Need some fiberglass tips

J

JRK5892

Over 1,000 Posts
hey guys... i am about to take on a project of adding some 6.5 in marine speakers to the lids of some vintage FLH saddle bags. they are Fiberglass... my plan was to cut a ring out for the speaker out of MDF board, then make some small supports for it... hot glue them in place... then stretch fleece across it, fiber glass resin, few layers of glass and resin...
my questions is... how can i get this seamless on the bags lids... i do not want it to look like 2 pieces rather 1 perfect piece... any tips?
or other ideas on how to do this???
 
I know the method you plan to use, but I can't picture in my mind just what it is exactly you are trying to do. However that's not real important; the usual method to get a very good seam is to glass it up, get it flat, smooth, and straight and then cut it where you want the seam. Its very helpful if you have a bandsaw capable of making the cut, but you can do a fine job with a cut-off-wheel as long as you are careful. Then you go back and refinish the cut itself before doing the final prep for paint.
 
Would you be able to stretch and clamp the fleece across the entire lid and just make a cap of sorts?

*wrap and roll the fleece around the bottom of the lid.
 
not a bad idea... to give you guys an idea... this is what i am going for
here is what i got, these 2 need to become 1:

1zm2etf.jpg


MDF rings
29ftes1.jpg


my goal
0907_hrbp_19_z+loud_lids+saddlebag_lid_speaker_system.jpg


1008_hbkp_01_z+bagger_concepts_bagger_noise_saddlebag_lids+speakers.jpg
 
Here's how I would attempt it. Assuming you want the center line ridge, I would build the frame on top of the existing lid. Attaching a arced piece (maybe cutting a piece of mdf to create the ridge) to the rear of the speaker ring and running (tapering) to the rear of the lid. Next tack the fleece to the ridge and around the ring and leaving plenty of material hanging over the edges of the lid. I would probably tack at the rear of the lid as well since your fabric is going to pulled pretty tight there. Once secure, start shaping from the center out. You may also be able to use a belt or band or some sort to secure the bottom of the fabric against the side of the lid. Once you have the top done, remove the belt and resin the sides. Kinda works in my mind. Hope it makes sense. Anxious to see the project. Good luck.

I sometimes make things a lot harder than they should be, so keep that in mind.
 
not a bad idea at all! i am not going to run that ridge... here is what i was thinking... let me knwo what you think...
use a hole saw and cut a hole to fit the MDF ring in the front. use a grinder and sand down 2 inches out around the hole. use hot glue to hold the ring and support udner it with wood braces. stretch some fleece and apply first round of glass resin, from here use chop mat to support it, fray the ends of the chop mat so that it would be eaiser to blend... after it cures, grind it down... from here do a milkshake of a mixture of bondo and fiberglass resin... spread that over the glass work and over the 2 inch area thatis ground down... when 80% dry go over with high grit sand paper to knock down to smooth (or close) after it cures, block sand the rest of the way till smooth... the 2 inch area ground down will help me int he blending... from there hit with primer... block out, glide coat, skim/bondo if needed, primer again... block and glide.... and i hope to be good for paint...

doing a hole in the top would allow me to anlge them and get them spot on the same for both sides... what you guys think of that plan? and flaws in there
 
Sounds like a solid plan to me. I'd try to cut as little as possible to retain all the structural stability that I could. Seems like you're putting some pretty hefty speakers into a narrow bag. And I like the idea of not running the ridge. It'll look cleaner and probably simplify things. only thing, I've never heard of the bondo resin cocktail. Do you care to explain? What's the advantages and what's the process? I'm always on the look out for stuff to make body work easier.
 
yes sir... learned the trick when i was doing my last cafe seat... think i heard it on here... if i recall off hand it is 30% bondo and 70% fiberglass resin... mix it up really good... i think it was described as a bondo milkshape... it hardents fast of course the main advangae is you can really knock it down fast and get it smooth when it is 80% dry... but it glogs paper fast! so have more on hand... really speeds up the sanding part of the body work!
 
Kick ass!!! And I got just the project to try it out on (I can always find something that needs bondo). I usually use a paste/cream hardener for bondo and the clear liquid for the resin. Do you throw them both in the milkshake?


Edit:
Nevermind, found it through search. Thanks for the info. Gonna be spending my Friday night making milkshakes and doing body work.
 
Never heard of the milkshake before but after reading all of that I would pretty much agree with the way your doing it. I would have probably stuck to just using bondo or epoxy filler rather than the milk shake though just because I've never used the milkshake. Just be super careful once that fleece is on not to get the resin on it. A lot of the guys I've worked on boats with really disapprove of chop strand but for this application I think its probably the easiest thing to use, and well its cheap.


About the milkshake, which resin are you refering to? The one I use is polyester resin, the pink one. Do I just chuck bondo which is basically just more polyester into it? What happens if I chuck epoxy filler instead of bondo into it?
 
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