cal196 said:
That stuff smells so bad, I almost passed out reinforcing something.
Oh yes Plenty of ventilation is required in my rulebook!
Just a couple of pointers covered elsewhere, but since you are on the subject of products.
Fibreglass resins comes in several different types and the two main used types by proppers are Jelly/Putty and Regular resin. The Jelly and putty is often like bondo or regular fiberglass jelly. The jelly sets much harder than bondo tho and you look for hardness when buying. The jelly and putties (also called fillers) can be used easily and fill up gaps fairly well.
The regular resin is messier (as stated in above posts) and tends to level itself as it is a liquid and often times is difficult to work with on verticle applications (unless spread fairly thin, which is the best method anyway, several thin coats).
Resin/Hardener mix is very important, follow the package instructions. I also use the plastic caps they provide as a mixing bowl, after the resin has hardened you can just flex the bowl and break out the resin and reuse. Also if the resin/hardener is not mixed properly, then you r mix may take too long to harden, or not harden at all, harden to quickly, or unevenly harden leaving "slow" spots that take longer to dry than their surrounding area. Finally when the mix becomes "gloppy" or "chunky" (doesnt move uniformly when stirred) then it is starting to harden and you should stop using it as it will leave uneven areas on a surface.
The methods and other items are coverein in other threads here on the board.
Also Wal-Mart, and K-Mart have the resins and materials in their automotive section typically with the automotive paints.
Also some fiberclass will not stick to certain surfaces for very long unless they have been roughed up. Most smooth plastics and metal fall in this category, sand the smooth surfaces first.
Here is a quick guide
1. Work outdoors or use ventilation and a mask!
2. Clean item free of dust/loose paint, etc...
For bodymaking (freeform, as in you shape/ sand the peice without a mold)
1. Sand item if needed
2. Start with a layer of resin by itself applied to the area you want to cover, if its a repair, follow the instructions on the can.
3. While the first layer is still wet lay down the mat or weave and saturate the top of the mat or weave with more resin. Let this dry.
4. Fill gaps where needed after the resin and material have dried. You can use all kinds of things to fill the gaps such as bondo, superglue and baking soda, or spackle/joint filler.
5. Repeat Items 1-5 as needed for stronger applications.
6. Sand
7. Seal with a final layer of resin
Using moulds its the same method as above but do not sand and use a gap filler. and when you pull the item from the mould you can sand and use a gap filler then.
There are several threads here that cover these in a finer detail here on these and the other board areas (helmet, jet pack, etc...) good search terms are:
Resin Fiberglass Fibreglass Putty Jelly Gap Filler
