My First Run @ Fiberglass

[flashlight_65]

box looks really good. just curious how many layers of glass did you lay down? your box has a lot more curves than my caddys box. if youre gonna paint it that bitch is gonna have to be hella smoove. good luck on the sanding

[InfiniteRuckus]

this box has 6 layers of fiberglass. there is 1 on the inside (with fiberglass cloth) & 5 on the outside (1 layer of fiberglass cloth on top of 4 layers of fiberglass mat). the only reason i mixed the two materials was because i wanted to know how much different it was to use each material. i came to realize that it's easy to use the cloth on flat stuff but the mat works better for curves & bends.

for sanding I've been making really small batches of filler for every single dip & pit that i find as i go along. I've been marking them with a red sharpie so I know what I need to fix.

fiberglass high spots leveled out with filler(looks kinda cool)

some spots that need fixin'

I sand the top layer of filler with 40 or 60 until it's level with everything else, then finish it off with a 100 grit so it's perfectly smooth & faded/blended in with the level of the glass underneath. i still have a lot more i want to go over & i was even thinking of buying something finer than 100 grit to sand it with when everything is done & completed with the 100. I really want this thing to be smooth as glass. I know it the first one I've ever built but I'de like to do it right so that i can only improve from here.

I decided to stay with a 41HZ tune on it after testing 40 - 43HZ ports.

thanks for checkin' it out. i checked out that caddy build.. looks awesome, love the finish on it. must have been huge.

[El1T3Bass]

damn nice mang

[bigjoe302boss]

Pretty sweet for your first time, and I highly recommend going at least to a 400 grit when u are ready to prime and use cheap black spray paint to lightly mist it for a guide coat. It will help you see all the low spots and sand scratches.that HOK paint aint cheap and black will show every imperfection.

[InfiniteRuckus]

wow 400 grit... I was thinking more like 260 but i'll try the 400. i can't even remember the last time i saw some 400. so with the the idea of the black paint... is that before priming? i ask because HOK recommends priming in white to make the black come out better.

[roscoe1129]

the black primer will all but be gone after sanding it is just used to leave behind tattle tells of low spots so you know what still needs to be filled. always do a final prime in a lighter color to help the paint "pop"

Looking good man keep it up and youll be doing bigger projects in no time!

[InfiniteRuckus]

alright, i went on a little outting & picked up some more fiberglass & body filler. i also picked up the 400 grit & holy Moses this stuff is soft. feels like thick or rubbery paper... or possibly a nail file. it's saturday i guess it's time to get to work. be back later with more progress shots.

[roscoe1129]

:waits for progress pics:

[blackrosetiger]

lol yeah, I learned pretty quick than thin is the way to go. In the first few pics with the body filler on there, it's really thick & I ended up sanding off about 85-90% of it. It was pretty much a waste of filler but ya gotta learn somehow. This box is just a learning project anyways. It's built for a 12" Sony xplod & I'm planning on upgrading to 2 - 12" American Bass XFL's & a 2200 watt AudioQue in the near future. Doors are a project that makes me a little nervous. If I mess up the box, I can always scrap it, but the doors HAVE to go back on lol. After having this experience with the materials, I might try to squeeze a few Soundstream or Rockford mids & a JL 6" sub in each door.

When you do doors the best thing to do is find a junk yard and and get the panels you need and fiberglass those

[mbdblue]

alright, i went on a little outting & picked up some more fiberglass & body filler. i also picked up the 400 grit & holy Moses this stuff is soft. feels like thick or rubbery paper... or possibly a nail file. it's saturday i guess it's time to get to work. be back later with more progress shots.

for high build primer, the surface only really has to go up to 220 grit. then you can sand the primer to 400-600, then paint. just remember, paint is only for color so it doesnt have to be thick.

its nice to see someone taking the initiative and just getting out there and doing it (marking your lows, filling them, etc.). thats really the best way to learn. and also just a suggestion, try to rabbit the edges of the MDF, that way the glass "sinks" into the wood. otherwise, you may end up thinning the glass around the edges which will cause it to crack, especially under the pressure a sub can put out.