Make a fiberglass fan shroud

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(Forming the circular part of the shroud)
(Laminating the part)
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[[Image:21mat strips.JPG|center|600px]]
 
[[Image:21mat strips.JPG|center|600px]]
  
When wetting out mat with resin, many people make the mistake of working the resin into the mat while it is on the wet out board. This is a mistake and will only make a resin rich, inconsistant part. You only brush enough resin on to cover the mat with resin, it will soak in.
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When wetting out mat with resin, many people work the resin into the mat while it is on the wet out board. This is a mistake and will only make a resin rich, inconsistant part. You only brush enough resin on to cover the mat with resin, give it a little bit of time, it will soak in.
 
Notice in the picture how there are some areas of mat that are darker, and have become transparent. There is no more resin on those strips than is on the others, they were wetted out earlier and have soaked up the resin.  
 
Notice in the picture how there are some areas of mat that are darker, and have become transparent. There is no more resin on those strips than is on the others, they were wetted out earlier and have soaked up the resin.  
 
[[Image:22wetting out strips.JPG|center|600px]]
 
[[Image:22wetting out strips.JPG|center|600px]]
  
You do need to be somewhat swift with this part of the laminating process, as time goes by the resin will dissolve the binder that holds the mat together and make picking it up to apply it to the part a very frustrating activity. It will just fall apart.
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You do need to be somewhat swift with this part of the laminating process, as time goes by the resin will dissolve the binder that holds the mat together and make picking it up to apply it to the part a very frustrating activity. If the binder has dissolved, the mat will just fall apart when you try to pick it up..
  
 
[[Image:23wetting out some more.JPG|center|600px]]
 
[[Image:23wetting out some more.JPG|center|600px]]
  
Brush some resin on the surface of your buck.
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Brush some resin on the surface of your buck. Brush a bit more resin in the corners and outside corners as these areas tend to be a little dry after stretching the mat over them.
  
 
[[Image:24wetting surface.JPG|center|600px]]  
 
[[Image:24wetting surface.JPG|center|600px]]  
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I made a roller out of some threaded rod, a file handle and some 1/4 rod. It works extremely well for rolling out air bubbles in fiberglass. Move slowly, applying enough pressure to roll the air out, but not so much pressure that you move the mat around of push all of the air bubbles out. Air bubbles look like clear voids, they are easily spotted when you put pressure on them as you can move them around."Dry" spots will show up as white strands of fiberglass that spring up out of the resin.
 
I made a roller out of some threaded rod, a file handle and some 1/4 rod. It works extremely well for rolling out air bubbles in fiberglass. Move slowly, applying enough pressure to roll the air out, but not so much pressure that you move the mat around of push all of the air bubbles out. Air bubbles look like clear voids, they are easily spotted when you put pressure on them as you can move them around."Dry" spots will show up as white strands of fiberglass that spring up out of the resin.
You can use a brush, foam roller or your fingers to manipulate the air out. Squeegees don't work well on mat.  
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You can use a brush, foam roller or your fingers to manipulate the air out. Squeegees don't work well on mat. Commercially made rollers of many sizes and shapes are  available from most fiberglass supply houses.  
  
 
[[Image:30rolling out the air.JPG|center|600px]]  
 
[[Image:30rolling out the air.JPG|center|600px]]  

Revision as of 02:06, 25 June 2007

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