Pretty new I would say

I've been in to Car audio for years, Although I'm not much of a craftsman I've built my fair share of enclosures. Mainly in MDF. But I've been trying to work a little in fiberglass and Just haven't seemed to get the knack. If only everything was as easy to work with as wood and steel. Anyways. I would like some suggestions as far as tooling and technique. Perhaps I'm just not working with the right materials. I have fiberglass from 48oz to 3.2 oz per yard. And Have been using resin from napa. I just can't seem to get a finish product to look presentable. So any advice as far as product or tools and techinque would be greatly appreciated.

I usually use 1 1/2 oz. mat.  Heavier mats are harder to work with.  I also sometimes use cloth as a first layer when working with a contoured surface.  When using mat, be sure to tear it by hand (with gloves on of course), rather than cutting it.  This gives you rough edges, which makes it easier to blend.  Work your bubbles out by stabbing the "wetted out" glass with a brush ("stippling").  Also lay up 2 layers at a time.  This makes for quicker work, and allows the glass to dry faster.  Don't do more than 2 layers at once, though, because the excess heat from curing can cause warpage.  Good luck.

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My ex once told me I have a perfect face for radio.

light coat of bondo usually helps to get that presentable finished look you are going for, a lot like doing body work on cars.

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Nick Scott

But cars are soo much easier. You can hit it with a hammer LOL Thanks guys I guess experience is the best teacher.

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Life is about linking the past with the present and the old with the new.

yes cars are easier mainly because of the contours that we create doing f/g. I guess it would depend on the box, what your putting it in, and how much space does the speaker need to perform as intended.  for instance:

I did 2 kicker cvr15's in a honda accord and had to use every nook and cranny, so the box was framed using the walls of the trunk and in another case 6 jlw6 12's in a denali I then framed 4 faces of the box using 3/4"mdf when you have something sturdy enough stretch and staple the thin speakerbox carpet (minimal shrinkage) over your frame and resin it down. Now you have a frame, glassing from the inside will help later get that smooth appearance but will still be strong enough and the type of mat used shouldnt matter if you get out the bubbles.

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Nick Scott

It's a pretty simple enclosure about 2.2 cubic foot gross. It is half a cone So the volume wasnt hard to figure out. After the bracing and the displacement of the sub it is about 1.7 cubic feet. I made the baffle the back and the bottom out of .75 mdf. Stretched some polyester over it I still got some wrinkles but I can work the bondo to hide it. I did start out with a pretty heavy mat it's 48oz Probably not my best choice. I've put on 12 layers of it. I shouldn't have done that either. After reading alot of posts. I had plenty of work time left on the resin Because I didn't mix it very hot. So I took some heavy mill plastic I had laying around and secured that around the whole thing sealed it up and used a pump to pull out all the air. It has seemed to set up really well I cant see any noticable air pockets. I cant get it to flex anywhere either. So does anyone think the structural integrity is compromised As far as cracking down the line. Should I add more glass? I have some 70/70 thread 3.2 oz mat that I was going to put down to help smooth out The larger cloth.

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Life is about linking the past with the present and the old with the new.

12 layers of 48oz for a 1.7cu box...hmmm, yea you should be able to stand on without it cracking forget the thumb flex test.

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Nick Scott

Thats good I'm still going to pressure test it. I would hate to blow a seam or something. It's just an l5 kicker. So does anyone know what the peak pressure would be in psi?

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Life is about linking the past with the present and the old with the new.