Hi,

I'm prototyping a project which involves a fibreglass core faced with fabric.
The workflow that i would like to use is similar to prepreg, in that i want to partially cure the core, before being able to trim it to size and execute the final layup in a clean environment (without resin dribbling all over the place - particularly around the edges).

As opposed to typical prepreg, i don't have any concerns about visual appearance of the mat, its strength or weight, or optimizing resin impregnation. So expensive carbon fibre products are unnecessary for me.
I need this to be a cheap and low tech method.

Essentially i want to lay up three layers of fibreglass on a flat surface, achieve a partial cure, then cut them to size accurately with shears and transfer to a curved mould with the fabric facings (which are not too permiable and will probably have a thin layer of resin applied to their insides) for full cure.

Does this sound realistic? 
If so what resin would i use, and how would i achieve the desired partial cure (by following a particular timing, or refridgerating etc)? 

Many thanks,

Trev

Google 'wet-preg'. This is what many people call the process of what you are trying to achieve.

You can really use any resin you like, all you are doing is wetting out the reinforcement and waiting for the resin to reach its 'B-stage'. The trick though, is that if you use a room temperature curing resin then this all happens very quickly. To give more working time, you can use a high temperature curing resin so that at room temperature the resin takes a very long time to cure - this is essentially how pre-preg works.

Keep in mind that while your actual final layup might be clean, you will still have to get messy at some point to make the wet-preg. If you are going to be using a bit of this material, you may find it easier/better to get in contact with a Chinese supplier of fibreglass pre-pregs. Often they will sell you smaller quantities, ie. 5 or 10m, as a sample. This will work better than wet-preg and be far less effort. Probably significantly cheaper too by the time you're done.