I might have to order from the drink another beer Bar supply store.

patina