DIY sand filled turntable feet

I love this whole topic and how it has gone.

A few posts back there was mention of using either cork or vermiculite as an alternative to sand (or any other solid, I might add). From my perspective, this would be the way to go in terms of using an isolator that is composed of a bunch 'o small particles (sand, lead shot, etc.). The solid particles have a very high density: typical silica sand has a density of around 150 to 160 pounds/cubic foot. They are solid, and definitely not compliant. Unless they are loosely packed, they will transmit vibration due to point-to-point contact when packed. Using a less dense material that has some actual compliance could make all the difference.

I think this makes sense based on my recent review of the various isolators in the Music Direct catalog. Assuming that any of these things actually work, and I suspect that some do (although I would not know as I have two kids in college and I cannot afford them. The isolators, I mean. The two kids in college are enough, thank you). There is a common thread amongst most of them: whether they are composed of some material with "give" (Sorbothane, etc.) or a mechanical combination of springs and ball bearings, neither of which is a solid of high density. A few are, but they seem to be mostly composed of carbon fiber, and carbon fiber seems to be the panacea for everything that ails society these days so I am conveniently ignoring those.

Hacky Sacks are sounding better all the time :D

I am satisfied so far with my bags of hydrated bentonite. :yes: They are in my price range. You can pick up a 40 lb. bag of bentonite for about $12 at most well driller or irrigation contractor supply yards.
 
Ok I got all the needed raw material from Home Depot.

The only thing I don't have are the screws. What size do I need - the 5-8mm mentioned in the first post was no help (to me or the staff at HD) - what would be the US sizing?
Thanks!
 
M6... I just built a set two days ago based on this thread - works like a charm... Iv'e not added the sand yet..
 
I was able to get the 5 mm x 12 mm bolts at HD today.
All is well - assembled and on the TT now. Listening to Billie Holiday...
Not sure if this makes a difference or not but the TT sounds nice for sure!
Thanks Jimmy and all the others here for the great suggestion/help!
 
I just finished the project today and the feet work and sound great on my T-40. Thanks for all the input!
 

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Any chance there are photos available of the following: Was there a vinyl or plastic washer somewhere?

The Iso-feet, in order, a sorbothane pad, rubber, sorbothane, sand, rubber, and felt pad
 
Nice thread, I would think the main advantage of large sand feet is that they are mechanically secured to the TT and add mass.

Verses the table floating on a sand-box. The mass is under" the table, not part of it.

I might have to try a version of this myself.
 
I am thinking my Denon DP47 would benefit from such a mod . . . since the plumbers caps are meant to be leakproof, what about an oil/sand slurry? . . . say SAE-50 . . . the main concern would be leakage I suppose, either from the cane tip/cap joint perimeter or from the bolt hole . . . what say you, better minds? . . .
 
Great thread! (Yes, I know it's a bit old.) I just made a set of these for my Harman/Kardon T/60 that had no feet. The only modifications I made to the design was the use of T-nuts and rubber washers on top of the cap to hold the bolt in place, and a 1 1/2" fender washer on the inside of the cap to give the bolt something solid to hold onto. I also used some black rubber adhesive from the auto parts store to hold the top and bottom together.

I think I'm going to make another set for a T/20 I have in the basement, I'll take photos if I do.
 
Hmm, on second thought, using a petroleum product with rubber may not be the best idea . . .

Quite right. You would need to use nitrile in place of rubber in the presence of petroleum products to avoid degradation over the long term. How long that may be...:scratch2:
 
Great job to the OP on coming up with a good solution for new and improved feet. But if you want to see some serious sand-filled feet, check out this TT stand I built! Sand box on 4" sand-filled PVC pipe legs. About 150#. Now this thing really isolates your table! Couldn't help myself :D

Again, you came up with a good solution to your problem, and affordable! Good job!

Tom
 

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I think the OP's sand filled feet are absolutely awesome. A really good option for those rotted out Pioneer PL-518 feet too.

Well done!
 
Re: varieties of damping materials and their usage...

I think the difficult but ideal theoretical damping material for the "sand-box" design would be alternating layers of differing media. It is analogous to baltic plywood vs mdf vs "wood" for dampening character.

The different media: sand, lead, cork, glass, fluid, what-have-you, all have characteristic densities and conductivities which will be reflected in frequencies they inhibit/transmit. Mix the layers/broaden the frequency inhibitions but at the same time increase cost and nuisance factor. I imagine if you happen to have a phys. eng. lab you can access you could measure frequencies across your "damper" and find an ideal... but my layman's guess it would likely be diminishing returns over plain, simple sand.
 
M6... I just built a set two days ago based on this thread - works like a charm... I've not added the sand yet..

When I built mine I never did get around to adding sand. Whilst doing some mods to my turntable, I have my "Jimmy Feet" under my receiver. A big 45lb beastie. I think I'll make another set with sand so I can do a quick comparison. If it makes no diff with the receiver, I still have another turntable that could benefit from a good set of feet :thmbsp:
 
Realistic LAB-400

Hello,
This thread inspired me to try it on my Realistic LAB-400 TT. Instead of sand, I used clay as I had it on hand to increase the mass and dampen my LAB-450 ( but that is a story for another day)>
 

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