Print Page | Close Window

Opinions, Core mat

Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Fiberglass, Fabrication, and Interiors
Forum Discription: Fiberglass Kick Panels, Subwoofer Enclosures, Plexiglas, Fabrics, Materials, Finishes, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=87269
Printed Date: March 29, 2024 at 2:23 AM


Topic: Opinions, Core mat

Posted By: punkbastard
Subject: Opinions, Core mat
Date Posted: December 15, 2006 at 10:32 PM

So I used a material called core mat today.  I have known about it for quite some time and was reminded about it the other day at my local composites shop conveniently right before I was going to start a box.  The box was going to be a cargo box for the new dodge rams where the subs are under the seats, I'm sure most people know what I'm talking about.  I have done this box a few times before and had gotten my time down to 4-5 hours done.  I figued since this stuff basicly equals about 5 layers of mat, it would save me time...wrong!  It is such a pain to work with in oddly shaped areas, it kept bubbling up even though I cut reliefs and since it takes so much resin (235 ounces for the whole job) it got real hot, real fast so I didn't have time to smooth it out at all which meant attaching my baffle board was nice and fun.  This mean that I had to fill in gaps between the mold and the baffle which took forever.  Terrible, terrible day.  I think this stuff would be great on long flat pieces because it only requires one layer of core mat sandwiched between 2 1 oz layers of fg mat and it was so hard I could not bend it at all, but in areas where theres alot of curves, no way.

Anybody else have any experiences? 




Replies:

Posted By: Triple-x
Date Posted: December 17, 2006 at 10:30 PM
yea , like you said.. coremat is MAINLY used for sandwiching between other materials.. it should NOT be used alone .. it doesnt curve far nothing.. and it serves best when cut into strips, giving it more flexibility.

again as you said, flat areas between some mat , is perfect. and on curves as well.. try cutting the coremat for the specific area its being placed for better results. and ALWAYS sandwich it. never solo




Posted By: punkbastard
Date Posted: December 17, 2006 at 11:17 PM
I did sandwich it, between two layers of 1.5 ounce mat.  I tried to cut it to fit down in the area I was using it in.  I basicly cut slits down the folds that were created by pushing it down into the cavity so that each side of the cut fold would lay down on top of one another.  I did all this before laying down my first layer of mat, but once I put the core mat down it just was not being nice and it heated up so fast that I didn't get a chance to make it lay down before it was hard as  a rock




Posted By: Triple-x
Date Posted: December 18, 2006 at 12:10 AM
try again man.. lol.. dont know what else to tell ya.. like you said .. its not great on big curves..
you could try this..
pre cut you pieces prior to your 1st mat layer again.. and set em aside.. use some GOOD resin that will give you a long pot life(like us composites premium 440-B resin)
then apply your first mat layer.. folow that up with the core mat.. BUT.. get like a paint roller tray or something big enough to pour resin into that you can use to dip and dunk the coremat in so soak it decent. doesnt have to be full saturated.. just wetted.. then apply the pieces in the respective precut areas. immediatly after apply another layer of mat . you should be able to almost completely wet out the mat using the rein soaked into the coremat.. use a roller to aid that along.

see how that works..

you nailed it when you said you tried to bend or break the sandwiched piece of mat coremat mat.. no chance.. strong flat.. imagine on curves if executed properly.. right?




Posted By: punkbastard
Date Posted: December 18, 2006 at 12:49 AM
precisely my train of thought in getting this stuff for such a curvy box.  Even still, with all the problems, the thing was solid man.




Posted By: playr747
Date Posted: March 02, 2007 at 2:07 PM
Yes use it sandwiched between 1.5oz mat and you ar good as 5-6 layers of mat alone. I have don it many times for sparewell sub enclosures and you learn to cut it the right way to follow curves and such.





Print Page | Close Window