Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

just came to my mind this morning. pwede kaya ito? then i realized that the resin can melt the styrofoam just like the rugby does. pwede kayang lagyan ng foil, o tape kaya? nabasa ko din latex paint daw? uubra ba yun? haven't tried anything fiberglass but i already read some articles about it (including here and tsikot.com) then i thought it would be interesting ;D tia.

polyester resin aka per will melt ordinary styro. you can use polyurethane styro if you want direct contact with resin. there is also a product known as styro-skin which is like a white paste you brush on to styro making a surface that can be moldable and glassed.

diluted glue will also work, but not as moldable as styro skin. the same goes for latex paint. babarahan kasi nila yung sandpaper pag kiniskis kahit tuyong tuyo. what more if wet sanded. btw, the latex specifically used here should be the water based one.

btw, the per, styroskin and polyglue can be bought at polymerprod philippines

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

If you use laminating epoxy instead of polyester you can use styrofoam no problem. I'd still fill the styro with putty though because epoxy is a lot more expensive than polyester. Using epoxy will make whatever you are making a lot lot stronger, and epoxy is a lot easier to use than polyester.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

how about wrapping it around with masking tape?

i'm thinking of making a fiberglass snorkel (for a 4x4) out of my curiosity lang. and i thought a snorkel would be a nice project. though i do not know when will i materialize my dream. :-[ dahil snorkel, it is an enclosed product..kaya i'm thinking im going to do 2 pieces then stick it together afterwards.

btw i've got a bit OT question. is it true that FG gives out "powder" dusty substances over time?

another, kung ang gagawin kong mold e same structure lang sa snorkel itself, paano ma smosmoothen ang outside (exposed) part nya? hindi ba parang mag aappear yan na mabuhok? (dahil sa fibers) at yung area na naka dikit sa mold un ang smooth? :confused:

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

BTW, another question, roughly how much ang /kilogram ng fiberglass fiber? at ng polyester resin, gelcoat, hardener at kung ano pa kailangan... tia 🙂

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

Sorry Bro I've no idea how much polyester resin costs but it is a lot less than epoxy. Fiberglass costs around P200/kg.

The powder is probably because there was not UV inhibitor added.

Snorkel - nice project.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

BTW, another question, roughly how much ang /kilogram ng fiberglass fiber? at ng polyester resin, gelcoat, hardener at kung ano pa kailangan... tia 🙂

take a look here: http://www.polymerprod.com/

there are many kinds of fg. the most common, csm, which iirc is around 150/kg. per is 120/kg, hardener is 75/bottle, epoxy resin is 1300/gal. i can't remember price of gelcoat. btw, you'll also need cobalt accelerator for the gelcoat.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

how about wrapping it around with masking tape?

possible also. i did this once. i created a plug (mold) out of a carboard wrapped in masking tape and grocery bag. but it still depends on the form of what you'll do.

i'm thinking of making a fiberglass snorkel (for a 4x4) out of my curiosity lang. and i thought a snorkel would be a nice project. though i do not know when will i materialize my dream. :-[ dahil snorkel, it is an enclosed product..kaya i'm thinking im going to do 2 pieces then stick it together afterwards.

for cylindrical, tube, or anything that is of a similar form, you can also do it as a whole and not 2 pieces stuck together.

the procedure would be a bit more complex that you think. if i were to do it, what i am going to do is carve a the form that i want to in styro, as what you have in mind, then glass it over - a layer or two will do. give it a mirror finish. next is i'll "flange" the plug such that i'll be able to do two pieces of the mold. once you've created the two molds, you can now join those two together and lay glass inside. in this way, whole na yung tube ng snorkel.

btw i've got a bit OT question. is it true that FG gives out "powder" dusty substances over time?

