Posted by aramis on February 08, 2002 at 14:07:04:
In Reply to: Feasability of DIY fiberglass cabinet? posted by RPT on February 08, 2002 at 13:53:22:
Do you mean an "organically" shaped bezel or what-not without corners and stuff? This is how I used to do it when I did high-end car stereo installs, and could be used to make a nice, flowing bezel shape, etc:
- create a wood frame for the perimeter.
- stretch and nail down some grill cloth (thin, stretchable fabric to make a "drum".
- push into the middle with another piece of wood (the "mold") that is the shape of your monitor outline, etc. Secure this in the desired place with some wood framing, etc.
- Mix up some epoxy and coat the grill cloth with it. This will harden it in the desired shape.
- Remove the wood "mold", and lay down fiberglass and epoxy until the shape is thick enough to support what you need. Do this on either the front or back, depending on what face will be showing. On the hidden side, you can use "kitty hair" (loose fiberglass strands in epoxy) to build up thickness quickly. But, on the face that shows, you probably only want to use nice flat woven glass. The outer wood framework gives you a nice way to bolt it to the rest of your cabinet.
General rule is that 1/4" of fiberglass is as good as 3/4" MDF, at least for subwoofer boxes. :)
If I can find some links w/ pics of what I mean, I'll reply here...