What fabric do you use to wrap a fiberglass project

[blue93corsica 10+ year member]

because NOTHING just soaked with resin—unless it is specifically designed for it—will have ANY strength for car audio application.

i disagree, while the strength does come from actual fiberglass, the fleece or stretch fabric will provide strength as well weather you agree or not, grill cloth resined will be very thin and brittle without any glass but if you look at polar fleece or trunk liner carpet for ex. in a lotof applications little to no glass is required as there is more then enough strength in it already and maybe a small amount of t-x powder to stiffin it but other wise, if you use a thick polar fleece on a kick panel project i can gurentee that there shouldn't be any actualglass needed

 

[CrazedCat 10+ year member]

if you use a thick polar fleece on a kick panel project i can gurentee that there shouldn't be any actualglass needed

So a kick mainly constructed of just fleece soaked with resin and no fiberglass at all?? //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crazy.gif.c13912c32de98515d3142759a824dae7.gif

Jesus.

I do agree that SMALLER, intricate work (dash, tweeter pods for A-pillars, etc.) may not require mat at all but you definitely need to thicken and strengthen kicks up with fiberglass.

 

[dbornotdb 10+ year member]

I personally would stay away from pantyhose and grill cloth. It is just too thin and will sag as it dries cause the need for more mat to build it back up level.

 

I use 3 different types of materials depending on the application.

 

1st one is for small intricate parts are something with alot of bends. It is a polyester lycra blend. Really stretchy. If you go into a fabric store, ask for the swim suit type materials.

 

2nd is fleece. I use this less than the other 2, but it still have a use. I use it on some of the more less contoured consoles and smaller boxes.

 

3rd choice in materials is unbacked trunk liner/carpet. It stretches good for enclosures and other large projects. It holds alot of resin though.

 

[Railrocker 10+ year member]

exactly... preferably someone elses though //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/tongue.gif.6130eb82179565f6db8d26d6001dcd24.gif

*two guys walk into a fabric store*

Us: "hey, we're looking for some material"

Store assistant: "what type of material?"

Us: "Ah, stretchy stuff???"

//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/hilarious.gif.02a037aad04aa96f19982b298a3d70a8.gif I did that with my first fiberglass project.

 

[iBuMpWeLL 10+ year member]

you want 100% polyester fleece.

polyester fleece + polyester resin= poly plastic

plenty strong for kicks

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

you want 100% polyester fleece.polyester fleece + polyester resin= poly plastic

plenty strong for kicks

Polyester fleece will not add any appreciable strength over any other material. The resin is all that is supporting the form at that point. The resin is stiff and brittle without a good matrix to support it. The fleece stretches, even in the resin. Makes for a really crappy composite. Glass doesn't stretch. That combined with the resin makes a much stronger and rigid composite. Adding a single layer of glass mat or cloth over the fleece will have a significant effect on the final strength of the item.

I use t-shirt material. Stretch it as tight as possible to keep from sagging when it is soaked with resin. After it sets, I add a few layers of mat, cloth or both. Makes for a thin, light and strong final form. T-shirt is multi-way stretch and conforms to curves well. Much easier than fleece to get all the wrinkles out of. It also is smooth before sanding. It saves a lot of work with filler and sandpaper to get a nice finished product.

 

[iBuMpWeLL 10+ year member]

Polyester fleece will not add any appreciable strength over any other material. The resin is all that is supporting the form at that point. The resin is stiff and brittle without a good matrix to support it. The fleece stretches, even in the resin. Makes for a really crappy composite. Glass doesn't stretch. That combined with the resin makes a much stronger and rigid composite. Adding a single layer of glass mat or cloth over the fleece will have a significant effect on the final strength of the item.
I use t-shirt material. Stretch it as tight as possible to keep from sagging when it is soaked with resin. After it sets, I add a few layers of mat, cloth or both. Makes for a thin, light and strong final form. T-shirt is multi-way stretch and conforms to curves well. Much easier than fleece to get all the wrinkles out of. It also is smooth before sanding. It saves a lot of work with filler and sandpaper to get a nice finished product.

^doesnt make any sense.

since when is poly a weak composite?

"The resin is stiff and brittle without a good matrix to support it"

a t-shirt made of cotton? understand that polyester fleece 'melts' with polyester resin to form poly plastic. cotton + poly resin= no chemical reaction, its just resin on top of cotton. Now thats brittle.

If you need to get the wrinkles out your not stretching it right.

Fleece really needs to be soaked, not brushed on, POURED on and rolled.. soaked enough to leave a smooth finish. If it looks like stucco when its dry then you didnt use enough resin.

"It also is smooth before sanding. It saves a lot of work with filler and sandpaper to get a nice finished product" Whats the difference if youre going to put glass on top of it?

For kick panels a few layers of glass is way overkill. If they are small kicks, resined fleece is enough. If they have some flex, 2 layers of glass is the most youll ever need.

 

[CrazedCat 10+ year member]

For kick panels a few layers of glass is way overkill. If they are small kicks, resined fleece is enough. If they have some flex, 2 layers of glass is the most youll ever need.

