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Tip: Small Fiberglass Parts

DanH

Legacy Member
Mentor
Sometimes small fiberglass parts have complex shapes. The shape may not allow neat wrapping in gloss packing tape in order to facilitate mold release. You'll need to make a plug with a firm, slick finish of its own. So how do you do it quickly?

Start with a dense, small cell foam. You can order foam from the aircraft supply of course. I just hit the local big box home supply and buy a sheet of dense pink or blue wall insulation board, usually available 2" thick. Not expensive, and a whole lot more foam for your money. Cut a few sections bigger than your intended part and laminate them together with dry micro. That gives you a solid foam block of any desired size.

How to shape the plug? I use an ordinary crosscut hand saw for the big cuts, then a hacksaw blade for the finer cuts. From there use 80 grit paper to rough it out, then 180 to detail the shape. If there's a critical outside dimension, make the plug about a 1/16" small.

When you have the shape nailed, mix some epoxy. Pour a little off in another cup and mix in some micro. Use a little plastic squeegee to wipe some micro mix into any surface flaw. Now, without waiting, paint the foam surface with neat epoxy. The idea is to form a thin epoxy shell and seal the foam.

Shaped and sealed plugs, unsanded:

Sanded%20and%20Sealed.JPG


When cured, lightly sand the epoxy shell until smooth. Little defects don't matter much. They will be duplicated on the inside of the finished part, but a little sanding will remove them later. Do NOT sand through the epoxy skin.

Now wax the surface, two coats, fully dry between coats, no buffing. I've used the same old can of carnuba wax for ages. When dry, spray or brush over the wax with some PVA mold release.

If the part needs a mounting flange, cover a sheet of aluminum or wood with packing tape. Screw the foam to the sheet with a few coarse deck screws or similar.

Do your layups. Three or four plies of 8.9 oz 8-harness is typical.

Layups.JPG


When cured, dig the foam out. The epoxy shell-wax-PVA combination will peel cleanly and leave a finished surface. A little touchup sanding will remove any raised defect. If you accidentally allowed a few air bubbles between the plug and the layup, fill the indentations with micro and sand the surface flat later.

A finished part after 10 minutes of trimming and sanding, and a plug ready for layup:

Foam%20Removed.JPG


BTW, if this doesn't seem to fit your definition of "quick", consider how the work is scheduled. Cut and laminate a few foam blocks, ten minutes. Shape the plug and paint with epoxy, an hour. Sand, wax, PVA, and layup, maybe two hours, and some of that is waiting for the wax and PVA to dry. Remove the foam and trim, another half hour. Between these tasks you work on something else.

Have fun!
 
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Very cool - thanks for the tips.

You describe the basic foam plug shaping methods - various saws and sandpaper - but your plugs look like they were shaped by Michaelangelo and I think mine would come out more like a Manny Moe and Jack piece. I assume you used something more than freehand shaping in at least some critical areas - for e.g., where you need a circular cross section shape? Perhaps some sandpaper glued to the inside of some tubing would help in areas like this?

erich
 
Dan...

You sir, are an artist!!! Thank you so very much for the detailed write-ups and pix. Great aids for a glass-challenged individual like myself.
 
These look an awfull lot like the urethane parts you did about a month ago! Are these different parts, or did something change your mind about using urethane?

This fall I want to tackle the induction system. Instead of the "FAB" unit my -8 uses scat tubing but when I put the lower cowling on it has to compress the scat just a little to get into place. I rather not have the cowling under load like that so I was planning to replace the scat with a urethane duct.
 
I'm the least artistic guy you know.

Really, to do the shapes you just make plane cuts (draw them right on the block) and then round off the corners. If you screw it up, big deal. Throw away $1 worth of foam and do better on the next one.

<<I assume you used something more than freehand shaping in at least some critical areas - for e.g., where you need a circular cross section shape? Perhaps some sandpaper glued to the inside of some tubing would help in areas like this?

I just traced a circle of the correct diameter on the appropriate plane cut and sanded to the line, but do whatever makes you comfortable. More than one way to skin a cat.

