Hi,
I just tried to make a mould using the Unimould System, and was a bit surprised by the smell of the gel coat

Are there any other ways to make a mould but not evaporating so much unhealthy stuff?

Can this work?
1) Doing the moulds based on resin infusion out of glass or carbon fibres?
2) Epoxy Mould Making system? maybe it does not smell...

Of course I use the mask and the room is ventilated, nevertheless its still very smelly....

Thank you in advance for the answer

Epoxy won't have a smell unless you mix up too large a batch, however you still need to be careful as epoxy is also unhealthy you just tend not to pay attention to it because there is no smell.

Much better to wear your PPE and work in a well ventilated area. Really if you can still smell the styrene for hours after the resin has cured then you haven't got enough ventilation. In that case you would be better off using epoxy, but still using your PPE.

Also yes, you can infuse your moulds, but it isn't as simple as wet laying a mould as your plug needs to be solid to not crush under vacuum. This means you can't have temporary flanges, they need to be a solid part of the pattern. Generally a much more difficult and expensive way to build moulds. 

If it is the styrene smell that's the main issue, then switch to epoxy.  There are epoxy tooling gelcoats available as well as powder bound chopped strand or even better woven glass. You can add coremat or soric as a core to stiffen the mould too.


Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant

We don't have a list of recommended gas filters as we tend to prescribe to the avoidance of significant inhalation (and hence not needing a gas mask) by working in a well ventilated environment to minimise exposure.  Styrene is the main component so I would check with the manufacturer to ensure the charcoal cannisters they supply offer a decent level of protection from it.  In terms of particulate, we recommend a minimum level of  FFP1  for particulate  filtering although ideally FFP2 is a slightly superior choice.


Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant

Thank you Warren,
1 more question with regards to the mould making based on resin. I will then use EG60 Epoxy Tooling Gelcoat. What should be the process if I want to use the woven glass on top? Few sentenced would be enogh, thank you in advance

Using the woven glass is just a simple wet lay process using an epoxy laminating resin such as EL2. Simply wet out the fabric as you go along building up layers until you are happy with the thickness of the mould.


Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant