Fibreglass

Post by **EV2Go** » Tue, 15 Sep 2009, 01:06

I am interested in learning how to fibreglass. Does anyone have suggestions or info on how they learned?

Post by **Electrocycle** » Tue, 15 Sep 2009, 01:38

you should have come over when I was fixing stuff on the boat!

Even done paper mache?
Same as that, but itchier and stinkier!

Post by **EV2Go** » Tue, 15 Sep 2009, 01:45

are there any courses you can take? or books?

Post by **Squiggles** » Tue, 15 Sep 2009, 04:15

Rules for fibre glass work.
1. Protect your eyes. This stuff can do permanent damage to your eyes. Safety glasses (better still goggles) are cheap.

2. Your result will be as good as your mould, so put the effort into the mould.

3. Talk to the suppliers, they tend to know lots of good stuff.

4. Protect your eyes!

Post by **EV2Go** » Tue, 15 Sep 2009, 16:51

I get the impression from what Andrew said about paper mache, that it is layered with resin in between.

Does it have a grain?
Do you put each layer 90 degrees to each other for strength?
What are the moulds typically made out of?

Really curious how it works because it is one medium I have never with before.

Post by **Richo** » Tue, 15 Sep 2009, 21:16

There are varying structures some a random and some are woven.
Depends on what you buy and what kind of finished product you want.

The mould can be anything.
But for eV's etc special foam is usually used.
read the wiki on trev from SA uni I think it had some pics of the process.

Yep very stinky

Post by **Johny** » Tue, 15 Sep 2009, 21:24

I haven't ever done any either but this looks useful.
I watched my older bother lose his temper many times fixing an old Rover 90 with fibreglass.
http://www.donjarrs-place.com/07-how-to-fibreglass

Edit : lose not loose

Post by **EV2Go** » Tue, 15 Sep 2009, 22:24

Thanks for the link Johny that is very helpful, also came across this in my search... http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Fiberglass-Fabri ... .m14.l1262

Just thinking if ever I went down the path of a trike it would be really cool if I could make my own fibreglass panels to go on it. With the right workspace and tools I could just about do it all.

Post by **Richo** » Wed, 16 Sep 2009, 06:44

Here is a link of a Trike being glassed
http://www.rqriley.com/frp-foam.htm

Post by **Squiggles** » Wed, 16 Sep 2009, 14:04

That's pretty good. Entirely different to how I used to make things.
I would make a model of the finished article then create moulds that were in pieces that bolted together.
Remove the moulds from the model then lay up the finished item in the mould.

For a one off this glass over foam idea seems OK.

Post by **Tritium_James** » Wed, 16 Sep 2009, 14:22

Squiggles, the benefit to the way you used to do it (make model, make moulds, then make final part) is that the nice smooth finished surface that was against the mould will be on the outside, which is usually where you want it. The final part will also be the same size as the model, not a mm or two bigger.

The glass over foam method requires a lot more work afterwards with filler and bog to get it smooth, which also adds weight. For a one-off part I'd say the time savings of not having to make moulds would be tempting though!

Post by **moemoke** » Wed, 16 Sep 2009, 19:56

Does anyone know how many EV's are going to be on show?
I hope to be able to get there but I will need to start being nice to She who must be obeyed so I can get a leave pass.
I was hoping to drag the MOA electro moke along but that may not happen now.

Post by **EV2Go** » Thu, 17 Sep 2009, 02:57

Tritium_James wrote: Squiggles, the benefit to the way you used to do it (make model, make moulds, then make final part) is that the nice smooth finished surface that was against the mould will be on the outside, which is usually where you want it. The final part will also be the same size as the model, not a mm or two bigger.

The glass over foam method requires a lot more work afterwards with filler and bog to get it smooth, which also adds weight. For a one-off part I'd say the time savings of not having to make moulds would be tempting though!

Also I think it would depend on the size of the object you want to make. For smaller items a mould might be more practical.

Post by **Squiggles** » Thu, 17 Sep 2009, 14:11

I did mostly car panels. Often starting with an original that may have needed repair. Bog up the original, paint, polish and then make a mould.

Good thing was that when your mate hits the sandbags in a hill climb and destroys his front guard you can replace it easily.

Also thing to remember is that you need to use special primers on fibreglass before painting.

Post by **moemoke** » Fri, 18 Sep 2009, 03:27

Oop's ignore my last post on this topic, how do I delete it?

I had a small fibreglass business back in the early 80's so things may have change since then, there are 2 main sorts of cloth to us, one woven and the other 'chopped strand mat' the woven one is usually used for surfboards or covering wooden boats, if you use it for other things with more than one layer it will delaminate, you need more than one layer for most thing. The CSM has a random pattern and the medium that holds the fibre together disolves when the resin is applied this allows multi layers to become one. There is anothe way to lay fibreglass and thats with a 'chopper gun' which is way to much fun for the general public to use but it spits out cut fibres, resin and catalyst all at once and covers what ever you are pointing it at.
If you are wanting to build something big it can be time and money consuming if you are only making a one off as you have to make a plug (full scale model) first (out of foam or plaster or whatever) then make the mould and then the piece.
I've probably dribbled on enough but I'm sure there is heaps of info on the net but getting some hands on expierance is what you need. try making something small even a scale model of what you want to make. I made a 1/10 scale model Lancia Stratos for my RC car years ago, that was a good little exercise.

Post by **munter** » Fri, 18 Sep 2009, 03:28

I suggest you look at boat building techniques. Female moulding works well when you want to produce multiple copies of the same part but can be a long process if you only want to produce one item. Also carefully consider the use of a core such as foam, balsa or one of the honeycombs to keep the weight down and the stiffness up. Plain fiberglass needs to be quite thick before it will stop being too flexible for a body shell.
Boatbuilding techniques will also teach you about things like vacuum bagging and resin infusion. Both of these can help you keep the weight down by minimising excess resin in the resin/glass mix.

Post by **EV2Go** » Fri, 18 Sep 2009, 03:50

I don't have a specific need at the moment, but just thinking if I was ever to do an EV trike it would be cool to do both chassis and pannels.

The panels would be fairly small in comparison to a car body. Figuring anything I made would be fairly straight forward with no complex shapes.