What methods do you guys use to strengthen a large fiberglass area. I remember reading of people fiberglassing rope along the area to stiffen it up but im wondering if there are any other ways.

 

Why not just layer it up some more? The rope idea can work if you don't want to add on a whole bunch of layers.

 

Depends on the contours of the area you're trying to fiberglass. If it's long and flat simply glass in a piece of MDF, or add more layers. It can get costly, yes, but it's worth both the time and price. Buy yourself some biaxial and call it a day. In the long run it's far more cost effective.

 

Well its the back portion of my sub box and its a large slightly curved area but it flexs like crazy. Right now I have 1 layer of fleece and i think 2-3 layers of fiberglass matt on. The box is in the car and i dont wanna disassemble my whole trunk to glass the thing so im looking for something that wont be super hard to glass inside the box.

Which is the best method to stiffen up the flat area is basically what im looking for. I was thinking of running some decent size rope in a back and forth pattern close together and glassing it in place, does that sound ok?

 

I always use this stuff, it bends easy, cuts easy and is just an all around great thing to have around.

I also use it to aim my mdf baffles, when I build kicks.
Oh ya it's cheap and you can go to your local CND tire, and pick it up in rolls of various widths.

Good luck with teh project...peace...SQL

 

It may be more like 4-5, i fleeced the whole top portion and then we added a bunch of mat in an X across the middle. So basically I should blue the rope on and glass it and then glass some mat over it?

Stephen - do you just fiberglass the metal strapping to the enclosure? How well does that work compared to the rope?

 

so basically the rope isnt whats going to strengthen the structure but the fiberglass mat that will form a hump over the rope gives it the strength?

I always thought that u were just suppose to glass the rope on and since the rope is made of fibers it would stiffen up like crazy.

 

Yes it's fibreglassed over, I've only either used banding, mesh or mdf.


However:
I asked a profesional fibreglass boat builder here once a question about reinforcing fibreglass, his quote: "Any material/s that is compatible, metal, wood, rope, mesh(plastic, metal, kevlar or carbon fibre).. etc.. added to the interior walls of a fibreglass mold, will add to the overall strength, as they're impregnatted right into the overall construction"

I've also seen threaded rod used, bolted to each end(length and width)and then glassed over. This greatly reduces the side to side flexing.