The real focus is how to easily fabricate a one-shot throwaway plug which releases easily from the finished part and leaves a near-finished surface.
 
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John,
The urethane/glass ducts are much larger. These are just some little cooler ducts which will couple with SCEET.

I'm experimenting with the urethane duct idea. This weekend I laid up a new set using a harder Shore 70 industrial urethane and a single ply of 9 oz 14x16 coarse glass. Popped them off the plugs this AM. They're quite a lot more flexible than the 4 ply ducts. More in the duct thread later.

BTW, I'm a little hesitant to recommend the urethane ducts for an application where they might see a lot of exposure to fuel. Samples submerged in fuel did ok short term (a week), but I dunno about years. Apparently nobody does; the manufacturer was no help ("Sorry, we've not tested for that").
 
Great Stuff

Great stuff Dan. Guys, glass work is quite easy. It is also very rewarding. On this project another simple way to get rid of the foam is to dissolve it with Acetone. Quick and easy then peal away the tape from earlier.

To add to Dan's great "How to," you can start very simple with rudder cable fairing covers. I won't hijack Dan's deal but will so a write up on those in a separate topic.
 
Additional thoughts

Not all foams and epoxys are compatable. Test what you have on a sample. I know Vinyl esters and styrofoam are not compatable. Safetypoxy and styrofoam are, West and styrofoam are, I can't remember about polyester and styrofoam. Test yours first.

If it is incompatable, you are still in luck, Coat your plug with sheetrock mud. Sand like Dan says and coat again with wax, it will take a couple more coats. and PVA. Otherwise go on like He says.

Gary Specketer
Dragonfly, Glasair III. and asisting in bunch of others
 
What is the size of the plenum inlet 4" or 3"? It also looks as if it may be for the larger six cylinder coolers, is that correct?

Thanks
 
Amazing

Dan,

Your work is amazing. Actually, it's inspirational. I saw your shop about 10 months ago. Guys, all of his work is this impressive.

Thanks for the ideas!
Michael
 
Ok, previously we looked at simple ducts. It is also possible to build assemblies of moderate complication with simple foam block male forms.

This is the start of a filtered airbox. The idea was to package the maximum possible filter media area into the limited volume forward of an AF servo (standard cowl without a prop extension).

Here's the basic form. Sometimes a section of a form requires more detail than you can easily shape in foam, or the shape of the detail is critical. In this case the box needed a careful bellmouth radius at the servo entry. A few minutes on the lathe resulted in a nylon block form with the required shape, which was then grafted to the foam block. Epoxy will not stick to waxed nylon.

AB%20Base.JPG


The interior of the box needed "rails" to constrain the filter. The key here is to realize the form is really a mirror image of the inside of the finished part; cutting into the block results in a protrusion later. In this case I simply fired up a router and cut slots in the block. The inside of the slots are skim-coated with epoxy to seal the foam, just like the rest of the form, and get the same wax and PVA treatment before layup.

AB%20Rail%20Cut.JPG


The basic layup to form the box is conventional. In this case there is one addition. The slots were spooned full of epoxy/flox mix and squeegeed off flush with the surface of the form. Then the shell layups were applied while the flox was still wet. This "wet-on-wet" method makes the filter rails integral with the shell; no bonding issue.

The box needs to come apart for filter maintenance. When cured the shell was cut into two sections without removing the foam core. All it takes is a fine cutting wheel on a Dremel tool. The cut is just inside one of the rails, which you can easily see through the glass shell.

Next step is an overlapping flange to seal and attach the two halves. One half of the box got a layer of slick packing tape to form a no-stick surface (a bit of vinyl electrical tape covered the corners where packing tape wouldn't lay down neatly). The other half of the box was scuffed for bond prep. Three plies of glass were impregnated between plastic sheets. The flange shape was drawn right on the plastic, then cut to size with a rotary knife (the "pizza cutter"). Peel the plastic off one side, place the bulk layup, peel the other side, and stipple with a brush to remove air.

