The right tools

Anything goes in the world of fiberglass and plastic

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 28, 2012 2:20 pm
I occasionally make the odd grp piece but I've never really had the correct tools.

I made something a while back off a mould I'd constructed.Due to the nature and shape of the item the mould was internal,ie I glassed over it.Subsequently it has a rough finish,bare matting.
I'd now like to cover this in tissue and add a gelcoat finish.

Should I be using a paddle roller like these to get the smoothest finish ?
http://www.cfsnet.co.uk/acatalog/CFS_Ca ... s_459.html



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PostPosted: Tue May 29, 2012 4:41 am
Those are great at ensuring any air is expelled and getting uniform adhesion, but if your part has the rough side showing, ie. the side that was in contact with the smooth mould is actually the back of the part, then I think you're going to have limited success trying to achieve a high quality smooth finish with additional glass and gel coat alone.

It's difficult enough when your part comes off the mould with the shiny side showing, but if you're starting with the bare matting, you'll probably have to use filler to achieve a smooth surface.

Did you use chopped matting or woven roving? how fine grade was the glass?

If the mould is small enough to fit in an oven, you might consider getting some pre-impregnated fine grade woven roving, cover the mould, run over it with that roller and bake it. That will give you pretty much the smoothest surface you can get when you're matting-side-up. This will give the gel coat a decent head-start when covering the matting and looking smooth.

do you have any photos?

Nick

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PostPosted: Tue May 29, 2012 2:58 pm
Hmmm,I've been using some rather heavy matting which doesn't help with intricate moulding and flanges etc, but in the end I just added a layer of lightweight tissue and this gave an acceptable finish for this particular part.

Cheers
Daz

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