I’ve tried this before with my first build, hopefully I’m successful with my second. Finishing up my E-MB build, and I’m hoping there’s someone out there interested in making 2 enclosures from Carbon Fiber for me. The shape would be rectangles. Inside space needed 200x145x40. My deck is 198mm wide, flange area to bolt the enclosure down.
I made an ok enclosure with Kydex, but I would love to get an official enclosure made. I would try it myself, but I honestly don’t have the work space to perform this kind of project.
Making an enclosure out of fiber usually requires the deck it will be installed on to fit properly. Otherwise you’ll be better off with the kydex. Even if the deck may not look curved but it probably has some crazy subtle compund curves. If not,the deck sucks and spending a lot of time and/or money on an enclosure will be like putting lipstick on a pig
Ok, So if i wanted to make a Carbon Fiber enclosure, can I simply take my Buck, cover it with the proper material (Masking, release chemicial layer), and just lay the Carbon Fiber sheet over it and then removing the buck? I’ve been searching the process and it seems confusing to me that I would make a mold from the buck to then fill with Carbon fiber, instead of just laying the carbon fiber on top of the buck and doing it that way.
I made a thread briefly outlining the process of making a one-off enclosure. I had a proper shop to make mine, but I’ve seen pics of dudes doing this in their bathroom (!). If you want to start down that path, I’m happy to help fill in some of the detail left out of the post if you send me a PM.
It takes some time and a good tough effort but I feel like it was worth it and would do it again if there wasn’t already one premade by gurus like @BigBen. His enclosures are next level but he needs a MOQ to make it worth his while (popular decks like the EVO, for example).
Yup. Need some epoxy in there but that’s one way to do it.
Exterior finish will be as good as your layup and top coat of epoxy is.
Vac bagged mine and (because it broke removing the buck) skinned it with another layer.
