Fiberglass Options

[bojangles_8686]

I think I'm going to try making something out of fiberglass. Ive wanted to for some time and finally I decided I want to make something small just to see how hard it really is lol. I know the process but I just dont know all of the materials I need. I already have an electric sander and some fiberglass body filler (i guess I can use that to make the whole thing look smooth, right?) What else do I need, and does anybody have a suggestion for a beginners fiberglass project?


Thanks,
Chucky

[toyotaspeed_90]

ok..... i think all of you aren't using the same fiberglass or something.... because what i say is from MY personal experience.... not what someone has told me.......

the "geometry" of the matting doesn't make a whole lot of sense...... think about it.... if you use your "45" and "90" degree angles theory, it applies to cloth as well since the strands are perpindicular to one another....

i have taken thinner cloth and thicker matting (that i have resined myself)... where i made a part and cut the excess off.... and the cloth was more flexible AND stronger.... it had a higher threshold before it broke... also, cloth is MUCH more flexible to work with (trust me.... making the complicated hood supports out of matting was a huge mistake... took way too long because it isn't flexible when working with it.... then making the same pattern the cloth was 100X easier to put into the same part)

also..... you're "a 6 foot 2x4 - its gonna be alot eaiser to break in half than a 3 ft 2x4" theory doesn't apply either..... with matting it's criss-crossed INDEPENDANT pieces of glass...... with a cloth, since it's woven, you wouldn't be applying the strength across the entire strand...... to put this into perspective in your theoretical ways... now imagine a 3 ft 2x4.... that would be easier to break than a 6 foot 2x4 with a bunch of other 6 foot 2x4's all put together into a big "woven" pattern... the pressure you apply on the end of the boards will be taken by the perpindicular pieces naild to that 2x4....

also... matting is easier to sand down than cloth..... again, this is from MY OWN personal experience in my garage.....

and seeing how i buy .75oz matting for $0.80 per foot and (i don't know the oz, i never paid attention on cloth) for about 1/2 as thin as that of cloth cost me ~$1.50 a foot..... hence cloth is more expensive