The oversized insert template is taped and secured to the top of the enclosure.
Body filler was used to blend the template into the enclosure. The additional height will be used to allow the insert to drop into the area slightly, for a more dramatic effect.
INTERIOR DECISIONS INTERIOR DECISIONS
Another area I was concerned about was the top center part of the enclosure. It was very flat and plain. I had planned on contouring the filler a bit in the bottom crevices, but my concern was that it wouldn’t be enough. To address this, I cut out a tapered pattern in a shape that I thought complemented the open space. I made the piece about 1/8-inch larger than I wanted the final piece to be. My plan was to also have the insert sink into the molded area a bit, just to give it more definition. The final insert would be 3/8-inch thick, so I made the insert template out of 1/2-inch MDF. I taped up the edges of the insert template, and attached it to the top of the enclosure with double stick router tape. I then took a large router bearing and used it to trace a line about ½-inch from the insert. This line was to give me a general idea of where I needed to keep the filler applied. Now it was time to apply the filler. I used a mixture of Duraglass and Lightweight filler to blend the piece in. Once that had cured to the “green” state (not quite hard, but not gooey anymore), I sanded down the top edges flat with the template. This then gave me a flat top perimeter for the template opening.
I popped out the template insert and had a perfect recess molded in for it. The only thing left for that piece was to make the actual insert. The enclosure was going to be upholstered in an unusually thick leather, and the insert would be carbon fiber sheet. So, for the insert to fit correctly, I would need it to be smaller by the thickness of leather. I measured the thickness of the leather using some calipers and set up a router bit with that amount of step to the cut. With the ½-inch MDF piece trimmed down, I copied that to a piece of ¼-inch MDF to be used as the template for cutting and attaching the carbon fiber. One thing to note: Another way to do the blended insert is to make the insert the exact shape you want, and then pad its perimeter with foam tape. The foam adds the additional space needed for the material you will cover the pieces in. This is an acceptable technique, but I find that making the piece larger and then trimming it down results in a cleaner edge, and saves time and money. Now we have the basic enclosure. Next time, we will work on finishing the front of it, adding some lighting and then moving on to other exciting parts of the build!
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