Fiberglass Mat

[stormcrow]

When you work with fiberglass matt what you need to do is lay the dry fiberglass down on a flat surface and soak it with resin.

Once this is completed, lay it over the area you are going to make the mold out of then with a 2" china brush, start dabbing the fiberglass into place and add more resin if needed.

Don't be afraid to work it for it will form the area you place it on and it will not come off.

Steve

"A Porsche does more then just go fast in a straight line"

[nineball]

using a fiberglass roller will dramatically improve your results. i rip the mat into 2"x 2" pieces and dab a spot in the middle of each to hold it on to the surface. next i dab all over with a 2" wide brush cut down to a 1" length to fully soak all the pieces. go over everything with the roller to get rid of air and then add another layer and dab a little more resin as needed, but since i purposely put a little too much on the first layer it all works out in the end.

[HunterVonWurst]

Are we talkin' fiberglass cloth or mat (or does it matter)?

[nineball]

when building up layers i use mat as it is much thicker. i usually use 1.5oz.


mat



cloth

[proffighter]

If you are working like these examples shown, you are using way too much of resin and this ends up in a weaker and heavier part.

The use of this batting like stuff is cheap, but only good for covers with no load, but a big mess to work with any way.

A good fiber cloth can be draped very good, is multiple stronger and will give a light and firm part.

Here are some instructions (only German, but a lot are with pics, so even if you don't understand well, useful):

suter swiss composite group

[nineball]

are you talking about the pics i posted? i certainly hope not, because you are making way too many assumptions that are incorrect.

[sc_rufctr]

I just make a big mess... Bits of fibreglass and resin everywhere. (gloves are next to useless)

Stuck to my fingers and scissors and everything... Then the resin starts to get warm and that my queue to get moving.

But seriously. A bit of practice and you find your own way to do this.
Be organised and prepare the fibre glass as best you can before mixing the resin.
Push it in place and keep working it. Mix up smaller lots of resin at first until you get the hang of it.
Work it until the glass is saturated.

And try and have some fun with it.

Can you tell i enjoy fibre glassing?

[proffighter]

Originally Posted by nineball

are you talking about the pics i posted? i certainly hope not, because you are making way too many assumptions that are incorrect.

"...a little more resin as needed..." In composite business you would use a peel ply to get surplus resin away. If not, there is way too much resin on the part and this highly weakens the part. Maybe the pics are not that clear, but the first part on top with the 2 holes in looks very shiny, to me a sign of resin excess.

Here you can download a very good manual from one of the leading companies in Europe (it is in English too):

http://www.swiss-composite.ch/pdf/i-Handbuch-alt.pdf

[proffighter]

I just have seen there is a newer version of the manual, a bit less info, but much nicer to look at (English too ):

http://www.swiss-composite.ch/pdf/i-Handbuch-Neu-edition-06-09.pdf

There you'll find all info from calculation to how to do everything

[nineball]

maybe we just have a communication breakdown i only use enough resin to fully wet the 2 layers per session that i use. the first layer does get a little extra resin but that is used up when applying the second layer with the roller which gets minimal, if any, resin added. the shiny part is a result of the material used to make the initial form. it is comparable to lycra (think women's gymnastic outfits) in that it is very thin and stretches in every way, however once it has a very thin coat of resin to hold it's shape and form my base it appears very shiny. it is just a byproduct of the reaction with the polyester resin.


no resin applied



resin applied



glass applied (note that this pic was taken just after i finished applying the mat and resin, so it was still wet)

[proffighter]

Ahhh this pics are much clearer

Sorry for missunderstanding from myside

And what is this nice part?

[nineball]

this was a build for car audio. the holes were going to house 2 10" speakers and the platforms were for amplifiers. sadly my shop was broken into before it was completed and not only were all my tools stolen but they destroyed the box with a sledgehammer. here are some computer renderings of what the final product would have looked like.

[nineball]

btw, the parts i make go through the 300lb test. i have a guy who works with me occasionally when i build these parts and he weights ~300lbs. since there will be tremendous pressure on the parts i make from the woofers i have him stand on all the parts i make. if they flex i add more layers

[proffighter]

Originally Posted by nineball

... if they flex i add more layers

Or he stands up quick

[nineball]

heh. i learned long ago to have him carefully step onto them.

[proffighter]

Here you can see one of my projects using fiberglass:

Homemade Whaletail

[nineball]

very nice work. now we just have to get you off that street bike and on to a proper cruiser...

[proffighter]

NO WAY!!!

BTW I made the Monocoque rear out of fiberglass too

[wayner]

to see how to work with fiberglass, do a youtube search for "917 part"
Gunnar racing does a great restoration series.

[sc_rufctr]

Originally Posted by proffighter

Here you can see one of my projects using fiberglass:

Homemade Whaletail

Just had a look at this thread. I'm impressed... Beats trying to source a good rubber edge!