Has anyone tried making a custom case with fiberglass?

[mzero]

Hi,
I'd love to have CNC aluminium case for my first build, but it's expensive, and probably I will custom paint it, so it will be more expensive. It will be my last option after evaluating several cases.

I've already ordered the PCB, keycaps and switches and I need a case. After looking for options I've watched several DIY projects with fiberglass on youtube: boats, costume armors (halo, gear of wars, you name them...). such this project : http://www.xrobots.co.uk/IM6/. The process seems to be pretty simple and I've never tried before, so the fun is to learn a new skill

I wonder if anyone has tried to make a custom case with fiberglass? About the prices is ok, my only concern is the acoustic resonance, but I think I can control. Any experience that can be shared, opinions?

Thanks!

[lowpoly]

When you do that, don't save on safety gear. I usually use a Moldex 8000 mask with A2 gas filters or P2 particle filters.

If you do shapes where you have to get close to the mold with your eyes, for example if you are laminating inside an almost closed shape, then get a mask with eye protection like this one. Getting the fumes into your eyes from short distance is not funny. Also, with this mask you can feel like Breaking Bad.

You need the gas filters during molding and the particle filters while sanding/cutting. You need both when painting so I have two kinds of particle filters, the second type fits on top of the gas filters.

Don't touch this stuff, get nitril gloves, for ex. Get disposable overalls or a lab coat so the dust doesn't settle in your clothes and you take it home.

No laminating below 20 degrees Celsius. If you do it indoors you have to figure out where the gases go and where the dust goes. I don't know how you live but you don't want these in your apartment.

If you have to do it indoors get proper ventilation. You need a ventilator pulling air out of the room at a high rate.

My polyester cures quickly which was a pain until I began using a retarder.

Polyester may stay sticky when not closed from air while curing (like in a mold). This usually doesn't affect your gel coat as it is covered by the mold and the glass layers. But the polyester you use for glass layers can stay sticky if you don't get the right type. IIRC it has to contain paraffinium (?) to not stay sticky.

When everything works you can create thin and light cases which are quite stable.

You can use Smooth-On Mold Max 30 for mold making. Fun stuff.

Bad news is, if you do it right it will probably cost you more than an aluminum case. You have to do more than one case to save in the end.

Edit: get something like a Bosch PMF-180 for cutting. It vibrates (instead of rotating) which is safer for your hands and won't throw the dust everywhere like a rotating disk does.

[mzero]

Many thanks lowpoly for your time and advices. For now I'm just looking alternatives, fiberglass was an option but probably I won't use it for safety issues because I live in an apartment I don't know where else to do it.
I've just found the 3M di noc carbon fiber, that can give a nice look to my project, at the end I can use an 60% plastic/aluminium case and wrap it with that carbon fiber. But I'm still looking for option to make a custom case with some hard plastic or any material , and then wrap it or paint it.

[lowpoly]

You can use 1mm aluminum sheet, cut and bend it:



Then close the cuts with kneadable aluminum epoxy.

[Findecanor]

I've done a couple of small prop/costume things in fibreglass, but mostly as reinforcement. I have used auto-body filler a lot more, and it contains the same kind of resin - polyester - as is often used for fibreglass, so it has the same kind of fumes.

Because of polyester's fumes, I have transitioned completely to using epoxy resin for all my fibreglass and my larger-scale filling. Some types of epoxy may smell foul up close but it doesn't have fumes. It is better for reinforcing cosplay-armour because it flexes under load where as polyester would often break. Epoxy is much much better as an adhesive.
I have used cheap 1:1-epoxy from small tubes, and it worked fine. I use epoxy + filling powders instead of auto body filler. The advanced stuff is available at boating supply stores, as wood boats are often made with epoxy, or epoxy is the best adhesive for repairs of boats made of laminated/wood.
Polyester dissolves polystyrene/styrofoam/ABS etc. which epoxy does not, so epoxy-resin is often used for laminating fibreglass when making surfboards with a styrofoam core.
Epoxy is also toxic, so you need to take the same precautions as with polyester when cutting and sanding. It is more expensive than polyester resin, even when buying in bulk.

I have considered making a case out of fiberglass-reinforced paper. Polyester resin is often used for reinforcing papercraft, but that is mostly because it is very cheap and it seeps into the fibres.
Right now on my workbench I am working on a case of interlocking pieces of thin wood, and it is looking very flimsy so I am considering reinforcing it with a strip of fibreglass tape around the perimeter. Epoxy is the only resin/adhesive I would use for that.

[lowpoly]

Epoxy is also toxic, so you need to take the same precautions as with polyester when cutting and sanding.

I think the reason why I stayed away from Epoxy is that you cannot touch it with the thin disposable Nitril gloves (the blue ones). It will go through these within minutes (says Wikipedia). And the thicker yellow nitril gloves - well, it's hard to do fine work with them.

But I didn't realize the elasticity is so much better than Polyester. Thanks for that info.

[mzero]

You can use 1mm aluminum sheet, cut and bend it:



Then close the cuts with kneadable aluminum epoxy.

Did you make it? Could you post more pics, please? How does it feel?... I'm still looking for a place to work with fiberglass but I might buy the aluminium case at the end

[JBert]

That is the elusive miniguru prototype.

Lowpoly is quite the tease, for more pictures check out the original making-of thread on Geekhack.

[mzero]

Really nice job!

[cookie]

I feel so tempted to such a miniguru!