Fibber Glass question mat vs cloth

S

Sugisaki

New Member
Hello !

After researching I have made it clear that the "mat" is harder but it costs more to work on while the "cloth" is whiter and easier to work with.

My project is a sword of 115cm + 45cm of handle, 30cm of maximum width and 2,5 / 3cm of thickness

I am worried about the fragility when raising it, some advice on what fiber to work with? Also type (roving,plain,twill..)?

On the the other hand what kind of resin would recommend? And how many layers will prob need?

Thanks !
 
Why don't you just make it out of wood and paint it? Wood is cheap, easy to carve/cut/file/drill/sand. Sawdust is not as dangerous as fibreglass dust and there are no smelly chemicals.

If it was a fake sword I was making, I'd make it from wood for sure.
 
Well, first of all I asking for advice to do the sword with fiber.

I don't wanna do with Wood for sveral reasons like it will be really really heavy and prob will broke from the handle if I try to raise.

Thanks for advice but I really want to do with fiber! Will wait if someone can say me something
 
I prefer laminating epoxy over polyester resin, mainly because it does not smell as much. Some varieties smell foul, but they will not stink up your house like polyester resin so it is perfectly usable indoors. It can also be used as adhesive and you can make your own fillers with various types of powders.
West System has most things you would need in their product line.

You might be able to brush a "gelcoat" layer in your mould with epoxy mixed with metal powder. Some powders are more suitable than others. I suggest you do trials before going big.

I would lay smaller overlapping pieces of fibreglass cloth to average around three layers. If you cast one side of the sword at once, thicker in the middle and closer to the hilt.

BTW. I would make a one-off cosplay sword out of soft foam - it is much simpler and safer to make, as well as safer to use. There are plenty of tutorials on the web.
 
Last edited:
Darth Lars said:
I prefer laminating epoxy over polyester resin, mainly because it does not smell as much. Some varieties smell foul, but they will not stink up your house like polyester resin so it is perfectly usable indoors. It can also be used as adhesive and you can make your own fillers with various types of powders.
West System has most things you would need in their product line.

You might be able to brush a "gelcoat" layer in your mould with epoxy mixed with metal powder. Some powders are more suitable than others. I suggest you do trials before going big.

I would lay smaller overlapping pieces of fibreglass cloth to average around three layers. If you cast one side of the sword at once, thicker in the middle and closer to the hilt.

BTW. I would make a one-off cosplay sword out of soft foam - it is much simpler and safer to make, as well as safer to use. There are plenty of tutorials on the web.
Click to expand...

Ty for advice, actually I want a really detailed sword, foam sword won't work for that..

About layers I was thinking to put probably 20-30 layers 32x125 cm (for 3 cm thick) with a hollow square metal or alluminum bar as core, then I will work with belt sander to fix the thick, details and edge

Just for the number of layers and thickness I was not sure about mat or cloth, but seems like cloth will be better
 
Most people bulk out the work with mat then put a couple layers of cloth on the outside layers for the smooth finish.
 
mat works out for me, its easier to apply and faster to work with. and you can get a thick or a thin layer depending on how much you lay down
 
Darth Lars said:
I prefer laminating epoxy over polyester resin, mainly because it does not smell as much. Some varieties smell foul, but they will not stink up your house like polyester resin so it is perfectly usable indoors.
Click to expand...

I wanted to point out...just because epoxy doesn't "smell" doesn't mean it is any safer than polyester. The fumes epoxy puts off are harmful. Especially if done in a small closed space such as a room. I'd recommend using it outside. Or at least in a garage with the door and windows open... with a proper Organic Vapors respirator.. these are NOT "hobbyist in their kitchen" materials.
 
The difference between mat and cloth is that mat is cheaper but not as strong as cloth. It also conforms to more complex shapes easier.
As far as resins to use for fiberglass, the three norms are polyester resin (cheap, easy to use but the weakest of the three, of course for a prop any of them will be plenty strong, also the smelliest.)
Vinylester resin (second strongest, easy to use, smelly)
Epoxy (the strongest of the three but harder to wet out the cloth or make complex shapes, least smelly.)
Don't let the lack of smell fool you. Epoxy is terrible for you! And it's still off gassing even if you don't smell it. All of these should be done outside or in a very well ventilated area.
As far as number of layers, 4 to 6 should be plenty or 8 if you really want to go wild, especially if you're fiberglassing over something.
 
swgeek said:
The difference between mat and cloth is that mat is cheaper but not as strong as cloth. It also conforms to more complex shapes easier.
As far as resins to use for fiberglass, the three norms are polyester resin (cheap, easy to use but the weakest of the three, of course for a prop any of them will be plenty strong, also the smelliest.)
Vinylester resin (second strongest, easy to use, smelly)
Epoxy (the strongest of the three but harder to wet out the cloth or make complex shapes, least smelly.)
Don't let the lack of smell fool you. Epoxy is terrible for you! And it's still off gassing even if you don't smell it. All of these should be done outside or in a very well ventilated area.
As far as number of layers, 4 to 6 should be plenty or 8 if you really want to go wild, especially if you're fiberglassing over something.
Click to expand...

Thanks for advices guys! I will do the job outside in my garden so smell will not be a problem, with gloves + respirators for resin.

Swgeek you are saying 4/6 layers are enough, but in some videos I saw about 16 just in a "normal" thick sword.

The idea was about 8 layers + x/2 layers ( in every side of the hollow square metal bar) + 8 layers, for don't get curved Surface at end.

Sometimes I will need tro drill the blank sword for get a hollow, big hollow with sander edges, cause decoration, so I'm afraid that my sword will break while I make the holes or that it will simply break when I lift it . That's why I'm not sure about wich fiber and resin will be better for this job.

Thanks all for help!
 
Just my $0.02 worth. The chopped mat falls apart and last time I used it, it spent the next few days picking up fibres. The woven cloth might cost a bit more, but is much easier to work and cut into shape. As for cost, I found 10m x 1m rolls for $40, so that is just $4/m^2 verses the $15/m^2 stores charge.
 
cavx said:
Just my $0.02 worth. The chopped mat falls apart and last time I used it, it spent the next few days picking up fibres. The woven cloth might cost a bit more, but is much easier to work and cut into shape. As for cost, I found 10m x 1m rolls for $40, so that is just $4/m^2 verses the $15/m^2 stores charge.
Click to expand...

I though plain cloth was better for work with it.. In my country all I could found was a expensive cloth cause I need at least Y x 115cm

But if the cloth is more resistant I will do with cloth

Thanks
 
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