No kick is strong enough with just (completely saturated) resined fleece. ANY enclosure's strength is achieved from layers of fiberglass mat and the mat ALONE. Resined fleece offers VERY LITTLE or NO structural strength. Its sole purpose is to achieve form and act as a surface (when cured) to apply layers of fiberglass mat & resin.

1) If you're going to do it, do it right. Don't half-*** it and skip layering mat down.

2) A kick with just resined fleece will sound like ***.

 

[Death By Bass 10+ year member]

No kick is strong enough with just (completely saturated) resined fleece. ANY enclosure's strength is achieved from layers of fiberglass mat and the mat ALONE. Resined fleece offers VERY LITTLE or NO structural strength. Its sole purpose is to achieve form and act as a surface (when cured) to apply layers of fiberglass mat & resin.

fibreglass is flexable... resin is not.... resin soaked fleece is also not flexible, so any movement will result in cracking. Unless, you end up with like 1/3inch thick resin...

 

[iBuMpWeLL 10+ year member]

Resined fleece offers VERY LITTLE or NO structural strength. Its sole purpose is to achieve form and act as a surface (when cured) to apply layers of fiberglass mat & resin.
1) If you're going to do it, do it right. Don't half-*** it and skip layering mat down.

2) A kick with just resined fleece will sound like ***.

like i said it depends on the application but dont tell me resined fleece isnt stronger than abs (q-logic) plastic kicks.

I hope you guys arent using Bondo brand resin.

Yeah for a serious setup I would break out my chop gun but for 5.25's or your average 6.5's I wont bother.

 

[CJL 10+ year member]

like i said it depends on the application but dont tell me resined fleece isnt stronger than abs (q-logic) plastic kicks. I hope you guys arent using Bondo brand resin.

Yeah for a serious setup I would break out my chop gun but for 5.25's or your average 6.5's I wont bother.

Whats wrong with it?

 

[bjfish11 5,000+ posts]

"It also is smooth before sanding. It saves a lot of work with filler and sandpaper to get a nice finished product" Whats the difference if youre going to put glass on top of it?

Im gonna let you in on a little trick.

When glassing, apply your mat to the INSIDE of you material, it makes the body work TONS easier.//content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[iBuMpWeLL 10+ year member]

i figured out that trick day one.

besides in most cases theres no access to the inside of a kick. And if you do a 2 piecer youll just end up with a weaker seam. Its only useful if youre building a glass box on top of an mdf frame where you have a bottom that would get glued/nailed last.

Bondo brand resin is ok but its like their body filler, theres just better stuff out there. Stuff thats stronger and easier to use. Resin from selectproducts.com is the best Ive used. If im in a pinch I go to the marine supply store.

 

[helotaxi 5,000+ posts]

^doesnt make any sense.since when is poly a weak composite?

If it's poly all the way through it really isn't a composite, it's poly.

"The resin is stiff and brittle without a good matrix to support it" a t-shirt made of cotton? understand that polyester fleece 'melts' with polyester resin to form poly plastic. cotton + poly resin= no chemical reaction, its just resin on top of cotton. Now thats brittle.

Like you said the polyester fleece melts and provides no, none, zip, nada support. You basically end up with a blob of resin. Resin by itself is very weak unless it is very thick. If it is very thick, it is very heavy. The t-shirt material is not meant to be strong, it is only meant to provide a light thin basic structure over which to lay the glass that will give it its strength. You mentioned a lack of a chemical reaction equallinga lcak of strength. I guess that means that laid or chopped glass is really weak because there is no chemical reaction there.

If you need to get the wrinkles out your not stretching it right

I'm talking about getting the wrinkles out while stretching it. T-shirt stretches much easier and better than fleece.

Fleece really needs to be soaked, not brushed on, POURED on and rolled.. soaked enough to leave a smooth finish. If it looks like stucco when its dry then you didnt use enough resin."It also is smooth before sanding. It saves a lot of work with filler and sandpaper to get a nice finished product" Whats the difference if youre going to put glass on top of it?

The difference? Unless you **** at laying glass, you can get the glass laid very smoothly if you start with a smooth base. Or depending on the partivular part you are trying to make, you could be laying the glass on the inside.

For kick panels a few layers of glass is way overkill. If they are small kicks, resined fleece is enough. If they have some flex, 2 layers of glass is the most youll ever need.

With t-shirt, 3 layers of glass is pretty much all you need. The finished product is much lighter and used much less resin as well.

 

[dbornotdb 10+ year member]

fibreglass is flexable... resin is not.... resin soaked fleece is also not flexible, so any movement will result in cracking. Unless, you end up with like 1/3inch thick resin...

Thin fiberglass is flexable. Thin fiberglass on a curve isn't.

Thick fiberglass is flexable if it is flat.

 

Resin may not be flexable IF it is thick, but it is very very brittle. Not good. You HAVE to add mat or cloth, or even some fleec, cotton, poly material to it. Any of that is better than just resin puddles.

 

Resin soaked fleece IS flexable. But it will crack. Adding 1/3" thick resin on it isn't doing anything but making ut heavy. It will still crack.

 

YOU HAVE TO ADD SOME TYPE OF FIBERGLASS MAT OR CLOTH.

 

If you want to do something in a material and not add mat to it, try unbacked carpet. It comes out **** thick. But only for cosmetic reasons or non stressed parts.