AB%20Box%20Overlap.JPG


When cured, dig out the foam. The wax and PVA coated epoxy "skin" placed on the foam form earlier will peel off the inside of the parts like a bad sunburn. A few sharp raps with a rubber hammer, a bit of compressed air blown under the flanges, and the two sections pop apart. Here we are after a bit of rough trim....

AB%20Rough.JPG


....and with the filter inserted on one half. Part number is K&N 33-2124

AB%20Filter.JPG


Continued next post.
 
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One detail neglected in the previous post was a method of attaching the two halves together. If you look close you'll find ordinary #6 nutplates imbedded in the layup. They were simply pressed into the wet flox prior to the shell layup. They're visible through the glass, so later I'll cut a little hole for the screw, clean 'em with a tap, whatever. If I was really picky about the threads I could have filled them with clay or wax. BTW, the formed-in-place flange is almost airtight without screws.

Anyway, here's a trial assembly of the box, with filter. Filter media area is roughly 2X more than a Vans snorkel filter.

AB%20Filter%20Inlet.JPG



The flat area on top of the box gets an alternate air door, a project for a few evenings this week. Then I'll send it over to Don at Airflow Performance for a check on filter pressure drop. Fine example of why 90% of us leap up like an SEC football crowd and start chanting "Airflow, Airflow, AIRFLOW...." when somebody starts an "AFP vs Precision" thread <g>

When it gets back from South Carolina I'll do the usual surface finishing and make it pretty.

POSTSCRIPT: Filter loss (loss in air pressure with the airbox assembly installed on an FM200 throttle body, as compared to a "perfect" test bell mouth intake on the same FM200) was 1.9" H2O, or 0.14" Hg. That's about the same as a butterfly valve in a bare tube.
 
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The Master

Is Dan the master of fiberglass or what?

I bet he has furniture made of the stuff. :D

Thanks for the great tips Dan!
 
Here's the alternate air door, 5 x 2.25, plenty of area. The hole was cut in the top of the box and the inside perimeter of the hole was painted with PVA. Three plies of 9 oz was saturated with epoxy between plastic sheets, then cut to the desired size by marking right on the plastic and slicing with the rotary knife. Peel one side, carefully place in the box, peel the other side and stipple with a cheap acid brush.

When cured, it was popped out, trimmed, roughed up on the back side, and laid back in the box after washing out the PVA residue. A length of .125" music wire was bent to shape and holes drilled for the hinge points. The music wire was floxed to the back of the door and while wet one ply of 9oz was placed as a cover sheet.

AB%20Door%20Layup.JPG


With the flox cured, one end of the wire got a stainless washer as a thrust button and another small washer soldered on for a stop. The other end got the same stainless washer, a 1" long 4130 arm, and a stub axle with a sleeve and stop, again all soldered. The spring was sized and stretched so the door will open at about 2" water differential pressure. (Later note; on the flow bench it opened at 3"...close enough. It does disturb airflow slightly in its airflow-driven "'floating" position; you can tell from the fuel flow. If fully opened manually, it has no significant effect on airflow or fuel flow. I could switch to manual operation, but probably won't, as I like its instant, fully automatic operation with a blocked filter. The HP loss shouldn't be critical....we'll see.)

AB%20Door%20Closed.JPG


The arm is arranged so as the door opens, the required pressure becomes less and less with increasing door angle. The door stops in contact with the backside of the filter and will self-close.

AB%20Door%20Open.JPG


So much for small parts made over foam cores. It ain't rocket science; jump in there and make what you want. Your airplane should include at least one totally custom part good for a satisfied grin when you think about it ;)

POSTSCRIPT October 2011 The 1" long 4130 arm soldered to the end of the piano wire hinge didn't work out. The solder joint failed twice; too much torque. It was replaced with a one-piece hinge and arm all bent from a single length of piano wire.
 
