My first Fiberglass attempt....

[MetalMaxima 10+ year member]

Paint. But it will just be primed for a while. I'd like to get a automotive finish glossy black

Wow. Good luck with painting on your first fg job. Took me two weeks to get it to be paintable. You can do it, but don't get frustrated - it's quite tough.

 

[Omarvelous 10+ year member]

Wow. Good luck with painting on your first fg job. Took me two weeks to get it to be paintable. You can do it, but don't get frustrated - it's quite tough.

yea i bet! Thx for the tip.

i think i'm actually gonna outsource the painting part! lol.

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

Looking good brother man. Just a couple of things. You should have put the all the mdf panels in first. I guess there will be an mdf panel where the gap in the fleece is ? And you should have used some kind of bracing to keep the fleece from forming a trough in the middle of the box when you stretched like it did. You gonna look like popeye by the time your done with all the sanding //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

yea i bet! Thx for the tip.
i think i'm actually gonna outsource the painting part! lol.

I think he was refering to the prep work needed to get it too the painting stage. It has to be absolutely baby butt smooth. Any tiny little imperfection will show. Did you say your painting it black ?? If so it's really got to be smooth. Black is the worst for showing mistakes of any kind. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Omarvelous 10+ year member]

Looking good brother man. Just a couple of things. You should have put the all the mdf panels in first. I guess there will be an mdf panel where the gap in the fleece is ? And you should have used some kind of bracing to keep the fleece from forming a trough in the middle of the box when you stretched like it did. You gonna look like popeye by the time your done with all the sanding //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Yea at first i didn't like the little trough, but i kinda like it now. I might level it out with some kitty hair/Bondo if i decide by then.

Actually i'm gonna fleece that gap. I left it open because i have to do the port. And because it was that area on the bottom with the sub ring that gave me the MOST problem fleecing while trying to get the least amount of wrinkles in. I would have like to have gotten it higher up toward the top, but i'll do that after the port, it'll work out.

I think he was refering to the prep work needed to get it too the painting stage. It has to be absolutely baby butt smooth. Any tiny little imperfection will show. Did you say your painting it black ?? If so it's really got to be smooth. Black is the worst for showing mistakes of any kind.

Yea i knew he was talkin about the prep. Which is why i won't even attempt the painting. I'd hate to see me mess up allllll that prep work.

It'll be a while before i do any hardcore prep work, since winter is coming.

Questions: How long can i leave bondo on before it is unsandable? Does it ever get unsandable? Like is there a set time to where i put on the bondo to where i have to sand it off?

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

it doesn't get unsandable. It's just alot easier to knock down the ridges as soon as it starts to turn rubbery with a body file or rough sand paper. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[60ndown 10+ year member]

sandpaper comes in different 'grades' dont phuck around with sandpaper that is not coarse enough, buy some 40 grit and some 60.fibreglass is EASY to make sweet and smoth IF you have COARSE sandpaper, if you dont use coarse sandpaper it cold take anyone hours/days to make fibreglass smooth.coarse 40 and 60 grit! that box is gonna be very nice.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif oh and phuck porting it, seal her up.

 

[60ndown 10+ year member]

once you have sanded it well with coarse sandpaper you can apply bondo to the box to make her smooth, bondo is way easier to sand than fibreglass.

 

[///M5 10+ year member]

it doesn't get unsandable. It's just alot easier to knock down the ridges as soon as it starts to turn rubbery with a body file or rough sand paper. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Definetely, if you wait too long you will need to use something more than hand sanding or you will go nuts. The stuff gets hard. If you let it harden I recommend the little drum sanding attachment on a dremel--only to knock down the ridges though otherwise you will make more valleys to fill. It is best/easiest to sand as soon as it gets hard enough to not "gum" up your sandpaper. Try it in various stages and you will get the feel quickly--it is when less profanities fly!

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

sandpaper comes in different 'grades' dont phuck around with sandpaper that is not coarse enough, buy some 40 grit and some 60.fibreglass is EASY to make sweet and smoth IF you have COARSE sandpaper, if you dont use coarse sandpaper it cold take anyone hours/days to make fibreglass smooth.coarse 40 and 60 grit! that box is gonna be very nice.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif oh and phuck porting it, seal her up.

I wouldn't bother sanding the glass itself. Take a grinder to remove any rough spots in the glass. Save the paper for the filler. //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Omarvelous 10+ year member]

sandpaper comes in different 'grades' dont phuck around with sandpaper that is not coarse enough, buy some 40 grit and some 60.fibreglass is EASY to make sweet and smoth IF you have COARSE sandpaper, if you dont use coarse sandpaper it cold take anyone hours/days to make fibreglass smooth.coarse 40 and 60 grit! that box is gonna be very nice.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/naughty.gif.94359f346c0f1259df8038d60b41863e.gif oh and phuck porting it, seal her up.

Thx man. But it HAS to be ported! I can have it nooooo other way!

 

[Eugenics 5,000+ posts]

woah, when i saw the plans and whatnot i never actually thought you were gonna do it. good job and good luck

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

once you have sanded it well with coarse sandpaper you can apply bondo to the box to make her smooth, bondo is way easier to sand than fibreglass.

You don't need to "sand" the glass smooth. You just need to grind out any big imperfections to make the body filler application smoother. You don't want heavy thick layers of filler. As you run the risk of it shrinking and cracking with the thicker layers . //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[Omarvelous 10+ year member]

Allll good tips guys! Keep em coming!!

One thing i'm having doubt about.

I resined the top, and plan to glass the bottom.... u think i might need just like 1 layer on top?

Right now it is reallll brittle, as u guys very wel know it would be. I'm just wondering if u guys think i should go ahead n add a layer or 2 on top to strengthen the top of it. It does have a possibility of being sat on. Maybe 140ibs the most, females i'd let only.

 

[Omarvelous 10+ year member]

woah, when i saw the plans and whatnot i never actually thought you were gonna do it. good job and good luck

lol! Yea, i might throw a lot of off the wall shit out there (like the time with the columns and chicken wire) but it's stuff that 99% i'd ACTUALLY do!

The chicken wire didn't work out, i bought some, was WAY to rigid, and just not a good scene, lol. That was fun!

But yea i don't talk sh!t, i walk it! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/cool.gif.3bcaf8f141236c00f8044d07150e34f7.gif

Thx man, wait till u see it in about a week!!! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif