Box finishing idea...

[phantom240 5,000+ posts]

Has anyone here ever finished their box in carbon fiber? I was htinking about covering my fiberglass box project with carbon fiber... that seems so *** to me... but because of boeing's dumb *****, carbon fiber prices have skyrocketed. Do you think this would look good? also, carbon fiber is uber strong, and i think it would do wonders for my fiberglass box... you think so?

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[azbass 5,000+ posts]

yes. i have. also i am making carbonfiber engin cover pices......

go to selectproducts.com get some carbonfiber cloth. some CLEAR resin, apply, then sand and buff.

 

[azbass 5,000+ posts]

but if you are unshure of how to do it to make it look right. there is always carbonfiber vinal.

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

CF is strong when, and only when, used properly. People get CF everything thinking that it will be lightweight and stronger than steel, but it can snap very easily if used improperly.

 

[phantom240 5,000+ posts]

poop on vinyl... how do i do carbon fiber so that it doesnt look like pieces and parts, and make the weave look uniform throughout the box? Also, what kind of resin do YOU use? Also, would i apply a couple more coats of resin on top of the carbon, to make sure i dont sand the carbon itself? If you could give me some pointers on carbon, id be really happy... have any pix of the box u did?

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

If you're talking to me, I've never used carbon fiber on a speaker enclosure as I think it'd be worthless. I have however made custom RC car parts out of sheet 1/8" CF before, and it is NOT easy to work with. The vinyl is your best bet basically.

 

[phantom240 5,000+ posts]

...why take the time to make a box that sounds great, and finish it in something that is obviously fake... now if there was some good vinyl that actually looked like carbon fiber, i would use it... but its all cheap crappy stuff...

 

[phantom240 5,000+ posts]

lol i think i crashed select products website...

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

...why take the time to make a box that sounds great, and finish it in something that is obviously fake... now if there was some good vinyl that actually looked like carbon fiber, i would use it... but its all cheap crappy stuff...

If you have the skills to mold CF, then go right ahead. With all due respect, I feel that you're getting ahead of yourself...greatly. Working with CF is like working with titanium, only cheaper. It's difficult, tedious, and usually doesn't need to be used in the first place unless the goal is low weight. What you're talking about doing, however, isn't what it was made to do. There's a reason why bicycle frames, golf clubs and tennis racquets made of carbon fiber all cost extreme amounts of money. The time put into making the shapes is what you're paying for, not the actual material. If you feel that vinyl is fake, then fine. However, you don't realize the magnitude of what you want to do.

 

[phantom240 5,000+ posts]

...a bit harsh, but i think you misunderstood. I just want to lay some carbon fiber cloth/mat on my box. I wouldnt use vinyl because 1 it doesnt look as good, but more importantly, doesnt fit the same way carbon fiber would. Would you mind shedding some light on carbon fiber? It was a sugestion. I gotta start somewhere. Look at the box im building, its the first time ive ever touched fiberglass... but i gotta start somewhere. What is so hard about laying carbon fiber? Ive been told its quite similar to laying fiberglass...

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

The problem with carbon fiber as a covering is that it doesn't mold like regular fabrics. It is stiffer, and it isn't easy to apply to sharp curves. There are generally different tensile strengths of CF weave, some strong, some weak. I recommend going with the most supple of them which would most likely be the weakest. I say that because it seems easy, but you're talking about using a single piece of fabric to get that seamless look, and it most likely won't conform to your curves like glass mat does.

 

[phantom240 5,000+ posts]

...okay... now we're getting somewhere.. so simple curves and larger flat surfaces are ideal for CF, whereas more angular, sharper curves can be a PITA with CF? Okay. So if i were to cover the outside of the box (not the back, thats not as critical as far as asthetics) with cf, how would i go about test fitting? would i cut a large section, and try as best i can to mold it to the box's shape? ive seen people put a spray of adhesive on the underside of the object to get CF'd and mold it almost like fleecing a box. Does this seem right to you?

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

Maybe, I just didn't understand a word of what the **** you just said. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Repite por favor?

 

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

What do you mean by test fitting anyway?

 

[xluben 10+ year member]

yeah, and carbon fiber is only good under tensile stress, which is the reason it has to be woven. and its still not going to be that strong perpendicular to the face of the box.