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Hey Dan,

Maybe it is just the angle of the picture but the swing arm and the spring look like they are almost in line with each other when the door is wide open. I would think that that much swing in the arm might allow the arm to go over center and have the spring hold the door open. Just an observation : )
 
Dan:
Is this FAB for a 0-360 cowl with the snorkel or a flat bottom cowl with "S" duct?

IO-390 with a one-off intake under the spinner.

......the swing arm and the spring look like they are almost in line with each other when the door is wide open. I would think that much swing in the arm might allow the arm to go over center and have the spring hold the door open.

Almost is the operative word. The door is firmly against the back side of the filter at the "almost" position.
 
Finished product. Process was the usual; epoxy/micro to fill then 80 grit sanding, shell w/epoxy for scratches/pinholes then 180 grit sanding. Primer and two-part single stage color seems to cover 180 grit sanding ok. The exterior cowl surface got primer and K36 sanded to 400 grit as it will later get a two-part pearl topcoat.

AB%20Finished.JPG


AB%20Finished%20with%20Scoop.JPG


That's all folks.
 
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I am speechless...

I can't believe you would go through ALL that trouble to
make something so beautiful... that nobody would see.

It is genuinely a master piece.

Thanks for sharing... I have learned more than fiberglass techniques.
I have learned that the product is really a reflection of its maker.
 
Darn it, Dan, you're good at what you do.

I need to build a filter box for a K&N cone filter and have down loaded the entire thread to a pdf file for reference on how to do it. I've had lots of trouble getting a lay up to release from a foam mold and you've come up with an excellent, excellent method.

Mocha gratis!
 
Another illustration...a duct on the underside of a plenum lid. Carved/sanded foam, micro to fill the dents and divots, epoxy skin, light sanding, wax, PVA, and do the layup.

So simple a caveman.....oh, never mind ;)

Double%20Duct%203.jpg


Duct%20Layup.jpg


Duct%20w%20Foil.jpg
 
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Here's a silly question Dan - where do you get the pink foam in blocks? ACS? Or local sources? (I hate the idea of paying shipping for a bulky block of mostly air!) When we made our cheek cowl extensions, we laminated up a block from a sheet of Home Depot insulation - gotta be a better way!

Paul
 
Here's a silly question Dan - where do you get the pink foam in blocks? ACS? Or local sources? (I hate the idea of paying shipping for a bulky block of mostly air!) When we made our cheek cowl extensions, we laminated up a block from a sheet of Home Depot insulation - gotta be a better way! Paul

That's it....pink 4' x 8' x 2" thick sheets from Home Depot. I like the stuff because it is very small cell.

Did you have some difficulty with laminating the block size you needed?

If you really want a giant one-piece foam block, find floatation billets intended for dock construction on your local lakes.
 
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Did you have some difficulty with laminating the block size you needed?
.

Well, they only had the 3/4" when I went shopping, so it took a bunch of layers! We used spray adhesive, and it worked "ok", but it left some voids in places that took a little extra work. 2" would be a lot better!

Great tips - as usual! We still have intersection fairings to make....
 
Well, they only had the 3/4" when I went shopping, so it took a bunch of layers! We used spray adhesive, and it worked "ok", but it left some voids in places that took a little extra work. 2" would be a lot better!

Ahh, spray adhesive isn't so good...solvents melt the foam. Use a very thin layer of dry micro* instead.

Look close and you can see two laminations (three blocks) in the above form.

(*microbubbles and epoxy mixed to the consistency of firm peanut butter. It sands better if mixed more "dry".)
 
Do you peel the "skin" off before joining layers Dan?

I have used some thin (<1") small-cell blue foam sheet with a plastic film on it, and yes, you need to peel the plastic. The 2" pink foam sheets don't have a plastic film.
 
Foam Block surfacing

Dan, looks like we use nearly identical technique. I have an alternate way to produce the desired release surface on the foam tool: Mix up some plaster of paris (gypsum plaster) and squeegee it on.

Using a squeegee, it will penetrate the foam enough for good adhesion and then sands quickly to a nice finish. The plaster also fills voids with ease. If you sand too deeply into the plaster, the area will require a re-coat to get the surface back.

