fiberglassing

[Endo]

anyone have any tips for fiberglassing. I just need some basics I'm trying to build an angle on a flat peice of metal.

[Starbuck3733T]

don't work with any tools you want to reuse, mixup the resin and the catalyst 'cold' rather than 'hot' and work Outside. definitly use rubber gloves.

Saturate the 'glass with resin and then smooth it out on to hte surface. cutting a few sheets to fit doesn't hurt either.

[Darv]

Be very careful when you're using it. Fibreglass is very nasty stuff to get in your lungs.

[Endo]

Ok that stuffs a given I mean like forming it and makeing things with it I know you need some kinda support to make say an angle on a flat peice of metal kinda like this < but if the bottum was level I mean can you tack it to a raised portion and do one layer of glass and then do like 2-3 more layers of matt after the first one has dryed to give structural rigidity or do you have to have some kinda of solid foundation for it? and another question I have been working on some stuff with fiberglass for a while and today I just ran out of my hardener after I had pured it in my cup and with like 10 drops of hardener will it just take longer for the resin to harden or does it never fully cure? I'm gonna try and get some pics of what I am doing up soon I just need to get my memory card reader plugged into this comp and it only has 2 usb ports so I will do that tonight

[Da_Rude_Baboon]

You could try making a wedge out of polystyrene covered in tin foil and forming the fibre-glass around that?

[Starbuck3733T]

I made the mold for the radiator shroud on goliath out of MDF and then covered it in a thin layer of turtle wax. fiberglass does not like to conform to 90 bends, so round your edges to get better conformance. (is that a word?)

[Pug]

I do have plans for a fibreglass workshop/tutorial thread at some point - it's truly versatile, very strong and perfect for case mods.

When I made the bezel mods for my chieftec Hex, I used a thin lightweight aluminium mesh generally sold at auto body repair supply stores.
It can be cut to shape with scissors, bent & formed by hand; then used to 'glass over.
(it's the fine hole stuff you can see in this pic)
http://www.wizarddesigns.co.uk/images/bridgeIn.jpg
[Edit] Hmm, better pics here- http://forums.bit-tech.net/showpost.php?p=369083&postcount=58

There are many other approaches too - check out mashie's bug http://www.wizdforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=531
and how he made his shell -
http://www.mashie.org/casemods/y2k14.html

Depends on the application really.

[Endo]

I understand something that extensive would need a mold but what I am doing is making a permanant bezel on the front of a comp and I need to bring the fiberglass up like 7/8" to make the drives flush and I am wondering so I need a structure for that or can I just drape the matte till I get a nice swoop?