Fiberglassing Advice

[blockrocker]

3 coats of paint and a final test fit.


Voila! blockrockers first set of self built pods. I'm very pleased overall and learned a ton throughout the whole process. It was definitely a labor of love. I'm look forward to more.

[blockrocker]

Thing I wish I knew then and seems obvious now are plentiful. My milkshake was a near disaster, as I made it too runny and didn't add quite enough resin hardener. It eventually cured but but was like trying to keep tomato soup on a wall. I also forgot to cover my anchoring holes a poured a shit ton of goo all over my work top. Awesome stuff.

I used mdf for my frame and floor and never will again. Plywood or plastics all the way. My inserts are eating up the mdf and already showing wear.

Most of the shaping can be done with the body filler but it is very heavy. My little pods are absolute tanks and they are not terribly thick. Just food for thought. One note about shaping the frames, is to avoid sharp corners. Its tough the get the fleece to stretch properly without taking a weird shape or wanting to crease/sag. Again, keep a soft shape with the fleecing and sharpen it up with body filler.

Ultimately, this is a fun and very doable project for any DIYer, but it gave me a ton of respect for people who do this professionally. It is labor intensive and has some trial and error to it - even when well prepared.

Finally, be prepared for each step. Rubber gloves, disposable cups, stir sticks, brushes etc. Have too many instead of not enough. Keep in mind that it is a step by step process. It can be done in layers and doesn't need to be perfect on the first coat or the second or third. Keep working it and it will get there.

[dumdum]

Thing I wish I knew then and seems obvious now are plentiful. My milkshake was a near disaster, as I made it too runny and didn't add quite enough resin hardener. It eventually cured but but was like trying to keep tomato soup on a wall. I also forgot to cover my anchoring holes a poured a shit ton of goo all over my work top. Awesome stuff.

I used mdf for my frame and floor and never will again. Plywood or plastics all the way. My inserts are eating up the mdf and already showing wear.

Most of the shaping can be done with the body filler but it is very heavy. My little pods are absolute tanks and they are not terribly thick. Just food for thought. One note about shaping the frames, is to avoid sharp corners. Its tough the get the fleece to stretch properly without taking a weird shape or wanting to crease/sag. Again, keep a soft shape with the fleecing and sharpen it up with body filler.

Ultimately, this is a fun and very doable project for any DIYer, but it gave me a ton of respect for people who do this professionally. It is labor intensive and has some trial and error to it - even when well prepared.

Finally, be prepared for each step. Rubber gloves, disposable cups, stir sticks, brushes etc. Have too many instead of not enough. Keep in mind that it is a step by step process. It can be done in layers and doesn't need to be perfect on the first coat or the second or third. Keep working it and it will get there.

you live and learn buddy! I’ll do you a video next time I’m doing some (could be a while mind due to lockdown and not going anywhere near the workshop... it’s my mates business so I don’t need to be there no matter how much I’d love to be spending time doing my boot build or sub box... dash sub sounds good so far, redesigned already with a view to altering it some

once you’ve made a few sets the milk shake gets to be better, if I use 250ml of resin I then use roughly 1/3 in filler (think a ball about the size of a golf ball) and if it’s not going off fast enough add a little heat for 30 seconds, it’s faster in summer so a little heat helps it go, then keep the pod moving and roll it round as it goes (I poured it everywhere doing my dash and found a hole the glue hadn’t quite bridged lol... we use body shop style plastic sheeting on the bench or floor depending how big the item is)

as for saggy bits, you can use chopsticks or dowel to bridge areas and stop it sagging into areas with big spans, I am also a fan of using wire mesh rather than fleece, you can ca glue it into place and carefully apply filler so it goes on even, wraps just onto the mesh and use a pallet the knife to smooth it on the inside if required

i have also ca glued cardboard into shapes approx 1/4” under the level I need and then fibrefilled over the lot, it’s sometimes easier than mesh if it’s a bigger flat area, it’s surprisingly robust when ca glued on four sides and defo glued better than metal mesh

[Holmz]

Maybe use an epoxy next and compare the two?

[Smitty]

.....

Ultimately, this is a fun and very doable project for any DIYer, but it gave me a ton of respect for people who do this professionally. It is labor intensive and has some trial and error to it - even when well prepared.

.....

This.

Stepping back into this hobby, I'm doing a lot of new things thanks to the people here. I'm fabbing up my first set of sail panel tweeter pods. It's not going well and I haven't even used fiberglass yet. I also have mad respect and appreciate the beautiful projects more than before.

I also want to thank you for this thread as well as all of those who contributed. I will be using fiberglass for my sub build and appreciate the information.

[blockrocker]

I'm in the same boat Smitty. Getting back into the hobby after years away, as well. Without the sharing of knowledge on this forum and some great youtube videos, I would never be able to advance my installation. It would be the same jumble-fuck installs I did as a teenager. I've always been willing to learn something new and am not afraid to try, but without instruction and a little positive reinforcement, I'm dead in the water. That is the one place the car audio community has improved as a whole, since I was young - teaching and helping others. I was fortunate to have a couple guys show me the ropes as a teen, but thats been about it, until I found this place.

I have reignited my passion for car audio and the fabrication part is what I want to do the most. Now, for the first time in a long time, I feel like I am actually getting better at this hobby.

Keep putting forth the effort and I know your sail panels will come out great. Also know that my pods have lots of flaws, but I was careful to capture there good side.

[mumbles]

I'll just say this... for being your first attempt at fiber-glassing, you did an outstanding job!