How to fiberglass in tight places?

[nick daring]

I was perusing the Junyard and saw Goldenrod's cool sale of his Creature from the Black Lagoon fiberglass statue.

I've been wondering for a while but how in world do you fiberglass a statue like that?

Especially something like the arms or hands where it would absolutely impossible to reach into the tube and lay the sheets?

I've got a few different ideas but would love to hear from the experienced minds on the board on how Fiberglass statues and such are made?!? :confused

Nick

 

[clonesix]

In halves. The mold is not a cylinder, but two half-pipes. Lay glass into each half, let cure, put mold halves togethter, and apply strip of glass down each seam.

 

[micdavis]

To get the detail, you make a sluree of filler (micro-ballons or chop or something like that) paint it in the details until you have a surface you can lay glass on then lay glass.

 

[Got Maul]

Yup , fiberglass goo !! Fiberglass resin + chop or filler.

 

[nick daring]

See that's what I was thinking but then there are still some things that I can't picture in my head.

Say you are working on that arm and you've glassed you're two halves. They are cured and trimmed and fit together fairly well. You strap the two halves together with big rubber bands or bungees and then...

Do you then simply cut a big long piece, dangle it deep into the arm and press it against the side with a long stick?

Do you run the risk squirting goo through the seam and ruining precious details on the other side?

Nick

 

[Got Maul]

combine when they are still wet and not completely dried.

 

[clonesix]

See that's what I was thinking but then there are still some things that I can't picture in my head.

Say you are working on that arm and you've glassed you're two halves. They are cured and trimmed and fit together fairly well. You strap the two halves together with big rubber bands or bungees and then...

You are on the right track. The following advice is based on many "ifs"

If you have and open mold, Open meaning that there is room to access the cylinder (i.e.: no hand, and open at wrist, or shoulder) then you leave the cured FG in the mold, and put the two mold halves back together so they line up well. Then take a strip of fiberglass tape and wet it with resin, and drop one end down the cylinder and apply it to the seam using a small brush taped to a long stick (not staight, must be at small angle). Do this to both of the seams and let cure. Once cured, remove from mold as one piece.

Here is the second "if": if you have a hard tool, (Mold) you can gel-trim the piece quite easily by running a utility knife along the edge for a very clean cut. Easy. But if you are working with a rubber mold, running a utility knife along the edge can cut into the rubber, and that is bad for your mold. You can gel-trim very carefully and risk cutting the rubber a little, or lay-up the fiberglass so it does not extend past the mold edge. (tricky) Or you can remove the cured halves from the rubber mold and trim them outside the mold. trim right to your parting line, and tape the two halves together and seam the same way as above, by running a strip of fiberglass tape down the seam with a brush on a stick. (more difficult)

Your question regarding the risk of resin leaking though the seam and getting drips on your piece is a valid one. 1) you can run a piece of duct tape along the entire length of the seam, or 2) add a little release to the outside of the piece so that any drips will peel off later. Be sure to wash piece thoroughly before painting. Either way, you will end up doing a little (or a lot) of putty work on the seam to hide it.

I hope that clears things up

Do you then simply cut a big long piece, dangle it deep into the arm and press it against the side with a long stick?

Do you run the risk squirting goo through the seam and ruining precious details on the other side?

Nick

 

[micdavis]

To do an arm and such that you can't reach into but is a two piece (or more) mold. You trim the individual sides as described above. Then mix up the same sluree (I call it "applesauce") of resin and chop, apply to the edges, then bolt the mold pieces together. The resulting squish of applesauce bonds the pieces together. There is usually some grinding on the outside unless you are really good at it.