Good question. I hate fibreglass and would normally go for epoxy. Poly dissolves most foam, epoxy not so much. Most people have easier access to fibreglass and the poster didn’t specifically say what kind. I threw out the link and warning as that’s the one that really needs a barrier.
Thanks @Nomad, your thread does cover more detail of the actual process. good stuff!
Because it’s often about 1/3 of the price. Perhaps irrelevant at smaller amounts, but if you buy resin by the 55gallon drum, it gets crazy expensive. Polyester resin is still the standard in production shops. Big Ben uses poly resin, as do pretty much all surfboard makers. But yeah, for one-off DIY, poly sucks if you’re not used to it.
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Epoxy won’t hurt the foam. Polyester resin will. Epoxy doesn’t stink like polyester resin and is more forgiving cause the dry time. Also dont use poly on carbon fiber but for the buildup its fine. Also if using poly …sand between coats cause it most likely has wax in it that comes to the surface. They do sell wax free thou
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I can tell you that epoxy absolutely dissolves the foam I used (linked above).
I’m looking at a lumpty-dumpty quasi-modo abomination of an enclosure right here to prove it, lol
Not all foams will dissolve in epoxy or poly resin, tho. Surfboard foam comes to mind, but the foam I linked was the only kind I could get at the time. I recommend testing a scrap of foam first before trusting that it won’t melt.
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cough cough photos cough cough
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it’s on the frankenboard.
I sanded and patched the outside but the inside is dog ugly.
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This is what I have so far using the home depot method…
I have about 3 layers of this stuff on there, plus probably 80-90% of the famowood resin. It feels stiff if I try to bend it longways, but I can flex the enclosure if I hold each of the short ends and twist; should I add another layer or two of glass? Or is that normal
(also ignore the bits of tape, I don’t think I used enough wax and waited too long so it basically mixed with the resin and now there’s a slight green tint)
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Dude!
This looks awesome! Nice work!
It’s always going to flex unless you go retarded thick with it. I would smooth it out as much as possible then skin it with something nice. the trick is to prop it up so that the main flat surface is level and float the resin on top. makes that surface smooth like glass
ok, who am I kidding, I would bolt it up and ride the bejezzus out of it before it even cures 
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Thanks 
For my first one I’m pretty happy with how it came out
ahhh okay okay I thought I didn’t use enough resin or something
Yeah that was the tricky part, especially with the concave of the deck, the enclosure basically lets any excess resin slide off the edges 
. Buut I did get to do one thin gloss coat to even it out before sanding.
Once the reinforcements dry I might do a little more sanding on the edges because they aren’t the smoothest (though likely not since they’re kinda thin and I’m running out of resin and I want this thing done lul) then paint it black. I was thinking of doing a carbon wrap, but I don’t want to risk a signal cutout downtown 
remember, this will be upside down as you see it now.
So you can cover it in carbon as long as the deck is still wood.
Even then you can just leave a little cutout in the carbon deck right over the receiver and no worries.
as it is, it’s already waaaay stronger than any ABS enclosure, I’m sure
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Ahh okay. I thought if there was any amount of cf there would be some problematic interference. I might do it then, though tbh im kinda sick of working with resin for now so maybe later
This is how you know it’s done
Spray it, ride it, make the next one better 
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My turn to add onto it! So I decided to use a positive mold since I didn’t have the time or patience for a negative, and I had to use double the amount of resin and fiberglass you used. It’s about 22" long, 7" wide and 2" at it’s thickest to fit a monster of a 12s6p battery in.
Against all my best judgement I decided to make a segmented enclosure… Which works great when it’s a negative mold but was a pain in the ass for a positive mold. I also used polyester resin (just the labeled fiberglass resin at home depot) since I work in a big wood shop and had the space.
You can see just how lumpy and ugly it turned out lol. I gotta say the most important as ice I can give that I wish I had followed initially is to not cut the mat but to tear it up. The strands round corners very well but the thick cut ends do not, it’s what caused so many air bubbles, popped out corners, and even gaps
Close up shot to just how ugly it is lol
After sanding I had 4-6 holes in the thing on too of air gaps, but despite me wanting to smash the thing as I was making it, after a good night’s sleep I decided it’s salvageable. Patching was much easier once I started tearing the mat instead of cutting it and it’s actually starting to look half decent. Once I sand it and paint it I’m sure it’ll be fine
But for anyone else who’s interested in making an enclosure, let me say this. DO NOT MAKE ONE TO SAVE MONEY, I guarantee you you won’t save money on it unless you consider your time worthless. Even then, the tools and stuff you have to buy almost equal the fiberglass and resin costs. I made one because I wanted a decent looking thing that was tough and perfectly fit my deck and that’s what Im going for. If you want perfect and cheap, buy one from a vendor, especially if you’re using a popular deck.
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How did it go fitting the cloth around the corners? I have both cloth and mat, and I’m thinking a mat layer then a cloth layer.
Definitely.
I bought my next 3 enclosures
Haha, doesn’t look that bad to me, lol.
It’s easy to smooth out those peaks with a surform while it’s still curing, or within about a week of layup.
There are no mistakes in fiberglass, only more sanding😂
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Haha the peaks sand down just fine, actually it looks okay after sanding and patching so I’m happy so far, especially since I was so close to throwing it all in the trash while making it!
I just can’t imagine making this thing without a power sander. It’s the only real way to get a smooth finish with a positive mold lol
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The first layer went on without many issues. I kinda just mushed it in there once I wet it out enough with resin, then I baby sat it for like a hour or so, rolling it when it came off the mold. I’d also come periodically once the resin got tacky to keep pushing it back down
But once I did the 2nd and 3rd layers (at the same time) I cut a slit at each corner so the mat would conform a bit better to the corners and baby sat it again lol. I did have some air gaps, but you can fix those with resin/fiberglass mat once its cured and after sanding
+1 on that bro. Especially if you wan to make it look good. Even just materials cost is stupid, if you are making female mould and buying wood, filler, paint, fabric, resin, sandpaper etc. etc. I’m making a segmented enclosure at the moment also and it’s a crap ton of time and work. 
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