Finish with paste wax, and if needed some PVA before glassing the part up.

Really cheap, fast, easy and produces great results.
 
Curiosity

Dan,

Why (other than pride or air resistance, etc) do you worry about release? When I have made parts like this in the past, I just pour acetone into it and the foam magically disappears!
 
Tested?

Dan, did you ever test your setup to ensure it would open if the filter was blocked? I understand you have an led light that flashes if/when it opens - does this ever occur during normal operations?

I am looking to create a similar spring loaded alternate air door and would like to know how effective your solution has been.

I see in this thread your door opens at 3" water differential pressure, you initially were looking for 2". Is this a calculated value? I will be using this on a 540 in my Rocket, but am not sure how to calculate the amount of vacuum it will produce at the airbox during normal operations, and the amount it would produce if the filter was blocked. Obviously I don't want the door to open during taxi and takeoff when there is no ram air available to hold it closed.
 
Dan, did you ever test your setup to ensure it would open if the filter was blocked? I understand you have an led light that flashes if/when it opens - does this ever occur during normal operations?

The 3" initial opening figure came from Don Rivera, who measured it while the airbox assembly was on his flow bench. Yes, I do have a microswitch and cockpit LED on the alternate air door. It does not open in normal operation. With the entire filtered inlet blocked, the airflow is slightly restricted by the necessity to push open the spring loaded door, plus the flow into the throttle body is not nearly as smooth. The combination will result in some HP loss, and (IIRC) it drives the mixture a bit rich. This is the tradeoff for automatic operation. I could probably rig a manual cable to more fully open the door and minimize both effects. However, the pilot would have the task of recognizing and diagnosing the power loss, then finding the alternate air knob while maintaining control of an aircraft transitioning to a glider. I'd rather have no power interruption, only a small power reduction and no need to do anything except wind my watch.

I see in this thread your door opens at 3" water differential pressure, you initially were looking for 2". Is this a calculated value? I will be using this on a 540 in my Rocket, but am not sure how to calculate the amount of vacuum it will produce at the airbox during normal operations, and the amount it would produce if the filter was blocked. Obviously I don't want the door to open during taxi and takeoff when there is no ram air available to hold it closed.

The 2" figure was more of a calculated estimate, necessary to pick a spring. Use the area of the door in sq in, multiply by 0.32523 (3" H2O converted to psi), apply the product as force in the center of the door and find a spring which just allows the door to move.

Your 540 will produce the same vacuum as every other engine. Let's assume you suck up a plastic garbage bag just after liftoff from a sea level runway on a standard day, at WOT. Atmospheric pressure is 29.92"Hg, or 14.699 psi, or 406.78" H20...more than enough to push the door open.
 
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Hi, Dan, I am about to make a FAB like this soon. Question, how did you seal the alternate air door to ensure non-filtered air did not leak past? Strip of RTV?

Thanks,
 
Hi, Dan, I am about to make a FAB like this soon. Question, how did you seal the alternate air door to ensure non-filtered air did not leak past? Strip of RTV?Thanks,

Nothing. See post 15. The box opening was coated with PVA, and the door was formed in place. The flange on the door is a near perfect match with the edge of the box opening.
 
Great stuff. I have been using a similar technique, but wrapping the foam in packaging tape as a release agent. Nowhere near as clean and tidy as dans method, but it works.
Where I have trouble is making the glass conform to tight curves, such as the join to mounting flanges. I overcome this with a piece of ply shaped to hold it down tight, but I wonder if you have a better method.
 
I have been using a similar technique, but wrapping the foam in packaging tape as a release agent....

I use tape at times, but some shapes just won't wrap....see below

Where I have trouble is making the glass conform to tight curves, such as the join to mounting flanges. I overcome this with a piece of ply shaped to hold it down tight, but I wonder if you have a better method.

Sure, just wipe in a micro filet before the epoxy seal.

Form3.jpg


Why (other than pride or air resistance, etc) do you worry about release? When I have made parts like this in the past, I just pour acetone into it and the foam magically disappears!

