| Author | Message | ||
     Nsbuell |
I'm looking to do some fibreglass work to my newly acquired FZR400 race bike. I've never done this and don't know exactly what materials I need. I want to fibreglass over the headlight and tailight openings so they are fairly large holes. Can anyone tell me what materials I should get to do this and give me any tips on getting a good result. I'm also wondering if spray cans with a trigger attachment would do a decent job for paint. I'm not looking for show quality here but the paint colour now is awful and I want to cover it with an all black scheme. Thanks | ||
| Loki |
Ryan, can't say on the glass work. You can get a good job done with the rattle can. Not a great job, but a good one. Use quality paint and take your time doing the prep and paint. I just painted my spare S1 bodywork via the rattle can method. Took some people by surprise just a short time ago. Then again I was using the good automotive stuff from duplicolor. laid down multiple coats of color and clear. With the wet sanding between coats. | ||
| Etennuly |
Ns, PM sent  | ||
| Toona |
A quick and easy way to "fill" large openings for 'glass work is to use corrugated cardboard covered with packing tape, then waxed, so that the cardboard will come off when the 'glass dries. Remember, a little hardener goes a long way when mixing the resin. Follow the mix ratio on the can. The fiberglass cloth (looks like a weave pattern) is much more flexible to work with. The fiberglass matting is a little harder to shape around corners. You can always use a little Bondo to finish/sand the area for looks, so the 'glass work doesn't have to be perfect. | ||
| Toona |
Fiberglass supplies, resin and cloth, and Bondo should be available at your local Autozone type stores. You should be able to buy it in either a quart size or gallon size. A quart should do. | ||
| Adamblast |
Be sure to wear gloves!!! Resin is no joke. | ||
| Swampy |
Latex gloves=cheap and work great! What kind of wax do you use on the cardboard? Parifin? Heated and brushed on? | ||
| Slaughter |
Hint: If you are using polyester resin, you're going to have tons more trouble than if you're using epoxy. Epoxy also releases easier. The polyester will STINK (it has about 40% styrene) and if you do it in your garage, you'll smell it for a couple weeks. Plus the polyesters are just sticky. The reason folks LIKE polyester is that it's cheap. There's also a difference between polyester laminating and finishing resin. Laminating resin will stick to itself pretty well, finishing resin must be sanded if you're going to re-coat or lay another layer on it after it has gelled (it has a surfacing agent that floats to the outer layer and gives it a wax-like surface that doesn't bond well) Recommend you work with fiberglass fabric commonly used for boats. Plain weave, twisted fibers. Wets very well and adequate strength. 6 oz/square yard material only needs 3-5 layers to fill gaps in fairings. 5 is pretty durable. 10 oz boat cloth might be more common. I'll try getting you some links to online sales places but I have found epoxy LAMINATING resin (NOT CASTING RESIN) at Lowes and Home Depot - also auto paint stores. You can seal a surface with aluminum foil. The resin sticks to it but you can peel it out from the inside. Since this is your first fiberglass project, you might need to do some things that somebody with more experience would try. If you can find some polyurethane foam - the kind used for surfboards - it shapes very nicely and you don't even have to release it, just carve it out from the inside. PRESTO. You might find a local boat or surfboard shop who might sell you scraps cheap (if you offer to pay, I bet they just give them to you) Wish I had more time, this is what I've done since the early 1970's and have probably trained a hundred folks in a few different languages - just today is a bit rushed (Christmas and all) (rushed out without proofreading again... hope this helps more than confuses) |
