New at this need help getting started....

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New at this need help getting started....

New at this need help getting started....

Author	Message
artistwantab	a artistwantab posted 6 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
a Group: Forum Members Posts: 6, Visits: 25	As stated I am completely new at this. For the past 10 years I have been having these made out of 26 gauge steel panels. My thought is that I could use these steel panels as a mold and press the shape out of fiberglass. I am completely new at this so I will start with some basic questions. Is it possible? The final panels at 40x48 and made out of a full 4x8 foot sheet. How much fiberglass would you need to make a similar panel. Thank you in advance and I know I will have more questions.
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Warren (Staff)	Warren (Staff) posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Administrators Posts: 2.5K, Visits: 8.5K	Yes it should be possible, although it will be difficult to get it neat as you would have to get the fibres to conform to all the tight corners which is quite difficult. You may well need to look down the vacuum bagging route. The issue is likely to be that it is very time consuming to lay up the fibreglass into such a shape without getting gaps and bridges over the recessed V shapes. In terms of size of material, you would in essence need fibreglass of the same approximate size - a little oversized to take into account trimming and folds. The thickness depends on what you are trying to achieve. To get the same stiffness as steel, it would need to be quite a bit thicker. Warren Penalver Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant
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artistwantab	a artistwantab posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
a Group: Forum Members Posts: 6, Visits: 25	Thank you so much for the reply. Don't worry about the labor. Those sheets above are done individually on a large metal brake one row at a time. Its very labor intensive and costly to produce. That and the weight savings make this so much more practical. So this is my thinking based on what I read and found on the internet. So this is what I am thinking . Take two sheet and press them together. They compact very tight when weight it put on them. Based on what I have read and found. What do you feel will cause the air pockets? Non-Starch Fiberglass is the best because it bends nicely ??????? I need to coat each metal sheet with 8 coats of Molding Releasing Wax. I agree that buying the fiberglass in 4 foot widths makes the most sense. Apply Resin to fiberglass Apply a Gel Coat Then press the them together That is all I found so please let me know if I am missing a step. Thanks in advance.
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artistwantab	a artistwantab posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
a Group: Forum Members Posts: 6, Visits: 25	+x Warren (Staff) - 1/17/2019 10:13:54 AM To get the same stiffness as steel, it would need to be quite a bit thicker. I don't need it to be as strong as the steal. The steal is way over kill. I need it a bit stronger then fiberglass roof panels. I don't know any thing about the vacuum bags method. That seems a simpler less labor intensive method. Would it only be carbon fiber material? Thanks!
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Warren (Staff)	Warren (Staff) posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Administrators Posts: 2.5K, Visits: 8.5K	Pressing two sheets together would be a good method as long as it doesn't flex or distort. That way you can wet lay the resin onto the fabric and press the two together to ensure the fabric conforms. You would probably want an excess of resin laid onto each metal sheet to try and ensure air does not get trapped on the surface anywhere. if clamped tightly then the sheets will help squeeze out any excess resin. A gelcoat would be a nightmare to apply evenly so best just use resin. Also I would use a chemical release agent rather than mould release wax as it would save you time over the waxing manual process. Vacuum bagging I would rule out as you have to get the bagging film neatly into every single recess . Warren Penalver Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant
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artistwantab	a artistwantab posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
a Group: Forum Members Posts: 6, Visits: 25	+x Warren (Staff) - 1/18/2019 5:13:49 PM Pressing two sheets together would be a good method as long as it doesn't flex or distort. That way you can wet lay the resin onto the fabric and press the two together to ensure the fabric conforms. You would probably want an excess of resin laid onto each metal sheet to try and ensure air does not get trapped on the surface anywhere. if clamped tightly then the sheets will help squeeze out any excess resin. A gelcoat would be a nightmare to apply evenly so best just use resin. Also I would use a chemical release agent rather than mould release wax as it would save you time over the waxing manual process. Vacuum bagging I would rule out as you have to get the bagging film neatly into every single recess . Wow Thanks.... Ok...so now that I am certain I am moving forward with this I have technical questions. Resins... Can you recommend a resin? chemical release agent? Recommendation? Fiberglass recommendation? Thank you again in advance! Edited 6 Years Ago by artistwantab
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Steve Broad	Steve Broad posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 408, Visits: 4.1K	Sandwiching the fibreglass between two metal sheets seems the best idea, but how will you squeeze them together evenly? My thought would be to use a vacuum bag, which would exert an even 14psi over the whole mould. I would lay the whole thing on a flat surface and add weights to make sure it remains flat.
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artistwantab	a artistwantab posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
a Group: Forum Members Posts: 6, Visits: 25	+x Steve Broad - 1/19/2019 9:50:01 PM Sandwiching the fibreglass between two metal sheets seems the best idea, but how will you squeeze them together evenly? My thought would be to use a vacuum bag, which would exert an even 14psi over the whole mould. I would lay the whole thing on a flat surface and add weights to make sure it remains flat. I plan on making a jig that I can tighten bit by bit in the corners and center. Going to make the jig completely out of wood. Would you recommend coating the wood with something in case any excess resin drips onto the wood. Thanks in advance!
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Steve Broad	Steve Broad posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 408, Visits: 4.1K	+x artistwantab - 1/19/2019 11:00:38 PM +x Steve Broad - 1/19/2019 9:50:01 PM Sandwiching the fibreglass between two metal sheets seems the best idea, but how will you squeeze them together evenly? My thought would be to use a vacuum bag, which would exert an even 14psi over the whole mould. I would lay the whole thing on a flat surface and add weights to make sure it remains flat. I plan on making a jig that I can tighten bit by bit in the corners and center. Going to make the jig completely out of wood. Would you recommend coating the wood with something in case any excess resin drips onto the wood. Thanks in advance! Good luck with clamping it evenly over the whole area :-) Treat the wood with the same release agent you are using on the steel.
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Zorbit	Z Zorbit posted 6 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Z Group: Forum Members Posts: 6, Visits: 45	I can see a couple of problems here. First, you will have to "roll" the top metal sheet onto the bottom sheet whilst feeding the glass mat in from the open end, otherwise the glass will not be able to slide fully down into the bottom of the valleys and will tear. Second, it's going to be really difficult to get even clamping over the whole area unless you use a vacuum system, the pressure required to get that length of glass into so much corner will add up to quite a lot, enough to bow the metal, although perhaps you could cover it with sandbags to get distributed pressure.
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