Least enjoyable job

[Tony_T]

Well, today I laid up the right and left cowl fiberglass. I vote this the least enjoyable of the project so far, although I have yet to do the fuel tank and I reserve the right to change my vote.

I dyed the resin black because it seems like that would be easier than painting the inside of the canopy in this area. I don't know how this is going to work out, but hoping for the best. Maybe it will look a bit like carbon fiber .

Tony

[Geico266]

I like your idea, but I about had a heart attack wondering why the resin was black! I thought you misread the instruction about resin and used tar resin! Now that I understand you died it that sounds like a great idea. I painted the area flat black, but it was a real pain to mask everything off.

There is a product called peal & ply that can absorb excess resin and give a better rough finish. I use it all the time. Don't let the resin get on the bare metal. It is very hard to get off.

Looks good!

[rv8guy]

guess we could all have a least enjoyable, and glassing is one for me, but at the very least, consider that a few years from now, when you are done, those same least enjoyable ones can bring you the most pride--maybe because we remember them with the most fondness

[RGaines]

I thought the tank was the worst until I got to the fiberglass on the canopy. Then when we got to the painting that set a whole new level for misery.

Rich

[rvbuilder2002]

Originally Posted by Tony_T

Well, today I laid up the right and left cowl fiberglass. I vote this the least enjoyable of the project so far, although I have yet to do the fuel tank and I reserve the right to change my vote.

I dyed the resin black because it seems like that would be easier than painting the inside of the canopy in this area. I don't know how this is going to work out, but hoping for the best. Maybe it will look a bit like carbon fiber .

Tony

One tip for builders with no prior fiberglass experience.

The construction manual specifically didn't recommend teh use of tint die in the resin because it makes it much more difficult to detect when you have fully wetted out the weave of the cloth.
When using untinted resin, the cloth becomes semi translucent when it becomes fully wetted out out and any dry spots or air bubbles are easily detectable. With tinted resin they are not.

Just one thing to keep in mind when making the decision. I may be a good idea to get help from an experienced composite builder if you are unsure but you want to use tint.

[Tony_T]

I thought I would bump this thread back up to report on my black epoxy job. I think it has turned out well. I have sanded down to the first layer of electrical tape and pulled that off leaving a nice line. There were low spots that I have filled and sanded and then applied a coat of epoxy. Some detailing is necessary as there are some little pinholes and some more minor filling will probably be done at the paint shop. I will sand down to the last layer of tape and pull that off and then I am inclined at this point to leave the final detailing of the 'glas to the pros at paint time. I do like the looks of the black epoxy from inside the canopy and I will not have to paint this area inside the canopy which was what I hoped to accomplish.
Far as I can tell there were no bubbles or other problems with the dyed epoxy job.


Here is what it looks like from the inside:


Tony

[Gagarin737]

If you have some spare time left I will send my canopy to your place, great work! Even with this work your your place looks clean at every picture

[Slane]

Scott, thanks for the heads-up and words of caution for those of us who are novice builders.

Tony, is it safe to assume that you will be painting the entire plane black?

Slane

[Tony_T]

Joeri,
I usually pick up before picture taking so as not to have a lot of distractions in the photo .

And Slane,
I like black and have ordered black carpeting, but the exterior will not be black. No decision yet on that color.

Tony

[rvamateur]

I say nice job Tony!