My axiom is that time spend shaping and finishing the form or mold is always repaid with a big dividend later in the process. With a slick form, wax, and some PVA, you'll have to do very little to finish the part later, while the melted foam method tends to leave a cobbly surface requiring a lot of work to make nice. If the shape lends it self to release, an epoxy shell means it is only two more steps to a form that requires zero finishing of the part.

Some squirt can high-build:

Form4.jpg


Gloss paint (anything works...this is Rustoleum!) followed by wax and PVA:

Form5.jpg


And the resulting part is truly finished, right off the form:

Blister2.jpg


Bonus: I get to keep the form for future use. This was a stick base blister for the RV-1, but the shape would make a nice cowl bump, yes?
 
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Totally agree that it is well worth it to put a good finish on the plug. You will have to put the effort in anyway, so you can do it once on a plug and make a mould in 20 min. and many perfect thin uniform parts or you can put the effort into finishing one part which will have lots of filler in it, which will be heavier and more prone to cracking. Also with a good finish the mould will release easily.

One tip to getting the cloth to turn corners is to orient the weave at 45 deg to the corner. Also, you can use satin or crowsfoot weave cloth which takes curves better. A thick fillet of flox was mentioned and that helps.

I have to disagree that wax should not be buffed. If I recall the mould release wax instructions are to buff it out and I always do. Pva can be tricky to apply on top of buffed wax. I spray a mist coat and let it flash, then I can build it up with no fish eye. My stuff always releases easily.
 
Wow great thread. I am trying to school myself on glass work. I don't fly an RV but I've found your site a wonderful resource for all different kinds of building info. I'm working on making a bubble to clean up my cowling. My plane only cruises at 75-80 mph but I'm trying to clean it up. I was wondering if you had any recommendations on the best way to do a nice cover over the big hole in my cowl. Those are the plug wires (Rotax) and water bypass hose. The kicker is the cowling splits right down the middle left to right with fastners so the bubble needs to be removable or...... open to ideas/designs.

 
I found that PVA woodworking glue works well with tha foam I use. That is old broccoli boxes. Even laying the weave at 45 deg to sharp corners I still have a less than perfect lay down. I have used an external form at times to get a corner down tight.
 
I have to disagree that wax should not be buffed. If I recall the mould release wax instructions are to buff it out and I always do. Pva can be tricky to apply on top of buffed wax. I spray a mist coat and let it flash, then I can build it up with no fish eye.

Works for me. For years I used the same old can of Turtle Wax, and it worked better unbuffed. When it ran out I switched to real mold release wax, and indeed, it works great using several buffed coats.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/moldrelease2.php?clickkey=11425

BTW, the green Fiber Glast brand PVA sprays on buffed Meguiars without fisheye:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/moldpva.php?clickkey=11425

I'm working on making a bubble to clean up my cowling...I was wondering if you had any recommendations on the best way to do a nice cover over the big hole in my cowl. The kicker is the cowling splits right down the middle left to right with fastners so the bubble needs to be removable or...... open to ideas/designs.

Sometimes, when all you need is a blister, the easy thing is to find an ordinary kitchen bowl with the right size and dish shape. Wax the inside, spray some PVA, lay up four plies of 8 harness satin. Pop it out when cured and trim to fit your cowl.

After trim, I'd attached it to the assembled cowl with a flox filet and a few filet plies, then cut the split line after cure. Clean up the edges, wax and PVA one side, sand the other side rough, re-asssemble the cowl, and lay up a flange using some two inch tape. Same basic flange process here:

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showpost.php?p=276028&postcount=1

Even laying the weave at 45 deg to sharp corners I still have a less than perfect lay down. I have used an external form at times to get a corner down tight.

Whatever works! I've seen nice external "clamp" forms made from cast rubber. Try Reynolds Advanced Materials.

