What resources to look at for building a quiet generator compartment?

[richard5933]

Some of the examples I've seen (like mine and others) used some type of foil-backed foam over the lead, and then a layer of expanded metal mesh on the interior of that. All of it was held together with screws and fender washers.

There must be different types of contact cement, as the stuff on mine is still holding after 46 years. The foam? It didn't do as well in some places, but the contact cement is still tough to get off.

[chessie4905]

A pallet of plywood or 10 sheets of drywall should apply enough even pressure.

[freds]

A pallet of plywoor or 10 sheets of drywall.

But hey you wouldn't have room for the generator after that!!!

[belfert]

I am going to build a cardboard mockup of the enclosure I want to build to be sure everything will fit before committing real money to building an enclosure.

[bobofthenorth]

What glue would you use to laminate plywood and lead sheet?

I'm a big fan of West System so that's what I'd use. I'm not sure how well the epoxy would bond to the lead but if that turned out to be a problem you could drill a few small holes in the lead so that the plywood could bond through to itself. West is pretty enthusiastic about unconventional uses for their product so they'd likely answer a question about bonding to lead.

[dtcerrato]

I'd use Weldwood original contact cement.

[belfert]

My concern with Weldwood contact cement is it is good to only 180 degrees once placed into service.  Is this just not something I would need to worry about?  Additionally, I have some concerns about how much the lead sheet will cost.  A local place has 2.5 pound lead sheeting in a four foot by 20 foot roll for $585, but I think I can get it elsewhere for less cost.

[dtcerrato]

Imo don't see a generator enclosure ever getting near that hot. We swear by it. But you gotta feel good about what your doing for sure...

[buswarrior]

The cavity beyond the radiator, for our purposes, can be considered capable of being as hot as the coolant in the gen...

so a 180 degree limitation out in that space might be a problem.

Inside the gen enclosure, hopefully the air circulation you're building will keep that a non-event.

Happy coaching!
Buswarrior

[belfert]

It sounds like contact cement will be fine for the enclosure of the head and engine given that there should be plenty of air to remove heat.

What type of places sell lead sheet without having to ship it?  Roofing supply places?

[modernbeat]

...What type of places sell lead sheet without having to ship it?  Roofing supply places?

Professional plumbing supply (not Home Depot). They use it in shower pans.

[richard5933]

...What type of places sell lead sheet without having to ship it?  Roofing supply places?

You can also try local roofing suppliers. Around here they still use it for some types of flashing which needs to be shaped to fit.

[chessie4905]

Don't forget heat soak when generator is shut down . I wouldnt trust that. Find a higher temp  rated  adhesive.

[belfert]

I suppose I can use a high temp epoxy.  (Normal epoxy is worse than contact cement for temperature.)  The issue there is clamping the pieces until the epoxy sets.  Contact cement is so much easier.  The only high temp contact cement I can find doesn't seem to be much better than regular contact cement and is designed for spraying.

I am wondering if I would be fine without the lead?  My previous generator just had an aluminum enclosure with some sort of glued in foam lining.

[chessie4905]

Lead will help minimize low frequency noise. Hush mat or other options are used in vehicles to reduce road noise for sound systems. Check that out. How about Gorilla glue. That stuff is impressive.
Look up Hush mat vs. Dynomat.