# What kind of sand do you use in sand-fillable speaker stands?



## soundboy

I have a pair of 24" Standesign BB-75 speaker stands that I use with my Energy C-1 bookshelf speakers. They are made of steel and fillable with sand. Now, what kind of sand should be used? I went to my local home improvement center and there are several kinds. Who do you you use? Thanks in advance.







 This is a pic of how the stands look; those are not my speakers.


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## Old Pa

In my Sanus component rack, I used graphited #5 steel shot of the type used to reload shotshells (see "reloading supplies" in your yellow pages). #5 shot is coarse enough to eliminate most leakage problems. I used an electric orbital sander with cardboard in place of sandpaper to vibrate the stand to settle the shot fill and fully pack the cavity. Graphited steel shot is fairly dense and serves to further dampen vibration by its motion against itself. Bechrest shooters rest their rifles on sandbags filled with special sand which is finer and denser than construction or landscaping sand. Both of these fill materials are more expensive than common sand, but do the damping job better.

 EDIT: I intentionally avoided lead shot as lead is toxic and I did not want the spaniels (or anyone else) at risk for ingesting leaked lead shot.


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## jefemeister

I use only the finest sand from the pink beaches of Bermuda
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 [edit: add] It turns out you actually could if you wanted to:
http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewIt...product=CS0901


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## Old Pa

Quote:


 _Originally posted by jefemeister _
*I use only the finest sand from the pink beaches of Bermuda
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


* 
 

Let's go get some now! Thirsty work, this collecting sand on Bermuda!


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## john_jcb

I would use the sand that is pure white. You do not want any coloration at all in your system. I have found that the sand that has a tinge of gray lacks the transparency of the pure white variety. You also want to bake it then let it cool for at least 48 hours. Any residual moisture seriously degrades the dampening qualities.


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## hempcamp

[sarcasm]
 I have found that the best sand is chemically treated sand imported from the beaches of the Caspian Sea ($1200 per scoop). You do not want the black sand of Hawaii variety, which is about $100 less, because it detracts from the overall timbre of the sound and takes all of the warmth away. Play sand is the worst and cheapest, for it is known to cause ultrasonic pops that are detected by people with ESP.
 [end sarcasm]

 Seriously, dude, just get some purified, kiln-dried, white, garden-variety sand. Or order a few bags of cheap lead shot from Cabelas.

 --Chris


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## DarkAngel

I will give you little tip if you want to do it the easy way. You can get all kinds of sand at home improvement center, but it comes in plastic bag and it will be damp when you open. Must air dry sand for several days to use for stands etc. plus sand is very fine and can leak through small cracks.

 Go to grocery store and get cheapest 20lb bag of kitty litter for a couple bucks. Will be perfectly dry and sterile and ready for immediate use............also will not leak through cracks.


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## timoteus

I would just get the sterilized, kiln-dried, graded sand that is used for sandblasting. About $5 - $8 for a 100 lb. bag in my area. It comes in #16, #20, #30 etc. grades. The bigger the number, the finer the sand. Get the fine sand and pour into the stands through a funnel and you're done. Sand is 90% self compacting.


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## GlowWorm

Quote:


 _Originally posted by jefemeister _
*I use only the finest sand from the pink beaches of Bermuda
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	


* 
 

Oh yea! I got my sand from a couple of sand bags I snatched off a road sign they were holding down. Thats about as close to a beach as your going to get here in Pittsburgh, my friend.


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## D-EJ915

You might also be able to fill it with iron filings, or lead shot, I dunno, it may be interesting to see if there's a difference (kinda messy test though)...


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## Carbonman

I've built my own welded steel stands for a pair of monitors that I used to own. I became quite anal about what to fill them with, because I welded the columns closed after they were filled. I've also filled the cavities in the bottoms of my current speakers with sand as well.
 Here's my accumulated wisdom/experience with mass loading and damping fillers:
 Don't use lead. It's much more toxic than you think.
 Steel shot works, but is expensive.
 Kitty litter tends to absorb moisture from the air. In a humid climate, you can end up with rust inside the tubes.
 Concrete mix. Even dry, it tends to be corrosive. Not really a good idea. Same sort of issues as kitty litter, too.
 Playground sand works great. Make sure the bag is nice and dry and at room temperature. It's cheap, around $3-5 for 40 lbs. It is dusty though. Use it where you have good ventilation, prefferably outdoors. Remember that the dust is abrasive. carefully vacuum spilled and loose sand/dust up and wipe everything with a damp cloth after filling.
 Quartz (white) sand, like is used to fill ashtrays in upscale hotels. Harder to find, but doesn't have the dust that ordinary sand has.
 Whatever you use, tap the tubes as you fill them and let them sit for a day. Tap them every time you walk by to compact the filler a little more. Top them up and plug fill holes firmly. Taping the plugs in place is generally a good idea.
 Hope this is of some sort of use.

