Starting Fiberglass sub box!

**Cheekz185** · 10-02-2006, 12:31 AM

Two qucik questions...

What is the blue material called in this photo? And where can you get it?

And last...

How do you get the fiberglass to look so SMOOTH like this?:

**Shadow** · 10-02-2006, 10:18 AM

That's fleece.
Lots of sanding makes things smooth.

**MatrixPC** · 10-02-2006, 10:44 AM

If I am to build another box, I'll definitely go with cloth instead of matt. It's a pain in the a$$ to work with matt.
Nubb, thanks for sharing. I actually wrap the top around the back to seal the 2 parts. Instead of brusing like you did, I just use a rotor zip and sand it down a little. Turn out fine. Also, I pour some resin down the edge from the inside since I have some left over I don't know what to do with it.

.

**Nubs26** · 10-03-2006, 03:32 AM

Cheekz185
As stated above the fabric used for that stage is just fleece. I used an old sheet for mine. I would have shown the pic but it was a horrible flower pattern my GF gave me.... Just use a paint brush to apply resin and soak the fleece. Once dry it will become a hard enough base to start laying FG.

To get mine smooth it just took a lot of sanding and prep work. I used smaller pieces during the build for strength but for the last layer I precut the pieces as big as possible. Just watch carefully for air bubbles! I think doing this helped keep all the seams really smooth by using one large piece over the main areas. After you lay down your last layer of FG go back over it with a coat of resin. Once dry you will already have a fairly smooth surface to begin. Go over the front with a rough sanding to prep the box and then start applying body filler to any low spots. Just keep throwing on small coats of body filler to any low spots until your happy

I would suggest using FG cloth for the front if you choose to paint. The FG matt may work better for the rest of the box since it's slightly thicker but I'm not sure. After finishing each new layer of FG I found my gloves were really sticky and covered in resin, I can only imagine what that would be like dealing with all those mini strands found in FG matt.

Also try to use a sanding block as much as possible. Sanding with your fingers will be uneven and can turn out wavy. I would highly recommend pre-drilling the holes for your sub before final paint. My drill slipped during my first run and made a 2" gash forcing me to repaint. Unfortunately the detail work comes at the end of an already long project. I tend to start rushing to finish at the end and mistakes happen. Live and learn I guess. Just take your time and have fun with it!

P.S pcmofo, I think your box turned out great! Your pics really helped during my build and convinced me to give it a try. Thanks!

**Naamanf** · 10-03-2006, 08:32 AM

Couple hints to speed things up. Lay the fiberglass on the inside. That way the outside stays smooth. Also if you have access to a airgun, use a high build primer to fill everything in.

**Cheekz185** · 10-03-2006, 09:57 AM

Originally Posted by Nubs26

Cheekz185
As stated above the fabric used for that stage is just fleece. I used an old sheet for mine. I would have shown the pic but it was a horrible flower pattern my GF gave me.... Just use a paint brush to apply resin and soak the fleece. Once dry it will become a hard enough base to start laying FG.

To get mine smooth it just took a lot of sanding and prep work. I used smaller pieces during the build for strength but for the last layer I precut the pieces as big as possible. Just watch carefully for air bubbles! I think doing this helped keep all the seams really smooth by using one large piece over the main areas. After you lay down your last layer of FG go back over it with a coat of resin. Once dry you will already have a fairly smooth surface to begin. Go over the front with a rough sanding to prep the box and then start applying body filler to any low spots. Just keep throwing on small coats of body filler to any low spots until your happy

I would suggest using FG cloth for the front if you choose to paint. The FG matt may work better for the rest of the box since it's slightly thicker but I'm not sure. After finishing each new layer of FG I found my gloves were really sticky and covered in resin, I can only imagine what that would be like dealing with all those mini strands found in FG matt.

Also try to use a sanding block as much as possible. Sanding with your fingers will be uneven and can turn out wavy. I would highly recommend pre-drilling the holes for your sub before final paint. My drill slipped during my first run and made a 2" gash forcing me to repaint. Unfortunately the detail work comes at the end of an already long project. I tend to start rushing to finish at the end and mistakes happen. Live and learn I guess. Just take your time and have fun with it!

P.S pcmofo, I think your box turned out great! Your pics really helped during my build and convinced me to give it a try. Thanks!

Hey thanks for the tips! I am really debating if I should do one! I want to make a fiberglass box for my PCcase....dont know how hard that would be....

**FC3S** · 10-03-2006, 11:44 AM

Originally Posted by Cheekz185

Hey thanks for the tips! I am really debating if I should do one! I want to make a fiberglass box for my PCcase....dont know how hard that would be....

shouldnt be that hard, just need a way to make flat sheets of fibreglass, MIGHT need some reinforcing, as i've heard fibreglass isnt that strong in flat areas..

but other than that, shouldnt be so hard, i'm planning on a fibreglass case as well, so that i can make it fit perfectly into my car, plan all air ducting perfectly, things like that

**GoHybrid** · 10-03-2006, 12:01 PM

fiberglass pc case would rock. i'd start with a sheet of MDF to mount the motherboard to and make little tiny mdf speaker rings for the fans and stretch fleece over that. the trouble is that computers really need flat surfaces to mount things to, but you could get creative with the lid for sure.

If you were hell-bent on making a flat sheet of fiberglass, then i would recommend using chopped mat (nice and thick), plenty of layers (maybe 10-12) , and then set up like this: sheet of MDF just larger than the panel you want to make, a sheet of mylar larger than the MDF, the fiberglass/resin, another sheet of mylar the same size as the first. At this point, take a squeegee and run it over the mylar and work out all the air bubbles. The laminate should turn very clear when you do this. Lastly another sheet of MDF the same size as the first then clamp it all together really tight. You should see resin squeezing out of the laminate.

This gives you a more ideal resin:glass ratio, maintains surface uniformity, and a much stronger piece of material.

**FC3S** · 10-03-2006, 05:02 PM

Originally Posted by GoHybrid

fiberglass pc case would rock. i'd start with a sheet of MDF to mount the motherboard to and make little tiny mdf speaker rings for the fans and stretch fleece over that. the trouble is that computers really need flat surfaces to mount things to, but you could get creative with the lid for sure.

If you were hell-bent on making a flat sheet of fiberglass, then i would recommend using chopped mat (nice and thick), plenty of layers (maybe 10-12) , and then set up like this: sheet of MDF just larger than the panel you want to make, a sheet of mylar larger than the MDF, the fiberglass/resin, another sheet of mylar the same size as the first. At this point, take a squeegee and run it over the mylar and work out all the air bubbles. The laminate should turn very clear when you do this. Lastly another sheet of MDF the same size as the first then clamp it all together really tight. You should see resin squeezing out of the laminate.

This gives you a more ideal resin:glass ratio, maintains surface uniformity, and a much stronger piece of material.

thats a good idea, i'll have to steal these ideas..

lol, for the case i want/need to have, theres no real solution that i can buy, plus i wanna mold things into it, hell, i might even mould a 17" monitor right into the case.., lol

but mostly, i need a case thats no more than about 3-4" high (i know some HTPC cases are that high, but they wont work with the video card/processor i want..)

**baum** · 10-04-2006, 12:53 PM

If I can put my 2 cents in. another thing that works easy is if you can lay your fleece down then for the other layers lay it on the inside so then it will take less sanding.