Suggestions to cover Fiberglass

[donpisto 5,000+ posts]

My buddy is just about completed as far as building the enclosure for my dd 9515d. He is wonderin what should be used to cover it. So far he has thought about paint (i think spray paint, i dont remember what he told me), and carpetting. with the carpetting he said it might be tough because of the curves. Any suggestions on what can be done and used?

Here is a current pic of the enclosure.

Click to read more...

 

[Crzy 10+ year member]

id bondo it and wet sand for a real smooth finish then paint it a real high gloss color, but thats just me //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/biggrin.gif.d71a5d36fcbab170f2364c9f2e3946cb.gif

 

[bjfish11 5,000+ posts]

Paint FTW

 

[airmcn_3 10+ year member]

Paint is the best looking but 5 times as much work. Vinyl/Leather is really nice and stretchy too, but about 3 times as much work. Carpet is not going to look as plush as choice A or B but you can be ready for cover within a quick hr. or so. There are plenty of covering carpets that have a great stretch value. Good Luck. Looks Nice!

Chris

 

[donpisto 5,000+ posts]

I think we'll go with the paint. Gloss seems like a good idea. Do you think it would be any trouble painting it a glossy black and after it dries painting a red DD logo on it? Also, is there any particular paint to use? Here is another pic with the port showing.

 

[thatkidbob 10+ year member]

^ ditto...

first time i've seen that particular box design...

but umm... with nice thin carpet you could easily do that shape... i say that because if you decide to paint it looks like you've got a LOT of sanding to do...

 

[amedeuce 10+ year member]

No do NOT use "bondo" that's a brand name and not a good one. Use Rage products from evercoat, body filler

Rage

Rage Gold

Rage Extreme (

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

I kind of like the bondo gold , and bondo ultimate myself . They sand very easy . But which ever brand filler you use , DO NOT WET SAND IT wet sanding filler is a no no that can lead to paint failure //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[airmcn_3 10+ year member]

Just a Tip. When I was learning to build fiberglass enclosures we experienced bondo cracking due to the large vibration, I personally do one of two things. You can either lay fiberglass cloth over the Bondo to keep it solid or you can shoot Resin over the bondo after you have sanded smooth, Be sure to get a good coat over it.

 

[ramos 5,000+ posts]

Filler cracking is usually due to the fact it's too thick , or mixed too hot . //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

 

[dbornotdb 10+ year member]

Just a Tip. When I was learning to build fiberglass enclosures we experienced bondo cracking due to the large vibration, I personally do one of two things. You can either lay fiberglass cloth over the Bondo to keep it solid or you can shoot Resin over the bondo after you have sanded smooth, Be sure to get a good coat over it.

If you get your filler smooth and then lay cloth over it, don't you have to go back and smooth that out again?

Filler cracking is usually due to the fact it's too thick , or mixed too hot . //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

Exactly.

If you have anything over 1/8" that needs filling, use some fiberglass reinforced filers. I prefer Duraglass.

 

[amedeuce 10+ year member]

I kind of like the bondo gold , and bondo ultimate myself . They sand very easy . But which ever brand filler you use , DO NOT WET SAND IT wet sanding filler is a no no that can lead to paint failure //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/smile.gif.1ebc41e1811405b213edfc4622c41e27.gif

ok, I will say I have not used the bondo gold or ultimate. I've only used the regular bondo and Rage Xtreme and what a difference the Rage makes.

 

[PowerNaudio 10+ year member]

i would say use some more fiberglass on the low areas to even out. like the front part of the enclosure where the port is at, it has a couple of waves that you may want to bring up to the level of the other side. so use some more fiberglass, in areas like those. once it looks like the enclosure is pretty much even all around and your done fiberglassing then go ever the whole enclosure with like a 30~40 grit sand paper on an orbital sander. and even it out even more. if you find spots that are to thin on the surface due to the rough sanding then reinforce them from the back of the enclosure with more fiberglass. till you get the right strength. now that every thing is pretty even, now you're ready for the filler, you don't have to lay it down thick, since you really want to use the least amount of filler as possible. knock down the high spots of the filler, while is still kind of warm but not tacky with the 30grit paper. just to make it easier on you once its dry then sand with 80, 120,200. then you should be ready for the primer. if you have a good finished on the filler then priming it will be easy. when sanding the primer you don't need to go any lower then 400grit.

now paint show every little imperfection and hide nothing. so sand till your arm is tired the some more. once you're ready for paint, i use enamel paint. i suggest you get the one with the tip that sprays at horizontally or vertically it can be turned manually instead of the tip that sprays a dot. if you're going to use a can. start from the bottom up an on each pass cover 50% of the first pass and so on. dont try to paint the hole enclosure on a couple of passes do it in layers. do a light layer at first wait a couple minutes like 2 minutes then do another layer and so on till you get the desired finish. let it cure for at least 24hours before you decide to touch it. if you're not happy with the finish you can always wet sand with like 1000 or 1200 grit as the most aggressive, and 2000- 2500 the least aggressive to final grit. soft foam or rubber backing pad so that the paper may be wrapped around this pad (not around your fingers!) once you're done buff it.

a grate place on info about fiberglassing is fiberglassforums.com you'll find allot of expert there that can guide you from where you're at right now on the enclosure to finish.

that where i have gather most of the info above.

and here is a link i found on wet sanding

some frequently asked on paint questions link

sorry for the long post.

looking good so far.

good luck and keep us updated.

laters

 

[xtremekustomz 10+ year member]

Are you positive the enclosure is strong enough? Can you push on it with your thumb and have it flex at any spot on the box? If so you will need to come back over it with another layer or 2 of fiberglass matt. If it isn't strong enough you are wasting your time and money. If you have never fiberglassed and painted get ready for ALOT of work. If done right it looks good, but if not....well...you know. Just plan on spending hours upon hours of sanding. And I recommend the rage gold body filler. It is cheaper than extreme and sands pretty good. Just make sure to feel the box and get any low or high spots out of it before final prep. As for paint, use automotive paint. Single stage is cheaper but if you have never painted base coat clear coat is the way to go. I've got some pictures on my website at http://www.undefinedcustoms.com/memberrides/daryl that shows some step by step things I have done.

 

[xtremekustomz 10+ year member]

oh yeah, do not wet sand the box. you have to remember it is made of mdf as well. If it gets too saturated it will expand and lose strenght.