I vacuum bag layups over complex forms, like this one for composite VW cooling baffles, as good 'ole atmospheric pressure will push the layup down into the concave places pretty well:

Molded%20VW%20Baffles.jpg


VW%20Baffle%20900w.jpg


Yes, this approach should work for an ECI cylinder. The trick is making the mold form. The actual baffle parts are four plies of 8.9 8-harness, with HTR-212 resin, a room-temp cure epoxy with a fairly high heat distortion temperature:

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/cmpages/htr212resin.php

In any case, I'm not real worried about temperature, as these will have a gasket strip of silicone-impregnated glass cloth between them and the cooling fin tips.
 
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Hair spray?

Can anyone comment on the suggested use of hair spray as a release agent? I saw this mentioned on a Hints for Homebuilders video.
 
I have not tried the hairspray, but I find there is some hours invested in the bucks or molds and why risk it when PVA is pretty cheap. I read to add a wax application on top of three coats of PVA, and it worked pretty well.

I use 5 wax applications and 3 sprayed layers of pva. PVA comes off most easily with water after parts are separated.

PS. I was looking at DanH's VW picture above. It's upside down! I know the VW's pretty well, and was thinking "what the heck is that boss on the bottom" ??? Having looked at Lyc's so much the pushrod tubes seemed natural!
 
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Old thread, I know. Dan - are there any learnings from your FAB that you would pass on to anyone duplicating your effort? I'm considering something similar for my RV6. I'm planning to print this for my mold:

VsbX2kPkz4hwj_mhNLwM50LkIsINpAwuGk08NipTs8fJqFmT8mHlhFNciUk2greD9DYBVGh0U_J3kg7MedTV0jzUcxfmdl66bB68yTR7VW6Ro67UUjdfZlOUaVIeG8F3sMSOI90NvwkzhQ42aApjtDQdWjBluZyIU3BnQzC6UjzWJ7D4lotZj5d5EkxSR_Xg6Y9lQrJBKC85EcFIqC0j4XR4GjKBwVp3KG2xlNuSX2_fBPFddEwjYGmMgX7CNx7dkcXRtxNjU43YCQ6YFi2kYAgZQxOChEe_czv2RkyEiPVAKS8sPTx199yFKZagM-6cQcY6kALoNOLSqPoZD0atVBp28YKOr344j1J3YeDygBhAWpi55FXVQQ4ITkqoedtyq73PtoyPL2fy_PMc2sYhlGY9DV7x7RgSLYhzErPum62diEAheCvdxPBoTwle6qMpKBgCiAEfCDhzBmIBCjDLvQ1kFrFBwBX8Zcd4TOr1drvRvaNOECB3xCx9e7U9wf0iGoGjwtkn09NYqpNfm942OPeQ831exudgh8YsVh6kBFd44G-9ax56tOnDtTsMt_XH93NGneFT_Hj4VhKPv8clQIiB38IUrWa5ADzG1fzo8YaWM6rKNQGQxuZD=w1135-h638-no


Don
 
PDF of DanH's valuable work

I've been making reference to DanH's fiberglass work and was bummed when I realized (1) I had lost the PDF I had created from this thread, and (2) the photos fell victim to the PhotoBucket EUA.

I took a little time today to do my best to recreate a usable PDF for anyone looking for this material. I found all but 2 or 3 photos (the ones showing the fabrication of the alternate air door).

Here is the PDF - link.
 
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Old thread, I know. Dan - are there any learnings from your FAB that you would pass on to anyone duplicating your effort? I'm considering something similar for my RV6. I'm planning to print this for my mold:

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Don

Don - I can not see the image but you said "print" a mold. Depending on the complexity of you mold, you may have real issues. (I just went down this path.) If you can display the image, I can provide more useful commentary.
 
Being blesses with a nasty respiratory allergy to two part epoxy products doing custom molds for myself is a non starter. Three D printing is coming into it's own but I realize the headlines from GE and the like are for machines that cost over a million bucks and powdered materials that run in the thousands of dollars a pound.

There are a couple topics currently on the forum featuring machines that can be considered reasonable affordable. My question is will the plastic based materials they use hold up as well as the current run of the mill fiberglass creations?
 
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