Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

ah ang iirc pala yun yung polyester resin? IC.. hehe
ok so meron na palang premixed polyester (di na kailangan ng hardener)

hmmm mirror finish? pano kung styrofoam ang mold ko? pwede kaya yung packeging tape? makintab yun e? dba pwedeng substitute ng release wax ang wax na pang kotse?

btw what do you mean by CSM and IIRC? sorry for the ignorance...

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

ah ang iirc pala yun yung polyester resin? IC.. hehe
ok so meron na palang premixed polyester (di na kailangan ng hardener)

hmmm mirror finish? pano kung styrofoam ang mold ko? pwede kaya yung packeging tape? makintab yun e? dba pwedeng substitute ng release wax ang wax na pang kotse?

btw what do you mean by CSM and IIRC? sorry for the ignorance...

no no no, what i meant by premixed is that the resin comes premixed with the cobalt only. you just have to add the hardener.

csm = chop strand mat - the most comm
iirc = if i remember correctly 🙂

regarding the wax, yes a car wax will do narin. always double coat to ensure that all parts are coated.

if you plan to paint the styro with latex paint, which won't melt styro, patungan mo ng acrylic paint then buff to a showroom shine ika nga. this will make the inner portion of your project smooth and clean. medyo matagal talaga ang prep work ng gusto mo mold kasi from scratch ka.

if you are new to this, i suggest practice ka muna sa small things, else you'll end up spending more kasi ulit ka ng ulit.

i had a similar project just like yours which is in progress - fog lamp housing. aftermarket kasi ang ikakabit ko na fogs... oval shape sya and i want to make look like its oem (oem is round shape kasi). eto ang ikakabit ko orig na housing ng fogs.

i have the same mold which is an oval styro... ang ginawa ko is 2 pcs of 2" styro stuck back to back. painted it with latex and build up some thickness. to make the surface even, i used putty. for the mirror finish, just spray acrylic. wax ko is mothers step 3 paste wax... since that is what i have.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

oooops!! i thought cobalt accelerator was the hardener

hmmm latex paint.. ayus din cguro to..

tama i should practice first in small things to master the whole procedure..merong maliit na bagay na pwede pagpraktisan dito. the cover of the seatbelt bolt on the bottom in one side was missing when we purchased it. but thank God the other at the opposite side was there. baka pwede yun gawin.. hehehe

if i'm not mistaken, ang gelcoat ang ginagamit to prevent "boiling" or escaping of the heat from the finished project, which eventually damages the paint job?

tia

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

gelcoat is actually the finished surface of the fg material, may it be the mold, plug, or the final product.

freeform na muna pag-practisan mo... i suggest wheel chocks

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

does the yellow one at the bottom serves a ramp for car? :confused: could it hold the car's weight?

so how do you prevent the escaping of hot air from the finished product? this is one of the problems with FGs..

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

those are just chocks, not lifters = no load carrying

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

I was at Polymer today to get some fiberglass. I saw they have this product called "stryropatch" which if I understood correctly is applied to a styrofoam plug so the polyester resin won't melt it.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

I was at Polymer today to get some fiberglass. I saw they have this product called "stryropatch" which if I understood correctly is applied to a styrofoam plug so the polyester resin won't melt it.

iirc its styro-skin

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

You are right bro, thanks for correcting me.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

guys, meron foam na pwede gamtin na fiberglass mold. yung expanding foam, nasa spray can yun. diko lang maalala kung same rin ba yun sa polyurethane expanding foam na nabasa ko somewhere or hindi. meron nyan sa ace.

paglabas nya sa can, parang whip cream tapos nagiging foam, parang foam ng kama. you can use a utility knife/cutter to cut it or, better yet, use an electric sander/grinder. then, to achieve a smooth surface, lagyan ng polyester body filler (masilya). polypatch brand yung ginamit ko frm polymer products. the cured expanding foam wont melt upon contact with either the filler or polyester resin.

actually, mas madali kung yung foam and filler combination ay gagawing plug (a.k.a. male mold) tapos gagawa ng isa pang mold, yung female naman, then the final product.

may nakita kasi ako dating demo sa tv, from polymer products din yata yun n video, ang ginamit nila yung foam na parang pang kama tapos nilagyan ng masilya para maging plug. hope this helps!

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

Wow, this is amazing. I was thinking of doing the same thing on a planned DIY kayak. Ano progress on your project yet?

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

Arent surfboards made this way? Can the same technique be used in making a kayak? Been contemplating on doing a DIY kayak.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

have you seen the baby blue whale exhibit at glorietta 5? it's a fiberglass model of a 2 month old blue whale. the National Geographic Channel shows a short clip on how it was constructed. Its core consists of a white styrof0am-like material. I'm not exactly sure what the name of the material is. It's probably the same one used on surfboards. Then, the skin is made from fiberglass. You can even see on the clip how they lay out the chopped strand mats.

Re: styrofoam as fiberglass mold, is it possible?

Yeah. I remember seeing that on TV. Is it structurally sound to be used as a kayak, or its only strong enough for static models.

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.

Yes, i tried it.. and it works perfect..

I used masking tape to cover the stryropore, then brushed it with wax (actually I only use clear floorwax, its cheaper) I waited till the resin is dry, then I split the mold from the finished fiber.