Fiberglassing fabrics... cotton, fleece, spandex, etc ?

[PV Audio 5,000+ posts]

Lol @ the greg45 spambot.

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/laugh.gif.48439b2acf2cfca21620f01e7f77d1e4.gif He had me fooled until I saw the "popular handbags" signature.

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

different types of fiberglass works better in certain apps.
I'd use cloth for the more flat areas; chopped mat for more complex curves.

To wrap the mold and baffle, I'd choose the fabric depending on the shape. If I can use some thick fleece and get away with it, that'll be what i'll use. But if thick fleece cannot conform to the shape, i'll just use an old t-shirt.

This. Also, if I need somethign that is already a little more structural to begin with, I choose fleece. If it's something small, maybe grill cloth or cotton.

nG`

 

[RJesus 10+ year member]

I've never done anything with fiberglass so this will be my first attempt.
So you guys are saying that all I really need is resin and old t-shirts?

I don't actually need to use fiberglass mat stuff?

Is it best to use a combination of things? Like use old t-shirts then put chop mat ontop of that?

is this correct?

I'm just trying to make sure I got it straight before I go wasting resin

 

[DBfan187 5,000+ posts]

I like to mat from the inside, less sanding that way.

 

[tylork92 10+ year member]

is this correct?I'm just trying to make sure I got it straight before I go wasting resin

again depends on wat your using...something like tweet pods you dont need any chop mat. but like door pods you need at least 2-3 layers of matt on top of watever y make the initial layer out of.

 

[ngsm13 5,000+ posts]

I like to mat from the inside, less sanding that way.

Big time, do this whenever possible.

nG

 

[Blue Fury 10+ year member]

I like to mat from the inside, less sanding that way.

Absolutely

 

[RJesus 10+ year member]

I want to cover the pod with some type of cloth, then with vinyl. So its nice and soft. What type of cloth should I use??

And where can I get some nice vinyl?

 

[Apocalypse boy 10+ year member]

Big time, do this whenever possible.
nG

genious lol...i've never thought about this //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/redface.gif.62fdbfe1a101588a808c4cff71bcb942.gif

 

[nineball 10+ year member]

I've never done anything with fiberglass so this will be my first attempt.
So you guys are saying that all I really need is resin and old t-shirts?

I don't actually need to use fiberglass mat stuff?

Is it best to use a combination of things? Like use old t-shirts then put chop mat ontop of that?

the cotton/fleece/lycra is only used to form the shape you want. those items, even soaked with resin, offer no strength. to gain strength you need to use fiberglass. fg cloth is thinner and is useful for smaller items that will not have much airflow (flex) like door or kick pods. mat is thicker and you will build up the layers faster. fg has the most strength on curved surfaces. large flat areas should be made of mdf (cheaper, easier to work with, strong on flat areas). if you have to use fg on a large flat area reinforce it with pieces of nylon rope and be sure to fray the ends good.

for sub enclosures the easiest way to tell how much you need is to stand on it (if you are around 200lbs give or take). if you can stand on it and it flexes you need more.

if covering in vinyl you have to make the surface as smooth as you can. once stretched vinyl will show every imperfection in the underlying fg. once my fg is down and dried i sand it with 40 grit. then i put a layer of duraglass and sand that down, then a layer of body filler and sand repeating as necessary. don't use bondo brand products. i use rage gold for my filler.

 

[RJesus 10+ year member]

thanks nineball, that was incredibly helpful //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

I bought pollyester resin from fiberglasssupply.com, because they said it bonds the best to chop mat, which I also ordered from them.

will pollyester resin bond cloth/chop mat well to mdf?

 

[nineball 10+ year member]

yes it will. be sure to get yourself a fiberglass roller as well. you can pick one up at any boat supply store or from an online site. it will really help you get out all the air bubbles. air bubbles are your enemy. if you get any you should really grind them down and fill in the spots.

this is what air bubbles look like. all the white spots on the enclosure. (this was my first ever attempt and later sanded them all out and refilled). this was done with cloth and you can see how the edges did not mesh. every layer was moved so they are all covered but you will see in the next pic how smooth it is with hand-ripped mat.

this is what it looks like with no bubbles. the mat will actually become clear once it is fully soaked and stay clear after it has dried.

rip your mat by hand into 2" or 3" squares. it is much easier to lay down and the edges will mesh easier between pieces.

you can see here in my last piece how well it will bond mat to mdf.

head over to fiberglassforums.com and read for a few days. you will find the answers to any questions you may come up with and find loads of examples and tutorials.