 Graham


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## mkyy

Carbonman, where in vancouver can you find white sand? and how much is it?


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## daycart1

I went to Lowe's and those dirtbags didn't have anything. Over at Home Depot I got some nice, dry, clean sand. No shot though.
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 Not enough hunting types around here to support a shot store....

 The best thing would be to use shot and then pour in fine sand to fill the little gaps between the pellets.


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## soundboy

Thanks to everyone for their ideas, suggestions, and opinions.

 I guess I will have to drop by my local Home Depot or Orchards (they have the actual sand in a plastic container to show what you're buying). Lowe's....there's only one or two around here and I don't want to drive 20 miles for a bag of sand. 

 I don't think I want to deal with shots.

 There's that playground at the end of the block. Hmmmm....


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## Dusty Chalk

Actually, I don't think DarkAngel was kidding about that kitty litter...


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## Orpheus

i got some fancy metal 24" audiophile stands that cost a bunch of money. forgot the name though. anyway, they weigh a lot by themselves. so, i just left them empty, though everyone suggests to fill them. never had any problems, and never had the urge to fill them up. i also have a pair of custom stands that were made for my 300lb urei's... and soundanchor, the manufacturer, recommended i fill them up. sure........ and use a forklift to move them around right?....
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





 whatever.

 ...there was also a thread here like a year ago describing the positive effects of aurios? or daruhma bearing stuff or whatever to be used under the feet of speakers. ...just thought they were really smoking something at the time, considering that would be the opposite of logic and what we're doing here in this thread. i tried to argue with them, but i gave up....


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## AIM9x

use potting soil... what better place to store it than inside a speaker stand? Then when you get tired of hi-fi, you can start a garden.

 But seriously... just fill it with almost anything that has a decent weight. Potting soil might be a little too moist straight out of the bag and may rott your stands out, but some plain old dry dirt or crumbly animal droppings will even work. Just stick whatever you have or can find in there.


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## soundboy

Oh, I heard of the kitty litter alternative to sand. Not being a cat or pet owner, does it smell?


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## Carbonman

Quote:


 _Originally posted by soundboy _
*Oh, I heard of the kitty litter alternative to sand. Not being a cat or pet owner, does it smell? * 
 

Only if it's been previously used. Sorry, couldn't resist.

 Graham


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## Carbonman

Quote:


 _Originally posted by mkyy _
*Carbonman, where in vancouver can you find white sand? and how much is it? * 
 

I think you can find it at the Richmond Home Despot, near Ikea. Give them a call and ask if they have any white quartz sand in stock. Aquarium supply stores will probably have it too.

 Graham


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## Melchior

Regular white clay kitty litter is best if you can find it, it should be pretty easy to find, it also has no smell whatsoever. Most kitty litter does have anti-cat crap odor additives in it that give it a smell I find unpleasant. The stuff also has alot of clay dust, it wont hurt you but leaves a fine white dust over everything, so if you fill the stands with litter do it outside.


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## daycart1

Quote:


 _Originally posted by Melchior _
*Regular white clay kitty litter is best if you can find it,* 
 

 By "best" I guess you mean "cheapest". 
 But unless you get really high quality stuff, it will be dusty. And the high quality stuff isn't very dense. 

 "Best" in the audiophile sense is shot filled in with fine, dustfree sand.


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## PinkFloyd

Use the finest silver sand you can get your hands on. I'm fortunate to live next door to a beach so it's a simple case of a wheelbarrow and shovel to collect the sand.

 Wherever you source your sand it's imperative that you rinse it over and over again with plenty of water to remove all traces of salt from it. Choose a good drying day and arm yourself with a large fine mesh seive, from your pile of sand scoop some into the seive and rinse through thoroughly.... once you are satisfied that all the salt has been rinsed away (you can tell this by dipping your finger in and tasting the sand) spread this rinsed sand out on a patio or pavement and let the sun dry it (won't take too long on a nice day) repeat this process until your pile of salty sand has been converted into salt free dry sand.

 The finer the grain the better as it forms a more compact mass inside the stand. I'm also fortunate to have a company nearby that produces lead shot for shotgun cartridges and I add a few kilos of shot into the mix for greater weight / density. 

