I just saw this thread! I recently built my own pump, like xaxxat mentioned. Notice it says "pump" and not "cylinder." (I built my own cylinder, too, but that’s another story.) Yes there is a way to do it, spankman. It isn’t totally silent, but there’s just no way to avoid that with an electric pump probably. My little muffler makes it much quieter, but it still doesn’t take care of everything, so I might end up using some pillows or whatever to muffle it further if it ever becomes important. Right now it is quiet enough that if I close my windows, nobody is going to hear it walking by my apartment, the guy in the apartment above me isn’t going to hear it, so that’s good enough really. If I left the widows open, then somebody walking by would hear funny little noises coming from my apartment, no doubt. Not a LOUD noise, but they would hear it a little if it was quiet outside and they were paying attention, so all I have to do is remember to shut the windows first. If they were busy talking to a friend as they were walking by, they might not even notice it. Maybe that gives a better idea of the noise level. My pump has totally adjustable pulsation cycles and it’s really neat! I’ve been using it for a little over three weeks now, and so far, no problems or breakdowns to report, whatsoever.
The details are all posted in a thread in the pumper’s forum. This is one of those threads that kind of "started out one way" and "ended up another" (there’s no way to change the title of the thread) but anyway here it is, read through it and maybe you can get some ideas.
A Homemade Pump. Yes a Pump, not a cylinder.
All you need to do really, is baffle the noise somehow, like xaxxat said. Put some blankets on top of it. Put a box over it or maybe put it in the corner of the room and place some pillows around it. Leave a little room so it can ventilate or "breathe" fresh air a little. The only thing to worry about is maybe heat… if your pump has any areas that tend to get HOT, then you certainly don’t want blankets to be touching that part and start melting or start a fire… maybe you could get some wire mesh or something and "form it" around any hotspots, to hold the blankets an inch or two away from the heat. Good luck!
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