Noisy dartboard on a shared brick wall

[jrowedc]

Sorry for the double-post, but I should've posted in here to start with. So, I mounted a dartboart inside a wood cabinet on an exposed brick wall using tapcon masonry screws.  It is incredibly firmly mounted.  But it is noisy, I guess from the impact of the dart reverberating through the cabinet.  This is a 100-year-old brick rowhouse with very thick common walls.  And the brick is still extremely hard (required a hammer drill).  But I am worried that my neighbor can hear the darts.  The dartboard has a heavy wood back, with a thick screwhead sticking out.  That screwhead slots tight into a metal bracket inside the wood cabinet.  The metal bracket has two tapcons holding it in place that go through the bracket, through the thin wood back of the cabinet, and 2+ inches into brick. Then there are two more tapcons through the cabinet and a thick rib on the back (and into the brick).

Now... how do I make this thing quieter?  Even if my neighbors can't hear it, it still irritates me.  I want a soft thud when the darts it, not a sharp knock.

Thanks

[Randy S]

Adhere our SSP foam mat to the back of the dart board. As for the transfer through the brick wall, you would need to come up with a better method which eliminated the screws direct path into the wall.
http://shop3.mailordercentral.com/supersoundproofing/prodinfo.asp?number=09-42725-PSA

[jrowedc]

Thanks for the info.  That 1/2" mat is too thick, but 1/4" or 1/8" should work.  Will the 1/8" mat still be effective?

And just so I understand, the mat will reduce the knock from the dart impact (the cabinet resonance), but not the transfer of energy into the wall? So it will at least sound quieter to me?

Thanks

[Randy S]

As long as you adhere the mat to the back of the case try to use as thick as possible. Does your board have the 3 rubber feet that attach to the back of the board? if not use the mat in that location as well.
And yes, this will reduce what you hear but not the transfer through the wall.

[jrowedc]

Sounds like I could use it on the back of the cabinet and the back of the dartboard.  The darboard has three metal leaf-springs on the back that are compressed and push hard into the cabinet. Without them the dartboard would spin easily, and wobble on its post. They might defeat the matting on the back of the dartboard.  Or maybe I could coat them with something...

[Randy S]

Just use it on the back of the case for starters and lets see the results.  I dont think coating those leaf-strings will deliver that much of a difference.

[jrowedc]

Update: Received the 1/2" mat, and applied to every part of the back of the cabinet, and hung it back on the wall.  No improvement.  Still a loud knock from the darts.

Recall that the dartboard has a heavy particle-board back, and is attached to a hard mounting that pierces the cabinet and goes into the brick.  It also has three metal leaf springs that keep it snug against the cabinet.  I removed the leaf springs and covered the particle-board back with the 1/2" mat, and remounted.  The mat is just the right thickness to press firmly against the cabinet.  Voila!  A nice improvement.  Now I get the "thud" I was looking for instead of the loud knock.

Thanks for your help Randy.

--Jeff

[Randy S]

Thats Great! ...this is a good example how material placement is key in any assembly...