another, kung ang gagawin kong mold e same structure lang sa snorkel itself, paano ma smosmoothen ang outside (exposed) part nya? hindi ba parang mag aappear yan na mabuhok? (dahil sa fibers) at yung area na naka dikit sa mold un ang smooth? :confused:

kung tama ang timpla ng resin at saturation ng fibers, hindi sya magiging mabuhok. proper resin prep and fiber saturation is the key. as for the dust, i never had this problem. it might be only a cleaning factor.

as for the finishing, a lot use body filer to fill the gaps, but i suggest using fiber fill or milled fibers to fill the high spots. just use the body filler (masilya) for minor filling purposes.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

Epoxy is now P1790 per gal.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

If you use laminating epoxy instead of polyester you can use styrofoam no problem. I'd still fill the styro with putty though because epoxy is a lot more expensive than polyester. Using epoxy will make whatever you are making a lot lot stronger, and epoxy is a lot easier to use than polyester.

this is true, laminating epoxy won't melt styro. i'm not sure with putty though. what's good about epoxy also is the long working time (4 hours iirc) unlike per na 20-25 mins lang.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

Bro, "baliktad". Epoxy has a working time of about 45 minutes. Polyester takes a couple of hours. I've never used polyester but I would like to one of these days.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

thank you guys im getting a bunch of inspirations already hehehe 😀

ngek mahal pala ang polyester resin? pwede bang makabili nyan ng less than a galon? siguro marami na ang isang kilo ng FG dba, magaan lang yun e.. ilang kilo kaya kailangan ko para sa dream project ko?

@spyghost, thanks sa suggestions. so meaning, hahatihin ko in half ang mold? (with the glass already)? then i join in one pagkatapos?
ganyan din idea ko, minimal use of masilya lang to minimize the weight as possible. hmmm cobalt accelerator pa dn pala..

sa timpla lang pala yun ng resin at saturation ng fibers..i also assume you would also to sand down to make it even..

i think i need to do a research about the kinds of FGs first at para malaman ko kung ano ang pinaka suitable para project ko..

i also read about wrapping foil around the plug to protect its texture.. and masking tape to hold it in place.. 🙂

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

Sorry Bro I've no idea how much polyester resin costs but it is a lot less than epoxy. Fiberglass costs around P200/kg.

The powder is probably because there was not UV inhibitor added.

Snorkel - nice project.

i assume UV inhibitor is needed to be applied on projects that are exposed to sunlight most of the time? pineprevent ba nito ang deterioration ng surface? pati ang sa inner part?

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

thank you guys im getting a bunch of inspirations already hehehe 😀

ngek mahal pala ang polyester resin? pwede bang makabili nyan ng less than a galon? siguro marami na ang isang kilo ng FG dba, magaan lang yun e.. ilang kilo kaya kailangan ko para sa dream project ko?

@spyghost, thanks sa suggestions. so meaning, hahatihin ko in half ang mold? (with the glass already)? then i join in one pagkatapos?
ganyan din idea ko, minimal use of masilya lang to minimize the weight as possible. hmmm cobalt accelerator pa dn pala..

sa timpla lang pala yun ng resin at saturation ng fibers..i also assume you would also to sand down to make it even..

i think i need to do a research about the kinds of FGs first at para malaman ko kung ano ang pinaka suitable para project ko..

i also read about wrapping foil around the plug to protect its texture.. and masking tape to hold it in place.. 🙂

the polyester resin that i was using was the general purpose premixed one r10-103. i only buy per kg. iirc its around 150/kg. ang lalagyan nya is parang bote ng toyo. 🙂 this premixed one does not need cobalt - premixed na kasi. the gelcoat is not premixed however kaya kelangan ng cobalt.

as for the texture of the plug, just give it a good mirror finish and put release wax on it and it will be fine.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

i assume UV inhibitor is needed to be applied on projects that are exposed to sunlight most of the time? pineprevent ba nito ang deterioration ng surface? pati ang sa inner part?

Yup that's right but I don't know if the UV penetrates and affects the interior. UV also affects epoxy which is why we put a top coat of polyurethane exterior varnish.