Make a fiberglass fan shroud
(→General Comments on Fiberglassing) |
(→General Comments on Fiberglassing) |
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== '''General Comments on Fiberglassing''' == | == '''General Comments on Fiberglassing''' == | ||
| − | You may wonder how many layers of mat to use; what kind of mat or cloth to use, etc. There isn't a single answer for all parts. The shroud shown in this excellent how-to is mainly for form and has little strength requiremants so can be laid up with just the chopped strand mat. However if it were a body part or some other | + | You may wonder how many layers of mat to use; what kind of mat or cloth to use, etc. There isn't a single answer for all parts. The shroud shown in this excellent how-to is mainly for form and has little strength requiremants so can be laid up with just the chopped strand mat. However if it were a body part or some other part that would see some stress, the design should include one or more layers of woven cloth which is many times stronger than the mat. |
'''Chopped strand mat''' as shown above is rated in ounces/ sq ft. It commonly comes in 3/4, 1.5 & 2 oz/sqft thicknesses. The 2oz is probably most polular because it builds thicnkness quickly. The lighter thicknesses are obviously for smaller, more delicate applications. For most car parts, use the 2oz. This material should always be used as a first layer in a finely finished mold such as a boat hull where there is a gel coat layer (final finish colored resin layer) then the 'glas. If you lay a layer of woven cloth directly under the gel coat it will 'print' through the gel coat and you will always see the pattern of the cloth no matter how much you sand and polish. The random pattern of the chopped mat strands isolates the cloth pattern from the final surface. Again, in the 'male' mold shown above this isn't a consideration. | '''Chopped strand mat''' as shown above is rated in ounces/ sq ft. It commonly comes in 3/4, 1.5 & 2 oz/sqft thicknesses. The 2oz is probably most polular because it builds thicnkness quickly. The lighter thicknesses are obviously for smaller, more delicate applications. For most car parts, use the 2oz. This material should always be used as a first layer in a finely finished mold such as a boat hull where there is a gel coat layer (final finish colored resin layer) then the 'glas. If you lay a layer of woven cloth directly under the gel coat it will 'print' through the gel coat and you will always see the pattern of the cloth no matter how much you sand and polish. The random pattern of the chopped mat strands isolates the cloth pattern from the final surface. Again, in the 'male' mold shown above this isn't a consideration. | ||
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