will this make any difference? 703 alternative

im on http://www.customaudiodesigns.co.uk/sou ... ng/amw.htm and they say Owen Corning 703 Rigid Fibreglass:- We can supply a product with the same specification as Owens Corning 703 rigid fibreglass which is widely used in the States. The only difference being that our product has a foil facing applied to one side. Call our technical department for further infromation and costings. If you are not worried about the product being rigid fibreglass and are happy for the same specification but in a mineral fibre version then we can supply a comparable product without the foil facing which works out cheaper. I'll be using these to make owens basstraps and wall hanger panels. Will the sliver foil on one side make much difference?. Trying to go for the cheapest but most effective option if i can save abit of money. Thanx

It would be best to NOT have foil on one side.

You definitely don't want foil on one side. The foil will reflect high frequencies. Let me put it to you this way. Even the fabric you use to cover the fiberglass needs to THIN. Do the "breath test" on it. If you can breath easily through the fabric, then it's good to use to cover the fiberglass. If you have to breath hard, it's not thin enough. Can you breath through foil?

Well thats cleared that one up then. Thanx :wink:

If you ONLY need bass trapping, the foil facing can be placed toward your space when those batts are used across corners (corner trap type) - also, if you're placing batts at first reflection points and NOT spacing them away from the wall for better low mid absorption, the foil side can be placed TOWARD the wall with no noticeable effect. Third, if you absolutely cannot FIND another source it may be possible to "peel" the panels - depending on the adhesion method of the foil, it may come off without too much effort. This should be done if you want corner full-range absorbers. HTH... Steve

Speaking about foil backing, I have found a source for OC 703 & 705 - FSK. Does anybody know the difference between FRK and FSK? The sales person said FRK & FSK are essentially the same but didn't elaborate much further. Has anyone here removed the foil backing from either type? If so, any tips/do's&don'ts etc...?

They are basically the same thing. To remove the foil facing, a wide putty knife works well. I've seen some people make slits in the facing so they are only working with one knife width. On another note, you should really see if you can find unfaced material to start with just from a cost perspective. The FRK/FSK faced material is considerably more expensive. Why buy something that you're just going to tear off and throw away?