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so i started my first fiberglass seat last night and i have to say. its a total PITA!. i have a bad feeling its not going to turn out right.
what are some things i should keep an eye when doing another layer? i think i have a build up of resin in some spots which i think might not be good. what should i do about that? also how many layers of fiber do i need? i bought enough to do two layers of fiber mat, and one layer or fiber cloth. im going to be mounting the fiberglass seat on top of a steel pan. which will factor how many layers i need. just no sure how many infact i do need.
last but not least. how do i know if i should throw the seat away and forget it?
thanks everyone
Two layers of mat and one layer of cloth may not be enough. Are you using 3/4 Oz. mat? You will find that the pan will flex a lot unless you build the seat area up thick. I like to use four layers of mat, then build up thickness with a woven roving on the flat surfaces.
I used 5-6 layers. I really reinforced the places where weight is going to be and where the bends are. The fleece I used soaked up some resin that I mixed too weak (not enough hardener) and it never hardened all the way. If this is your problem, you will have to deal with a sticky mess. If there is plenty of hardener in it, I don't see much of a problem.
Remember that any imperfections you have now you can always smooth out with bondo and sanding.
Making your own seat is a pain but you'll get a nice reward when you are done: a truly custom seat...
You can mold in"stiffeners" to the seat pan. I sanded in some long concave channels into my foam under the seat area. You can also encapsulate some stiffeners (I used wood paint stir sticks with good results in the past).
If you add more layers to the fiberglass after it cures, you should clean the surface with alcohol to remove oils, and sand the area to scuff it and give the next layer a mechanical bond.
I errored on the heavy side on my seat. I figured that this isn’t a GP bike and a few extra ozs of weight will not be noticed.
I would not worry about any imperfections under 1/8" thick, they can be fixed with bondo type filler.
Anything larger can be fixed with fiberglass matt.
They do sell bondo with fiberglass in them as well as fiberglass that you add to resin (balls or fibers) that can make a repair as strong as the base material.
I started with mat for to fill in am take the shape and then used cloth for a smooth finish. Its really easy if you take your time, and wear rubber gloves (some people spray wd40 on there hands). I love doing fiber glass work. And if you have an area that the mat keeps popping up I just add a little more resin and push it down serval times and it will stick.
Hopefully I didnt repeat anything
Good Luck
well after talking to everyone i think there is still hope yet. lol.
if i have a build up of resin can i sand it down before i lay another layer of fiberglass?
Practice, practice, practice and the glass will lay down nice and flat! It's best to get to the point where you only need a very thin layer of plastic filler to smooth the glass. No air bubbles should exists at all..
well after talking to everyone i think there is still hope yet. lol.
if i have a build up of resin can i sand it down before i lay another layer of fiberglass?
you can keep going over and over.
This is how we build up the thickness of parts (over 1/2" thick) and get around the exothermic reaction (heat) that would result in laying too thick a part in one pass.
Also, if you keep practicing and go real thick but get a nice looking shaped part, you can always use that as a plug for a mold to make as many good parts as you need.
you can keep going over and over.
This is how we build up the thickness of parts (over 1/2" thick) and get around the exothermic reaction (heat) that would result in laying too thick a part in one pass.
Also, if you keep practicing and go real thick but get a nice looking shaped part, you can always use that as a plug for a mold to make as many good parts as you need.
How far should I get with a quart of resin? Also I'm making this seat in the winter time. I live in indiana. Although it's been warm it's going to be in the lower 30s. Is that a problem? I'm assuming it's just going to take alot longer to harden. The seat is getting hard just taking for ever to harden
Try not to do it in the cold. As you've noticed, it takes a lot longer to cure. 2qts should just about do it for your first seat. You can probably get away with less after you get a feel for it.
I did mine in the cold. I used space heaters to help "bake it". I used a large box to put the heater and the part under to keep it warm. The hotter it is, the faster it will set up.
Make sure to keep the resin in the house before you start, 70 degree resin is not very fluid, 30 degree resin is going be be solid.
The stuff is like $7 a quart at the autoparts store. You won't need an extra, but then again, you are new to this and will have more waste so buy one.
Buy lots of extra disposable paint brushes, they make it easier to work the resin and will get sticky handles no matter what you do. Toss them and use a new one.
Same with gloves. Toss them as soon as you get sticky fingers because you will not be able to pick up the dry glass without making a mess.
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