Using Sheet Glass To Lay Up Fiberglass

Fiberglass in temperatures between 60 and 85 degrees f.

Using sheet glass to lay up fiberglass.

Lay one of the sheets of fiberglass on the surface. The styrene in polyester and vinyl ester resins evaporate into the air during lay up. However this section will cover glass fiber specifically. Fiberglass is a very durable material that will bond to almost any surface including plastic metal wood and styrofoam.

Instead heat up the room to accelerate the process. Glass cloth aka bi axial woven fabric aka bi axial. Working with fiberglass and resin can be hazardous if you are not careful. For one square foot use about 1 cup of prepared fiberglass resin.

The fiberglass resin is a thick substance that needs a catalyst to harden. Fiberglass is the actual cloth or mat made up of glass fibers. If you must use several pieces line them up next to each other with as little gap between them as possible. On a small lay up the fiberglass laminate which hangs over the edge of the mold can be trimmed off easily with a razor knife if you catch the trim stage of the period after the lay up has gelled but before it has hardened.

Protect your skin and eyes by wearing gloves eye protection and clothes to cover the skin. Lay mat on or in your form and spread the resin mixture over it with a disposable paint brush. The mat or cloth will seem to melt into the resin as you spread it and you can use the brush and additional coats of resin to build up the layer of fiberglass to a thickness of up to 1 4 inch 0 6 cm. Fiberglass consists of fiberglass mat that is saturated with a fiberglass resin.

The following video demonstrates the basic lay up technique to fabricate a fiberglass laminate. Too warm and it will harden too quickly. Work in a well ventilated area. The list below contains common designations for this material.

The fabric to resin ratio was carefully calculated to yield a maximum of 35 resin content and process demonstrate how to produce low porosity or entrapped air bubbles large voids and microscopic porosity within the laminate. On a larger lay up it can be trimmed with a saw or diamond blade. As noted above the fiber does not have to be glass. Too cold and fiberglass won t harden.

For laying up fiberglass on hard.