how to hand lay fiberglass?

[The Manlet]

Hey are there any fiberglass laying tutorial out there. And what materials would i need for hand laying fiber glass?
any info at all would be a big help.
because i know very little about it other then its dangerous.

 

[Blad]

You'll find plenty if you do a search on google.

You need to wear a mask & gloves.

You need to look at using a gel-coat layer first then laying the fibreglass ontop of the gel-coat, that's assuming you are trying to make something from a mould.

There's a nice guide in the brochure section here.

www.cfsnet.co.uk

 

[gonk27]

I'd recommend buying a fibreglass repair kit from your local auto parts store.


They're basic, pretty cheap and ususally have everything you need including a small roll of fibreglass matting, a small mixing pot and brush all in the one box.

These are designed for car body repairs, but they're a good way to experiment with materials and see how it all works if you're new to the stuff.. (how strong different thicknesses of matting can be, how quickly it sets etc etc)

If you want to start off simple and cast yourself something small a kit like this might be perfect.


I found them a very helpful starting point and cast my first puppet armature with a kit like this in no time - it's like a propmaker's starter kit.


Jeremy


p.s ditto on the gloves and mask, also work in a well ventilated area.

 

[The Manlet]

i was told i would need a respirator with organic chemical filters. And i will also look in to gelcoats, as well i didnt even think gelcoats. I heard most people don't like them??

 

[Darth Domain]

On the subject of this, how do you make a mold for fibre glass, i was thinking of making a rubies helmet in fibre glass for myself, just for fun and to possibly wear/display

 

[Blad]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GundamZeppelin @ Apr 22 2006, 09:42 AM) [snapback]1231038[/snapback]</div>

i was told i would need a respirator with organic chemical filters. And i will also look in to gelcoats, as well i didnt even think gelcoats. I heard most people don't like them??
[/b]

That's to protect you from the fumes from polyester resin. You don't really need to protect yourself from dust from the glassfibre until you start sanding it, but as it's an irritant to skin I always wear a mask anyway.

Unless you use a gel-coat I don't know how you'll get a smooth finish on the inside (the side touching the mould).

I'm sure people don't like gel-coat, I'm one of them. But I don't know of any other option.

For the mould I just use silicone, but usually with a fibreglass mould case.

 

[Darth Domain]

Are there any tutourials on mold making, and when you say silicon do you mean something like RTV?
I have read that you can make a plaster cast of the original to use for a one time only mold, what's the views on this?

 

[Blad]

Yep, standard RTV,

There are some tutorials here

http://www.cfsnet.co.uk/methods.html

I've never worked with plaster for a large mould, obviously there would be problems with undercuts, so I would imagine it's omly really possible with very simple shapes, just guessing..

Plaster works very well if you are making latex items. I don't think plaster and urethane resin would work as there's going to be moisture in the plaster which would react with (foam-up) the urethane.

 

[The Manlet]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Darth Domain @ Apr 22 2006, 06:00 AM) [snapback]1231046[/snapback]</div>

Are there any tutourials on mold making, and when you say silicon do you mean something like RTV?
I have read that you can make a plaster cast of the original to use for a one time only mold, what's the views on this?
[/b]

if your going to make a mold of the rubies i wouldn't do it with silicone. I was told that it would stick to the ABS

 

[Blad]

Interesting, I've never had silicone stick to anything, except itself.

You could always spray with wax mould release.

 

[mez7]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Blad @ Apr 22 2006, 09:56 AM) [snapback]1231045[/snapback]</div>

Unless you use a gel-coat I don't know how you'll get a smooth finish on the inside (the side touching the mould).

[/b]

i didnt use a gelcoat when i did my fiberglass cap america shield and had no problem making it smooth, just used a finer weave of fiberglass on the mold side ....had to get it at a specialty supply store, and its smooth without any gel coat at all.

 

[AnsonJames]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GundamZeppelin @ Apr 22 2006, 11:13 AM) [snapback]1231050[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Darth Domain @ Apr 22 2006, 06:00 AM) [snapback]1231046[/snapback]

Are there any tutourials on mold making, and when you say silicon do you mean something like RTV?
I have read that you can make a plaster cast of the original to use for a one time only mold, what's the views on this?
[/b]

if your going to make a mold of the rubies i wouldn't do it with silicone. I was told that it would stick to the ABS
[/b][/quote]


Thats completely untrue - Silicon rubber releases perfectly from ABS. You're not talking about using Silicon sealant are you?

 

[Darth Domain]

i'm making models at the moment of blaster parts in order to try and make resin copies for my kenner so i have read up on how to make one and two piece molds etc. But i don't understand how i make a silicon mold of a vader mask and dome. Any tips?

 

[Blad]

Interesting, never seen that. Do you think it would work with more complex shapes with finer detail?


