Modding Fiber Glass

I am in the early planning stage of my next full w/c setup at the mo. I plan to buy a very standard case and make my own fiber glass covers for it.

I have been looking on this forum for a few weeks now and have not seen anyone mention or use fiber glass ? ?

Is there any reason for this - except it being a pain to work with?

 

I think mainly because there are many other alternatives easier to work with no one has bothered

 

fiberglass is very very time consumeing but hey go for it be something differnt and that is always good

 

Fiberglass as in premade fiberglass panels? Or are you laminating your own fiberglass sheets?

If you're laying your own fiberglass, technique is everything, since a single air bubble will ruin the look of your piece. But if you can pull it off, it will definately turn some heads, especially if you do complex shapes or embossing. I'd definately recommend you have a go at it, since once you're set up with the required materials you'll be set for many many projects. And if you decide it's not good for case modding, you'll definately find a use for it elsewhere (like car modding). Also, carbon fiber IS expensive, but in an application where structural integrity isn't important, you can have a single layer of cheap carbon fiber over layers of glass and it will look just as good and authentic as the real thing (well, it WILL be real, just wont have the full strength of a full carbon piece, and will also be a bit heavier).

In my experience, cutting premade panels can be a pain and can grind dremel cut off wheels to dust in no time flat. Will need a bandsaw for any heavy cutting.

I guess the reason why there aren't very many case mods that use fiberglass is because of initial costs (if you're going all out and using vacuum forming could cost you ~$200 just to get started), and the expertise required. For premade panels, they don't look very good, unless it's carbon fiber, and then it's just really expensive.

-Lemur 6

 

Good Luck if you are going to attempt this, I can see a few holes in the wall from frustration

 

I have used fibreglass before in my car - removed back seats and made a huge custome enclosure for subs amps etc etc etc. so i am ok at it , just very time consuming.

Will give it a go and see what happens

 

fiberglass, when done right comes out lookin nice. but it can be a pain to work with, not to mention all that messy resin. its something that i'm gonna mess with eventually...

 

Same here, i have an old canoe (canew) i have to put back into shape