Fiberglassing resin
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Fiberglassing resin
I'm gonna try give this a whirl, and I wanted to make sure I was getting the right stuff:
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=37&
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=40&
ALso, what weight weave should i start out with and how much resin should I need for a decent sized subwoofer box?
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=37&
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=40&
ALso, what weight weave should i start out with and how much resin should I need for a decent sized subwoofer box?
I used this to do mine today: http://www.7thgencivic.com/forums/sh...d.php?t=154973 . It is accurate for what you want to do.
i boogie for the raindrops
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id actually go with the structural lay up stuff from tap. also, you might need a surface curing agent for your last coat.
if you were doing any glossy finish work where you want to expose your weave, id go for the surfboard resin
as to material: if youre carpeting, just go with matting, it offers MUCH more structural strength per layer
if you want a faux carbon fiber finish with weave painted black, then just go to a marine supply store and check out the selection
if you were doing any glossy finish work where you want to expose your weave, id go for the surfboard resin
as to material: if youre carpeting, just go with matting, it offers MUCH more structural strength per layer
if you want a faux carbon fiber finish with weave painted black, then just go to a marine supply store and check out the selection
haha, i just read the first post, and pulled up the laminating resin link to reccomend that, and it seems lud already has!
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=35&
I like this stuff. pot time of 20 minutes is great and all, but youll have to wait years for it to cure. I would go with a faster cure stuff and mix 2-4 ounces at a time, maybe 2 at a time for awhile to get the hang of it.
as far as resin, your strength comes from glass, not from resin. so for strength, use enough fiberglass to do the job. use just enough resin to wet the cloth, for strength.
I like to load up all my glass at once, so I have to do fewer steps. lets say you are trying to make a subwoofer enclosure. I like to start with weave, any weight, 6-8 ounce is nice and thick, I wouldnt go thinner, but technically, it doesnt matter. I use the cloth because it forms over compound corners, and I can get a seamless curve over many many curved surfaces.
once that cures, I take fiberglass matting (usually 2 ouce, but again, it doesnt matter, if you get 1/2 ounce, just use more) and cut it into squares ~2 inches square. small pieces are neccesary because unlike weave, matting does not form compound corners. I then lay these pieces on my cured shell (still in the car) to strengthen it. this is also teh stage where I do everything at once. it would take days if I did one layer, then another, then another! so I will make it 2-4 layers thick, all at once. again, making sure that I have no excess resin, just enough to turn the glass transparent.
once it cures, I can judge strength to see if I need more on. ive never ever been in a situation, however, where I needed more than 3 layers of 2 ounce matting to get the strength I want.
be careful, the surface of matting gets ugly. if you need to add more layers after a surface of matting cures, you may as well go out and buy a grinder, youll need it to flatten the surface.
technically, you can get more strength from weave than matting due ot the resin/glass ratio, but it requres many many layers, on the order of a dozen layers of weave to achieve the same thickness you get from two layers of hand layuped matting. you can see why its stronger, but if 2 layers of matting does the job, theres no need for such overkill in hours labor!
good luck, let us know if theres anything else we can clear up!
http://www.tapplastics.com/shop/product.php?pid=35&
I like this stuff. pot time of 20 minutes is great and all, but youll have to wait years for it to cure. I would go with a faster cure stuff and mix 2-4 ounces at a time, maybe 2 at a time for awhile to get the hang of it.
as far as resin, your strength comes from glass, not from resin. so for strength, use enough fiberglass to do the job. use just enough resin to wet the cloth, for strength.
I like to load up all my glass at once, so I have to do fewer steps. lets say you are trying to make a subwoofer enclosure. I like to start with weave, any weight, 6-8 ounce is nice and thick, I wouldnt go thinner, but technically, it doesnt matter. I use the cloth because it forms over compound corners, and I can get a seamless curve over many many curved surfaces.
once that cures, I take fiberglass matting (usually 2 ouce, but again, it doesnt matter, if you get 1/2 ounce, just use more) and cut it into squares ~2 inches square. small pieces are neccesary because unlike weave, matting does not form compound corners. I then lay these pieces on my cured shell (still in the car) to strengthen it. this is also teh stage where I do everything at once. it would take days if I did one layer, then another, then another! so I will make it 2-4 layers thick, all at once. again, making sure that I have no excess resin, just enough to turn the glass transparent.
once it cures, I can judge strength to see if I need more on. ive never ever been in a situation, however, where I needed more than 3 layers of 2 ounce matting to get the strength I want.
be careful, the surface of matting gets ugly. if you need to add more layers after a surface of matting cures, you may as well go out and buy a grinder, youll need it to flatten the surface.
technically, you can get more strength from weave than matting due ot the resin/glass ratio, but it requres many many layers, on the order of a dozen layers of weave to achieve the same thickness you get from two layers of hand layuped matting. you can see why its stronger, but if 2 layers of matting does the job, theres no need for such overkill in hours labor!
good luck, let us know if theres anything else we can clear up!
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Just to clarify, when you say you use 2 ounce matting, is that 2 ounce per square yard? I'm looking at tap plastics and most of them are much more than that, around 7+ ounzes per yard. ONly the first one, the Lightweight PLain Weave is 1.4 oz/ sq. yard.
i boogie for the raindrops
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the weave will always be of higher ounceage
its the nonlinear and more random dispersion of strands with all the crazy layering of matting that gives you the strength
its the nonlinear and more random dispersion of strands with all the crazy layering of matting that gives you the strength
your strength comes from the fibers, not neccesarily the directionality. That is why I stated that the cloth has a higher strength potential. becuase its so thin, you can layer it up over and over, whereas the matting puffs up like a balloon.
So, for the same overall thickness, you may have three layers of matting, or maybe sixteen of cloth or more. the cloth will be far, far, far stronger due to a higher fiber to resin ratio.
not that any of it matters, since even three layers of matting should be enough for many drivers out there
but strength definitely comes from your fiber content, and not the directionality, in our case. we use matting because its good enough and takes less (cheaper) fiber to achieve the same thickness, the same "good enough" strength we need for our boxes.
So, for the same overall thickness, you may have three layers of matting, or maybe sixteen of cloth or more. the cloth will be far, far, far stronger due to a higher fiber to resin ratio.
not that any of it matters, since even three layers of matting should be enough for many drivers out there
but strength definitely comes from your fiber content, and not the directionality, in our case. we use matting because its good enough and takes less (cheaper) fiber to achieve the same thickness, the same "good enough" strength we need for our boxes.
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