 Fill your stands about 90% full with the sand / shot mix (omit the shot if you cant source it) and if your stands loading hole is at the top pour in some car engine oil until it penetrates the sand, this can take a few days to fully saturate the sand but the process can be speeded up if you heat the oil in a pan before you pour it in. The oil does 2 things.... firstly it stops the sand resonating and, secondly, it prevents rust. You'll be AMAZED at how much oil you have to use to complete this process! (EDIT) it does 3 things, in fact, .... it adds serious weight 

 This really works but only add the oil after you've ascertained that the bottom of the stand (cavity) is waterproof... most good quality fillable stands will be.

 Hope this has helped.

 All the best.

 Pinkie.

 EDIT Just looked at those stands of yours..... you ain't gonna get a lot of sand and oil into them! Forget the wheelbarrow and shovel approach...... take an ice cream scoop to the beach and "scoop" 3 carrier bags full up.... that should do the job.


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## PinkFloyd

Quote:


 _Originally posted by Old Pa _
*In my Sanus component rack, I used graphited #5 steel shot of the type used to reload shotshells (see "reloading supplies" in your yellow pages). #5 shot is coarse enough to eliminate most leakage problems. I used an electric orbital sander with cardboard in place of sandpaper to vibrate the stand to settle the shot fill and fully pack the cavity. Graphited steel shot is fairly dense and serves to further dampen vibration by its motion against itself. Bechrest shooters rest their rifles on sandbags filled with special sand which is finer and denser than construction or landscaping sand. Both of these fill materials are more expensive than common sand, but do the damping job better.

 EDIT: I intentionally avoided lead shot as lead is toxic and I did not want the spaniels (or anyone else) at risk for ingesting leaked lead shot. * 
 

You should try the oil infill too Old Pa


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## stuartr

I'm with Pinky on the shot/sand mix. It really made a difference in my system (my stands were heavy, but they were ringing a bit with the music, when I filled them up, the music was not as bright, and the bass improved). 
 Anyway, I used fine lead shot and Silica sand (sandblasting sand). 
 One very very important thing.

 WEAR A MASK!!!

 Even for sandblasting sand, this is not beach sand, the dust will get in your lungs and do very bad things. I just used a traditional mask, but ideally you should use something with its own oxygen. This is even more important if you are using lead, as the dust from the lead shot is still a heavy metal. Lead is one of the most toxic substances on the planet, not far after mercury and the radioactive metals....you don't want to be breathing it in. Also, wash your hands and so forth, don't rub your eyes etc.


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## PinkFloyd

They should survive a "one off" silicone blast without a mask Stuart? As long as it's not a "daily" inhalation they should survive?

 Pinkie 

  Quote:


 _Originally posted by stuartr _
*I'm with Pinky on the shot/sand mix. It really made a difference in my system (my stands were heavy, but they were ringing a bit with the music, when I filled them up, the music was not as bright, and the bass improved). 
 Anyway, I used fine lead shot and Silica sand (sandblasting sand). 
 One very very important thing.

 WEAR A MASK!!!

 Even for sandblasting sand, this is not beach sand, the dust will get in your lungs and do very bad things. I just used a traditional mask, but ideally you should use something with its own oxygen. This is even more important if you are using lead, as the dust from the lead shot is still a heavy metal. Lead is one of the most toxic substances on the planet, not far after mercury and the radioactive metals....you don't want to be breathing it in. Also, wash your hands and so forth, don't rub your eyes etc. *


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## stuartr

Yeah, that's what I thought too. I started off without a mask, and just my fan going. Then I started coughing and sneezing incessantly. I went and bought a disposable mask. My throat still hurt for several days after. You'll survive, but it's more comfortable with a mask.


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## PinkFloyd

Quote:


 _Originally posted by stuartr _
*Yeah, that's what I thought too. I started off without a mask, and just my fan going. Then I started coughing and sneezing incessantly. I went and bought a disposable mask. My throat still hurt for several days after. You'll survive, but it's more comfortable with a mask. * 
 

Was it an acoustically treated mask?


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## Melchior

Heh, yeah, kitty litter isnt something I'd use to fill speaker stands with, it just isnt very dense. But someone asked about the smell, and as far as smell goes untreated white clay is about as oderless as you get.


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## Budgie

As mentioned earlier- kitty litter is designed to suck up moisture, Not really what you want inside a steel container.


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## PinkFloyd

yeh, kitty litter is hygroscopic


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