lkailburn

hi, my names Luke, i'm new to the board and new to fiberglassing. but am completely fascinated with it. so last weekend i went out to napa with a friend, picked up a package of fiberglass mat and a resin/hardener package.(came with a quart of resin and a tube of hardener). ok so just this morning i went for my first project, just making a mold of this plastic peice from my motorcycle. my question is, the resin i had was VERY thick and goopy. like right out of the can before mixing any hardener it was very thick and gooey. is that the consistancy it is supposed to be?? i thought it was supposed to be a little thinner.

any help is appreciated,
thank you

Luke

billscivic00

The resin is going to be very thick, i did a spare tire well sub box. Make sure you got some good rubber gloves and some throw away paint brushes and dont get the resin on your skin. Stuff sucks to get off.
Depending on what you make, you will have to do multiple layers of resin and fiber glass for strength.

arch iceman

The resin is pretty thick, but shouldnt be goopy or have any types of clumps. The consistency of fiberglass is like honey or pancake syrup. Usually if its the bondo brand resin and has white streaks in it as I pour it into a mixing pan, I toss it. Fiberglass resin does get old. Also avoid shaking the resin, it creates bubbles, stir it instead.

The consistency could also depend on the room temp and storage conditions as well. Remember resin is a hazardous material, so make sure to avoid skin contact and breathing the vapors, use plastic sheeting or a tarp in your work area if you are concerned about a mess.

lkailburn

right, i know all the safety precautions, i used one of those 3m masks with the breathing filters on the sides. the resin i had was deffinitly not like pancap syrup, it was more like honey. my problem was when i tried to glop it onto the fiberglass it would pull all the fiber strands around and become VERY uneven. like it would take me a month just to sand the thing down! how do you apply the resin without pulling the fiber strands all around? i tried covering the object with a thin layer of resin and then stuck the fiberglass mat to it. then i would hold it with a finger or two, but even still, as soon as the resin came in contact with the fibers and i tried to brush it on, it would just pull it all around. i hope you know what i'm talking about. the temperature i was working in was probably 55-60ish. i was indoors, but right in front of a garage door that was opened. there wern't any clumps in it, it was just really really thick, it was blue too by the way. any good online places to order some resin from? has anyone worked with that UV resin? i thought that sounded really cool.

well thanks again guys,
i really really appreciae your help

Luke

rcurley55

If your resin is the consistency of honey, then you are just fine. It will start to get clingly and gloopy as the resin starts to "go" or kick. Once is starts turning to gelatin - it's a done deal...don't bother working with it.

Chop mat is that way, that's why I use knytex and cloth for everything.

Now, if you want a hint, what you can do is apply your mat, making sure you get plenty of resin on it. I wet out my pieces before I apply them - brushing resin on fiberglass material is impossible IMO.

After you get your pieces down, get a metal fiberglass roller, put down an additional layer of mat dry. Then roll the matt over the previous layers, compressing them. It should soak up any extra resin, and you will have a cleaner piece.

I'd love to work with UV resin, but I've never tried. two great places to shop are:

http://www.shopmaninc.com
http://ww.tapplastics.com

Technodigifreak

http://web.njit.edu/~cas1383/proj/main/

i've found this guys tutorials very helpful

Diabolik

That's a really good site. Has some good tips in it.

-Diabolik

lkailburn

ya i already have that guys site bookmarked! thats where i learned the basics. my problem with the resin is that it is soo goopy and as soon as it comes in contact with the resin, it pulls all the fibers around and creates a huge uneven mess. it would take me months to sand the thing smooth. i need help guys!

rcurley55

Stop using chop mat!! Your resin should not be gloopy...should be smooth like honey, but very thick.

Cut your cloth into 2" wide strips maybe 6" long. Another tip, cut down your brushes so that the bristles are only 1" long. It will help you get your air bubbles out.

Also, don't use a brushing action...use a stipple or tapping motion.

I'm telling you, a fiberglass roller and using knytex or cloth with fix your problems.....the reason I don't use chp mat any more....I had the exact same problems you did.

Also, keep in mind what you are building. If you are just building cosmetic pieces you don't always need to use something as strong as thick as chop mat. Typically when you build glass pieces, you stretch a material across a wood frame to build the initial shape. Coat that material (typically fleece, grille cloth or even auto carpet) with resin - then reinforce it - This way the "show" side of the part starts off with a realively smooth surface. Then you can add reinforcement to the back, and you don't need to worry about what the back side looks like.

It will also be very helpful to come back with a sharp razorblade and trim the stray fibers. Tim them before the 'glass fully cures - when it's still a bit soft, but not too tacky....that will help speed things up a bit for you.

That's all the tips I really have for you, if you can, throw up a picture...

lkailburn

ya the resin i have is fiberglass resin jelly. so its really thick and gooey and a pain in the ass. the only thing i have found to work somewhat(and i mean barely somewhat) decent is if i glob a whole lot of resin/hardener mixture ontop of the matt and brush it around. if i don't have a lot, all i do is pull apart the mat and screw everything up. where could i buy a fiberglass roller? and what is knytex? i think i'll pick up some fiberglass cloth and try that out next time. also, next time i'll make sure i buy just resin, not resin jelly. in the meantime, i'll have to use what i've got. i'll get pictures up shortly of the peice i was glassing