Whats the best fiberglass to use?

[gaowner757]

I'm doing alot of fiberglass work from dash cowling to eventually designing and building a backseat/trunk sub box so whats the best fiberglass to use

[gicts]

I never have had a problem with just the basic stuff from home depot

[gaowner757]

is there any liquid fiberglass

[Big Joe]

If it was liquid it wouldnt be fiberglass any more, it would be some type of epoxy or somthing, theres bondo witch is I guess closer to being a liquid then fiberglass is but still not liquid.

[gaowner757]

oh well whats that stuff i see people putting on boxes that they spread on with a paint brush?

[ga5speed02]

www.selectproducts.com

[gicts]

to clarify, Bondo is just a brand. Body filler is the green or clay colored thin, almost putty you fill in bumps with. Fiberglass resin is what you are talking about with the brush. Resin, along with the fiberglass mat with give you fiberglass. I'm going to go ahead and say you probably haven't started your dash yet. That's cool, but if you are talking about doing your entire dash I'd say go ahead and wait. Play with a few little things first, then move on. It's easy to do once you get the hang of it, but it's going to look pretty rough until you get to that point. My mom's a preschool teacher and at the time she was looking for fake b-day cakes for the kids so to start off I built a few birthday cakes. Used some body filler to even give it the texture of icing. Looks great, works perfect, and got me comfortable with fiberglass with a small project

[hamiltonaudio]

good advice. Evercoat is about the best parts-store brand I've used...I currently use an unlabelled resin from a supplier (way cheaper).

There are also different kinds of fibreglass mat - different thicknesses (rated in ounces - 1.5 ounce, 2.0 ounce, etc) as well as marine mat (that looks almost like carbon fibre). Regular chop mat (as above) gives incredible strength and holds a lot of resin (I personally use 1.5 ounce) so factor that when ur mixing.... marine mat holds less, but finishes MUCH smoother....great for that last layer before finishing....reduces bullwork.

Bondo is like Kleenex - its not a product, its a brand. There are MANY MANY types of fillers used in the automotive industry...there are about 2 kinds you will worry about. Use a lightweight filler for fixing dips, low spots, contours, etc...can be laid on pretty thick as its very dense and sticky.... being lightweight it will sand relatively well. A staple in this industry is Rage Gold....also useful is a mixture of products...we call it a "milkshake". Mixing regular resin with lightweight filler allows you to create a brutally strong, pourable layer....I like using these when adding that last layer of resin to a non-structural piece - mix it about the consistency of warm honey....then pour it over your piece and let gravity take it - it'll naturally settle in the low spots and give you an impossibly smooth finish :) :) :)

Then there is 2 part sanding putty - I again use a house brand - comes in a large bottle (about the size of dishwashing detergent) and is much thinner in consistency - it will pour. use it for final scratch/pinhole/sinker filling and fine detail work. I use a plastic based product so that I can use it on both plastic (pretty much any composite) and regular materials (wood, 'glass, etc). You usually don't need much...I apply it with a straight razor blade - so you only leave behind what you need.

I agree with the above recommendation - start tinkering with glass and do all your farkups and learnings on things that don't matter. You'll see quickly there is definitely skill involved that you'll have to build :)

bmoney

[gaowner757]

i already had started on the dash cowling i figured id start on something small rather than the entire dash. i put alot of fiberglass on and its taking a long long time to sand it all. I used bondo-glass which i cant complain in the few few spots i managed to smooth out its to my expectations its just i put to much and i get lazy after football practice each day

[car audio dave]

you were using "kitty hair" as some of us call it. that stuff is like cement. i only use that stuff on the inside of boxed for extra rigidity. i wouldnt try to sand any type fo fiberglass. youre just asking for trouble. fiberglass is the reinforcement material, and body fill is used to make the finish smooth.

hamiltonaudio really knows a lot about the subject. take detailed notes of his replies. :D

[The Artist]

You can also use fleece... takes the resin really well, and you can stretch it so its better for 3D shapes

[hamiltonaudio]

fleece (2 ounce polar fleece to be exact) is a GREAT molding producut - but because of the makeup and weave of the product it is WEAK. Great for getting your shape and easy to work with - but needs substantial reinforcement if its not going to be cosmetic only...

bmoney

[The Artist]

^^ yeah I hear ya there... I wasn't really thinking about that LOL all of my fiberglassed parts ARE cosmetic

[car audio dave]

i used a combo of fleece, fiberglass and kitty hiar for my box. fleece is great as stated for cosmetic use.