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(mez7 @ Apr 22 2006, 05:38 PM) [snapback]1231166[/snapback]</div>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Blad @ Apr 22 2006, 09:56 AM) [snapback]1231045[/snapback]

Unless you use a gel-coat I don't know how you'll get a smooth finish on the inside (the side touching the mould).

[/b]

i didnt use a gelcoat when i did my fiberglass cap america shield and had no problem making it smooth, just used a finer weave of fiberglass on the mold side ....had to get it at a specialty supply store, and its smooth without any gel coat at all.
[/b][/quote]

 

[mez7]

probably wouldnt work out to well with lots of fine details, since the mat is a bit thicker than what youll get at a normal hardware store or in a boat repair kit.....it probably just wouldnt adapt to your mold as well as some some gelcoat and a thinner more open weave fiberglass

the place i got mine at the only thing with a tighter weave was kevlar

 

[The Manlet]

Thats completely untrue - Silicon rubber releases perfectly from ABS. You're not talking about using Silicon sealant are you?
[/quote]

I have no idea lol i was asking a store that was selling RVT silicon questions about abs i want to mod a rubies chest armor in to looking like OT style armor and shoulder bells and take my rubies dome sculpt over it and make it much longer. And then make a fiberglass versions but much thicker. I was told this is a bad idea because it is ABS?

And i would like my work to be as smooth as possible? what type of fiberglass should i use? Chop mat? fiberglass resin? what is the best fiberglass to use for armor

And how much silicon would i need for Armor or helmet?
how many gallons? I'm super new at this.... all i know is none of this is cheap

 

[celtic touch]

Hmmm... 1st if you dont want to use gelcoat, just use the f/glass resin itself, thicken it with a filler something like silica flour is perfect or indusrial talc, there are a few things to thicken it with then just apply this to the surface let it go off hard but before it cures completely (meaning the surface is still a little tacky)lay it up now with the f/glass matting. As for using f/glass on plaster it can be done yes but not directely on top of the plaster ( plaster must be dry as water retards the curing of poleyester resin) you have to seal it 1st. Plaster is porous so you need to have a smooth surface, to do this you can varnish the surface with shellac, about 6-8 coats should do it, when ready wax and polish this surface then lay your f/glass into it as suggested above, I hope this helps you in some way.

 

[GuntahKela]

I tried using fibberglass in a very expensive RTV mold and not only did the casting cured poorly and slow, but it ruined the mold, leaving bumps. Every new casting, now, has to be retooled.

What I do is use Smooth-on 300 casting resin with fibbercloth. This allows me to finish quicker, with less chemical hazards and the results can be nearly as rigid as fibberglass.

Smooth-on does have a brand of fibberglass resins which I want to try. I will stay away from the harware store brands, like Bondo. I will never go back to those.

 

[exoray]

Here is a pretty good basic overview by Sean (Venkman71) on doing a GB pack using a brush on resin as a gel coat... Page 9 is when casting starts...

http://www.gbproject.com/plans/mctut/index.html

There is also a good overview of laying glass up on Studio Creations site...

http://www.studiocreations.com/howto/bodycast/index.html

 

[The Manlet]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(celtic touch @ Apr 23 2006, 10:16 AM) [snapback]1231621[/snapback]</div>

Hmmm... 1st if you dont want to use gelcoat, just use the f/glass resin itself, thicken it with a filler something like silica flour is perfect or indusrial talc, there are a few things to thicken it with then just apply this to the surface let it go off hard but before it cures completely (meaning the surface is still a little tacky)lay it up now with the f/glass matting. As for using f/glass on plaster it can be done yes but not directely on top of the plaster ( plaster must be dry as water retards the curing of poleyester resin) you have to seal it 1st. Plaster is porous so you need to have a smooth surface, to do this you can varnish the surface with shellac, about 6-8 coats should do it, when ready wax and polish this surface then lay your f/glass into it as suggested above, I hope this helps you in some way.
[/b]

Now do you pull the fiber glass out of the mold then lay in the fiberglass matting. Or do i lay the fiberglass matt on top of where i was laying the fiberglass resin? while still in the mold??

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(GuntahKela @ Apr 23 2006, 12:18 PM) [snapback]1231682[/snapback]</div>

I tried using fibberglass in a very expensive RTV mold and not only did the casting cured poorly and slow, but it ruined the mold, leaving bumps. Every new casting, now, has to be retooled.

What I do is use Smooth-on 300 casting resin with fibbercloth. This allows me to finish quicker, with less chemical hazards and the results can be nearly as rigid as fibberglass.

Smooth-on does have a brand of fibberglass resins which I want to try. I will stay away from the harware store brands, like Bondo. I will never go back to those.
[/b]

where there mixing problems with the RVT? I will have to look in to smooth on 300 or somthing called mother mold.