Fiberglass around corners?

Anything goes in the world of fiberglass and plastic



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PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:03 pm
There has got to be a secret to it. This is the one thing I can't stand about laying fiberglass. Right now I am working on a custom hood scoop on a 88 Fiero. The scoop has 90 degee bends and several that are more than 90degrees. I have done very minor repairs before but I cant figure out how to make the fiberglass stay when I try to go around a sharp corner. Right now I have some fiberglass cloth folded under some weights to see if it will stay while I lay it, but I have my doubts. I have thought about laying some out flat and spraying it with stiff hair spray to see if help make it bendable. I know there has to be some way because I doubt that a company that lays fibrglass for a living, be it a boat or a Kit car body pays multipe people to stand around each mold flattening every turn until it cures!

Whats the secret?

Vinny



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PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:44 pm
Smaller pieces, however small they need to be to conform to your contours....torn or frayed edges so they 'grab' or 'intertwine with the next pieces. I used a small 1" paint brush to work the resin in and get the pieces to settle in and get the air out....multiple layers yada yada...



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PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 7:54 pm
A piece over the fold/corner, then other pieces over the top, almost butting up to hold the edges down? Like sticky tape when taping a piece of paper over a folded edge.



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PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 8:26 pm
I have tryed small peices in the past but they still want to buck up I guess you can say. I even thought about spray glue to hold the cloth to the shapes and then apply resin

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PostPosted: Wed Mar 12, 2008 11:09 pm
I turn that kind of thing into a "tacking" process. I wet out my cloth but leave it dry toward the outer edges outside the area I'm working on. Then I use super glue and accelerator to just tack it down with dots of glue as I pull it down in place. You just grind the dots off when you're done. I also use a serrated roller to get the air out which seems to let it lay down much better. Another thing that seems to work better for me although more expensive is I'm using epoxy resins instead of the regular stuff. West epoxies in particular seem to really "wet out" your cloth and matt better.
Metal, wood, fiberglass, we work it all... www.furniturephysicians.com We can restore the irreplaceable!



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PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 7:21 am
I was just wondering but does the kind of resin have anything to do with it? Sence I am just working on small projects I am using polyester resin from Wally world and there cloth. I beleave its Bondo brand. I've been wanting to buy some wax free but just havent yet.

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PostPosted: Thu Mar 13, 2008 8:54 am
Yeah, there are some things that do dial into resins. First I never buy regular fiberglass resins at discount places like that because they don't do enough volume for the peroxide hardner to be fresh. That hardner is produced in batches with definite time limits on it's ability to "kick" the resin. My paint jobber sells a lot of stuff so I know his product is fresh.
Second, I do think some epoxies "wet out" and hold down the cloths and matt better. This last small part had a 90 degree fold at the edge that only went out about 1/2 inch. I used chopped up matt on the outside fold to get my shape and strengthened it from the inside with cloth lay up. Stuff all folded right into place.
Metal, wood, fiberglass, we work it all... www.furniturephysicians.com We can restore the irreplaceable!



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PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:35 pm
I've never used cloth, so I don't know about that. I always use 1 1/2 oz. mat. To get sharp bends to lay down, all I ever do is pull the mat apart (in thickness) giving you 3/4 oz mat. Since it's not nearly as thick, it conforms perfectly.

Hope this helps
Dan



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PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:25 pm
Well as matter of fact I just tryed going around the edge that I am talking about and ended up having to discard the cloth and resin. As fast as pushed it down it pop right back up leaving a hollow void on both sides of the crack.

What ounce fabric and cloth do you recon the Wal-mart stuff is?

Seems to me the answer is a stickier resin.



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PostPosted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:54 pm
Well I just made a purchase from Fiberglast for some 1.5 ounce mat and some .750 mat. Also some Poly resin (wax free for no sanding between coats) and hardener. Maybe that will do it. Hope so anyway!

Vinny
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