Fiber Glassing Tips

[409T]

3M makes the best sandpaper. I used to spend over $500.00 per month on sandpaper, used every type that I could find and always came back to 3M.

 

[Neshkoro]

Damn. You must do a whole lot of sanding!

 

[choppinczech]

3M makes the best sandpaper. I used to spend over $500.00 per month on sandpaper, used every type that I could find and always came back to 3M.

I like some of the Norton products too. Like the BlueFire sanding belts. They're a Zirconia Alumina and last forever.

 

[choppinczech]

How do you coat the final coat to finish drying? Doesn’t it need absence of air to dry? I think I’m going to try that Sunflash stuff. It’s $94 on Amazon. I will lose enough to to much kicker to make the difference I think.

You can add a surfacing agent to your last layer too. It simply adds wax to the last batch you mix up.

Pint Can, Surface Agent

 

[old round fart]

Thanks! That will be a good way to go too.

 

[choppinczech]

Consider using Coremat in your layups. It makes parts super stiff.

I like the 2mm Xi version. It's easy to saturate and turns from blue to white when wetted out.

Here you can see it sandwiched into the layers of my door skins.

 

[PotvinGuy]

Coremat! My body was about as sturdy as the box it came in. Layered it with Coremat and now it's solid.

 

[DonnyRay]

I used Coremat when i made my custom dashboard. It's great stuff.

 

[choppinczech]

Anyone need some 3/4 oz. mat?

This would last a while.

Fiberglass Mat (Chopped Strand) 3/4 oz, MASSIVE ROLL - APPROX 7000yds, 48 or 42" | eBay

 

[DonnyRay]

OMG ! That is way too much 3/4 oz fiberglass mat for an individual garage or backyard shop owner to manage. That large roll of 3/4 oz fiberglass mat , has large industrial manufacturer written all over it.

 

[old round fart]

So does a $10,000 price tag!

 

[DonnyRay]

Si si mi amigo . Es muy grande dolores. Su caro es muy bueno ! Yes my friend. That's alot of money. Your car is great !

 

[choppinczech]

I want to show a couple of examples of using OEM plastic parts to build off of. Ebay is chock full of cheap used stuff.

Here I used something like this Chrysler insert for my dash. Not the same part but you get the idea.





And a 96-00 Honda Civic center console to build off of for my console.





I sliced off the top of my B&M shifter console to use the mounting surface.





This was the finished plug with marked parting lines. So that's the actual original plastic console, some MDF, bondo, cardboard etc. underneath some high build primer.



And a mold was made from the plug.



Since it's an exact copy of the original, I can use the cup holder/cubby made for the console and mounts in the factory spots.

 

[Indycars]

Very nice and impressive !

 

[choppinczech]

Try some 7725 2X2 Modified Twill for curves and contours. It drapes and conforms really well.

 

[choppinczech]

These empty caulking tubes can be really useful for quickly applying your own recipes like thinned bondo (although you have to work fast). For thickened resins or epoxies that have more working time it's a life saver. If you snip the nozzle to it's widest point you can even push through some resin or epoxy mixed with chopped fibers.

 

[choppinczech]

I needed to do some of this earlier today. Polyester resin mixed with milled and chopped fibers. It gets the stuff where you need it quickly. So you can spend your time working it.

 

[old round fart]

I think I ran over some of that on my bike ride around the lake today.

 

[choppinczech]

I have to share one of my favorite tools for working with glass....



... a hand file. But not just any hand file. This is cut specifically for use with plastics, laminates and fiberglass.
McMaster-Carr

It's my go to hand tool for truing up or rounding over edges and flattening. You won't regret having one of these. They're not the same as a metal file.

 

[old round fart]

I’m loving this thread!