if i were to use a fleece fabric with a design already on it after applying the fiberglass resin would the design still show?

and it will also need to be sanded i know but after that can anything be done to restore the design, make it glossy even?

It will show through the resin BUT it will look like crap because all resins have a hew to them. On top of that you NEVER want to make a box out of strictly fleece... The fleece is a starter material ONLY. It in itself is not strong enough to withstand the pounding of bass.(too thin, etc)

what would i use with it and more importantly how expensive is it?

resin gets expensive after awhile. But you need to coat the box in a few layers of fiberglass matte as well. By few I mean it really depends on the stregnth of the woofer. 2-6 maybe more layers.

Oh and when you go to buy resin dont screw around just buy the gallon jug. You'll wish you did after you cook through the tiny one. You may also want to get extra hardener.

so it isnt really another material its just another liquid that helps with hardening. is that right.

fiberglass matte is a material... Also known as kitty hair amongst a few other names.

Fleece in itself cannot do all the work with resin alone. You will need more substance or it will be a half assed box.

Oh also, Do not plan a huge intriquete box as your first project. Try something simple and work up. I guarantee that being a rookie even with supervised help it wont turn out how you invisioned it. Everyones first even second or third time does not look the best.

And I can tell you are new to it so its fine, Im not ragging on ya or anything just set goals low and then work big. Youll find out real quick why having it 'professionally' done is expensive....also dont have any skin showing, you'll regret it(I typically wear surgical gloves, sweatshirt, jeans, boots, safety goggles, and respirator)

ya, i know about the effects of fiberglass on skin, i have had it happen before, it hurts forever. where can you get the matte i went to wallmart and they have a lot of fleece but everything looks to fancy for a box, cept they did have some camo fleece that i thought was cool. where do you suggest getting the materials from? any help i can get i greatly appreciated. after all i am a newb but hay everyone has to start somewhere. and i agree to start small i now i will mess up so i plan to practice.

Well you want a thin fleece. One that is very very stretchable and giving. Hope Depot or Lowes has a lot of fiberglass products. Matte, mesh, etc. You can also get stuff called kitty hair...its just matte thats broken up already. Matte and mesh and the like are in sheets and are folded and packaged. The resin is in just a big gallon tin.

The biggest things I have to stress is the respirator and goggles. This shit stinks(in an unhealthy way). Get a respirator with replaceable filters. If you plan to do it as much as I did/do youll find it cheaper in the long run. They run around 30 bucks. You'll still smell it just not as much and it wont be as bad for you.

For your final layer you'll want to do it with a urethane/epoxy/putty resin...gives it an easy/smooth feel and is easy to sand. Not to mention it is flexible and makes for a nice coat for the final thing(paint, carpet, whatever) to adhear to

thank you for your help, i really appreciate it.

would 1/4 inch wafer board work for a normal box?

Way too thin. Any sub 6"-10" should be at least 1/2" of the pressed glued sawdust. Any decent 10", or larger, should be minimum 3/4".

^^^

so for like an alpine type E 12" sub an ideal box would be about an inch thick? :? thats realy thick. thick=wieght. i would like to avoid that, what could i do as a substitute for wood, is fiberglass the best way to go?

go to alpine's site, 99% of the time, a speaker manufactor will but box info on there site

Yea and the type e isnt that powerful...just an FYI

It is their weakest sub

Yea, whats the 12" Type-X im gettin to replace my 2 12" Volfenhags? O yea, I found it for just over $250 shipping. Gonna use 2 seperate amps on it. 1000 watts RMS, 3000 watts MAX.

3/4" MDF found at Lowes/Home Depot is optimum for sub boxes. Make shure u predrill EVERY hole and use 2.25" screws.

The type x pounds to all holy hell...good luck with the zx2 body panels not rattling. Seriously. That 1 12 will out perform those 2 easily....

I personally would just go with the type r myself. Or go away from alpine all together and get a infinity 12.1

Yea, I stumbled across it one day browsing the I-net and the next day my dad needed to get new wireless head phones for his computer and for the basement TV so we went to Tweeter in Harrisburg and I told him that I was going to go to the audio section and check everything out. I went around the corner and saw that they dealt Alpine and looked down and there at the bottom was the Type-X. I got a guy that works there and he practically knew all the specs and has heard them in custom installs. He went into the back room and got out a bass test CD and popped it into the one Head Unit in the wall. He had it powered throw an Alpine 1000w amp and started it up. LET ME TELL U, IT CRANKS. It was in a ported box tuned @ 45Hz. That cone was moving in and out at least 2" and it wasn't even up all the way. I was standing about 5-7ft away from it and my pants and shirt were vibrating towards and away from the sub. Tweeter wants like $500 for it. They shut the door and let me mess around w/ the settings and I turned it up and WOW. Enough said, my fingers hurt now from typing this.

i know type E is weak but it is cheap and works well with the amp i have at the moment. i cant start big like other people. later i do intend to move up the ladder to better things. until then i am stuck with what i can afford.

YEA, i know how u feel. I hardly have money for my car. O yea, im will be as old as my post # this coming December 31st!!!! Just being random

now if i had money i would be wanting to get the JL W6 and get at least four of them and an amp for each one. plus much more additions.

Im not a fan of JL...its not crisp enough for me. I know it is the end all be all to everyone. But I like a good clean aluminum or carbon fiber cone. And the price a JL costs you could have the same performance out of another sub for a 1/3 the price. They are highly overated...

I was actually very suprised with how much I like the Inifinity series of subs because they are plastic coned...

The type-e does very good for being a low-mid end sub. Nothing to be ashamed of. Now if you were buying pyramid or legacy...then you have something to be ashamed of.

my plans:
Once I have all my stuff installed(performance/handling, about 3000 worth laying around...very sad) I will be embarking on a completely custom trunk. I have my system I want now...Im just going to be glassing some sick CJW shit into it. My entire interior is being redone in custom cloth with CJW stitching and carbon fiber insets...Ill be getting a new headunit as well...tired of the 7" in dash dvd player

the W6 is pretty good though. carbon fiber cone, kevlar enforced, and somewhere i read like some 3000W each but that might be the peak. but ya they are expensive. like 515 for one 12".

Yep and you can get a subwoofer for half that cost that performs just as good(specs, sound clarity, excursion, etc). They are overated and at this point you are paying for the name...

Type X--Cone Material CarbnFibr/Aluminum/Kevlar

For specs - - http://www.crutchfield.com/S-kc2DNhQ8SFj/c...=500SWX1242#Tab

where Im gettin it - - http://www.etronics.com/product.asp?icatid...42d&svbname=293

ya i know about the type X's and the R's and many more, i do research on a lot of things that i am interested to get so that i can get what will get the job done. and i found an X for 69.99 on ebay so if i wanted i could just do that but i am still looking around. the W6 just looked like something that would blow eardrums and drop jaws at the same time.