To those interested:
I received the Monterey Mills fur samples this week. Among the
samples the ones useful for wind screening would be: Shag, Mongolian
Lamb, Teddy Bear, and Fox. All of these are shown in their online catalog.
http://www.montereymills.com/Catalog.html
Based on textural and visual qualities only, the Shag and the
Mongolian Lamb might offer the most in acoustical transparency and the
least in wind protection. The nap of the Shag (Pile height of 3 5/8";
ounce weight not listed but my best guess is 28 to 30) is somewhat
directional: if you hang it one way the fur lies flat, the opposite
way the fur sticks out. Perhaps this is from the fur being compressed
on the roll: brushing it against the nap with a hairbrush seems to
help. I notice brushing it seems to remove some of its base fuzz.
A directional nap would behave inconsistently depending on the
direction of the wind against it, which could affect the acoustic and
protective properties. Wind blowing with the grain of the nap would
flatten the pile and reduce the acoustical transparency, but wind
against the nap would open direct channels directly to the weave of
the backing thus letting the breeze through.
The Mongolian Lamb (Pile Height of 1"; ounce weight of 25) consists of
a finer and softer fur than the others, the nap is less directional
than the Shag (at least if fluffed up prior to use.) The backing of
the Mongolian Lamb is softer, less stiff, and its stretch has slightly
more elasticity and is a little less unidirectional than all the
others. The colors however are limited: the samples came in Pink
Frost and Natural Frost (white), Black Frost is shown online, and the
remaining color Cashew Frost is listed but not shown.
The Teddy Bear (Pile Height 1 1/16"; ounce weight of 31) is definitely
denser than the Shag, however since the pile nap is less likely to lie
directionally, the acoustical and protective qualities are likely more
consistent than the Shag in variable wind conditions.
I would expect the Fox (Pile height of 3 5/8"; ounce weight of 33) to
offer the most for wind protection, and though it is denser than Shag
thus less acoustically transparent, it does not have the tendency to
lie flat like the Shag so may be more acoustically consistent.
None of the Monterey Mills furs have any noticeable adhesive of
coating on the backing. All of the piles consist of hair strands of
varying lengths and it is difficult to discern the point where the
under story stops and the longer strands begin except in the case of
the Fox (Palomino color) where the base fuzz is slightly darker and is
thickest up to about 3/8" and thins out to about 1".
John Hartog
Portland Oregon
www.rockscallop.org
"Microphones are not ears,
Loudspeakers are not birds,
A listening room is not nature."
Klas Strandberg
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