Fiberglassing: Does temperature matter?

xero

Hunter
Hey guys, I know what the obvious answer to that question is, and it is "YES!!!"... but let me explain.

I live in Michigan, in the heart of it -- Mount Pleasant (about an hour north of Lansing). I also am a college student, which means 1) little money, 2) apartment, 3) no garage.

This means I really have a limited selection of where I choose to work on projects, and has prohibited me from going farther than I want to with things. Granted, this will be over with in December when I graduate and (hopefully) move on to a job where I have either my own apartment or a cheap house with a garage, or -something-.

Anyway, I want to continue work on things, but at the same time I don't want to begin work on something if it's going to come out wrong due to temperature.

I know fiberglassing should be done in a well ventilated area (outside) and is best at temperatures in the range of 70-90*F (I think?)... but would it be suitable to fiberglass something outside in the cold, and then bring it inside to dry? Would the fumes from the drying fiberglass be too toxic or nauseating?

Thanks all in advance for your responses... It's always thankful to have the knowledge of more experienced individuals, and I'm glad this board has plenty of you.

-Xero
 
I can't answer the question in detail, although I know Polyester resin stinks a LOT. I'm having a lot of luck at the moment with a water based / non-toxic / non-flammable substitute for polyester resin called Aqua-Resin:

http://www.aquaresin.com/

...you can use it indoors the same as you would with plaster, but it sets rock solid just like fibreglass. It still works with glass fibre mat for laminating etc.
 
I have been readin up on this and have yet to try it.
from wot I can gather FG resin IS indeed sensitive to temperature and will influence dryin and curing properly.

I also think that the resin is too toxic and smelly for use, adn even dryin indoors. And if u are living with others, and kids esp.ly, theres no way u should be using this.

I got a major problem - I live in UK and only have a small garage to work in. Intrigued by aqua resin though ;P

like I said - this is all from reading only, no experience. And I am going to wait till the summer months to try it.

Nate
 
like you said, you are going to college. do you have access to art dept facilities? since making boba fett is a creative work of art they might have a ventilated area you could use. something like an exhaust vented painting stall would do the trick.
 
Don't let it cure indors, you may be used to the smell and not realize it's effect. Temp does effect cure times, if too cold it may take days to fully cure. Humidity also effects. You can speed cure it with a heat gun.
Depending on the application, you may try other material that don't stink up the place, apoxie resin, shell-shock, etc. Try smooth-on.com and have a look at alternatives. Good luck!
Russ
 
Don't let it cure indoors, you may be used to the smell and not realize the effect. Temp and humidity also effects cure time. If too cold it could take days to fully cure. You can speed cure it with a heat gun. Also try alternative materials that don't stink up the place like apoxie resin or shell-shock. Also look up smooth-on.com for other casting and molding materials. Good luck,
Russ
Sorry about the double post, my computer bumped me off and I wasn't sure it got thru...
 
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So the consensus is, not indoors, no matter what. I figured about as much! And yes, we do have an arts department, however I am not sure how finnicky they are about letting just any old student use space / equipment. I think you have to either be an art major or have taken a sculpting class... I have done neither. And I can't do a class this late in the game with graduation in December.

Looks like I will go with Aqua Resin for the time being...

Maybe another alternative would be hot glue? If you melt a bunch of hot glue in a pie tin on the stove, and then use it as you would use resin -- brush it on sparingly -- and then apply fiberglass matting?

Just an idea... need some more alternatives if the aqua resin doesn't work out.

Also, this is partly for my long-awaited Daft Punk helmet... I wanna get this puppy done! And then I will be starting a Boba... but not before.

EDIT::: I partly just realized this MAY not work... due to the hot glue being tacky / gummy material... It would be a hassle to Dremel through if I ever needed to do further modification. Perhaps Super Glue instead? But where oh where would I find a tube of Super Glue that big?
 
bondo or any other body filler might work as well too.
but u stil need a good ventilated area. smell settles pretty quick, less toxic than FG resin.

weight may end up a problem in the long run though, depending on how much u use

Nate
 
You could maybe try polymorph / shapelock, which is prototyping plastic that melts in hot water. It's not really a liquid type of thing but you can push it into a mould if it's rigid enough.

I also found this about a guy who actually did use hot glue to make a costume (from plaster moulds):

http://www.bioweapons.com/ThermoForm.htm
 
You could try something similar to what this guy did for fibreglassing his B9:

http://www.b9robotbuildersclub.com/pub/old/LISD/B9Torso.html

... was thinking of something similar for spray painting as I'm also short of undercover outside facilities. I've got a small shed, but I find that the wind still picks up the dirt and bits get stuck in the paint.

That won't work -- apartment, remember? No basement. Good idea though.

bondo or any other body filler might work as well too.
but u stil need a good ventilated area. smell settles pretty quick, less toxic than FG resin.

weight may end up a problem in the long run though, depending on how much u use

Nate

Bondo will be going (lightly) on the outside of the helmet for structural integrity too, and to smooth out some spots. I don't think it would work entirely well for fiberglass mat...

You could maybe try polymorph / shapelock, which is prototyping plastic that melts in hot water. It's not really a liquid type of thing but you can push it into a mould if it's rigid enough.

I also found this about a guy who actually did use hot glue to make a costume (from plaster moulds):

http://www.bioweapons.com/ThermoForm.htm

Don't have a mold and don't have money to buy supplies to make a mold. So that's out of the question. And I've seen his Guyver suit before -- very impressive, but not what I'm after atm (in terms of overall item, or production techniques, etc)...

It's looking like Aqua Resin is what I will have to be using for this project, unless I want to put it off until spring again -_- which I do not want to do...

Either that, or take my helmet home with me over Thanksgiving (a day from now) and work on it in my parent's garage with fiberglass and a space heater... maybe keep the garage door open.
 
That won't work -- apartment, remember? No basement. Good idea though.

No opening windows then huh?...

Aqua Resin sounds like the thing for you anyway, I'll be interested to see how you get on with it if that's the route you choose to go down.
 
Ive been getting all my resins from Jgreer.com, which dont smell at all. I work with them outdoors anyways as I use a additive small powdery agent that floats all about the air so I always wear a respirator no matter what, but theirs no nasty smell to the resins which is a nice plus.
 
Ive been getting all my resins from Jgreer.com, which dont smell at all. I work with them outdoors anyways as I use a additive small powdery agent that floats all about the air so I always wear a respirator no matter what, but theirs no nasty smell to the resins which is a nice plus.

There may be no nasty smell, but are you sure they're not toxic? Something can be toxic and not have a smell / not have a smell within our range of smelling... right?

Oh, and yeah, my roomates would be kinda pissed if I opened the windows here (it's winter time, very cold), as well as the fact that I would have to construct that booth as well for ventilation, and our apartment is kinda small as is.
 
Im in the same boat as you Xero. I'm wanting to do some fiberglassing as well, (among other things..like painting) I live in MN, and have a garage, but not insulated. I'm forced to wait till april or may before I do anything fun again, but I usually try to focus on soft parts in the winter.
 
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