Hey there fellow Composite Nuts!

I have been making various parts however now i am needing to create a perfect flat panel with a perfect gloss finish... currently looking at various panels/sheets that will be strong enough not to warp or ripple at all and keep scratch free so that either a large fiber glass mold could be made from or infuse off directly.

What economical CHEAP ways do you guys go about obtaining this surface finish?

I have been looking at acrylic panels (although getting a large one isn't very cheap) and whilst writing this post i think later i will have a look at large mirrors.)

Cheers,
Dave.

Sorry for digging up this old thread. What Alex said about the laminate taking bits off glass off, this has happened to me using a semi permanent release. I released both the glass (toughened) and an aluminium sheet that I used for the B side. The prepreg gripped really hard onto the glass, it ripped bits of glass off and left a print of resin on the surface which is going to take hours to scrape off. As for the other side, the aluminium released fine, but it left an even silvery residue over the entire surface (?).

It sure looks like you didn't have a good release present. I have used Easy Lease and ChemTrend. They seem to work and are applied the same.

Are you following directions? You must let it start to flash and then polish and wait 15 minutes. Not 5 or 10 but 15 in room temperature.

Do 5 or 6 coats and then wait a full hour. Not 45 or 50 minutes but a full hour. This is a test I do on every mold I prepare and I think it is a must.

To check to see how active your surface is. Take a 5 inch strip of good masking tape and stick it down before you apply your 1st release agent. Now pull it off straight up and note how much tack you have, or how active the surface is. Now apply your layers of release and when done do the tape test again. It should practically fall off. If it still sticks pretty good you have a problem.  

The only problem with this is that even the bagging tacky tape will hardly stick either.(I know that failed leak tests are sometimes caused by this)

So here is another thing I do on every mold.

I first apply the release all over the mold. When done I now take scotch brite fine and scuff the entire molds perimeter. In other words about in one inch from the edge of the mold. I now apply 2 layers of normal composite wax on the places that I scotch brited. (do a tape active test and see how inferior wax is to chemical release)

Now the tacky tape sticks like baby poo to a blanket! It also aids in taping down you stack layers. I never have leaks anymore.

Hope this helps.

Fred