best fiberglass resin?

N

nbriles2000

New Member
So I'm in the process of making an upholstery pan for a seat I ordered from airtek and this is my first fiberglass venture. Last weekend I tried it out with the bondo fiberglass resin and it seemed so incredibly thick! I couldn't brush it on and it didn't seem to soak into the mat very well. I scrapped my first attempt and I was wondering if I was doing anything wrong or if that is just the way the bondo.resin is. I was under the impression that this stuff was supposed to be about the viscosity as paint! Any suggestions on a new type of resin?
 
If you're just looking to brush it on, Fibre Glast is tough to beat. Just a polyester molding resin will do it.
 
I've never used the Bondo stuff.

Could be you mixed it a little hot. It thickens up quickly when mixed hot.
 
I've used the bondo resin quite a few times and while I'd agree it's a tad thick I wouldn't say it's like peanut butter. Of yours really is then you have a bad batch.
I'd say it's the consistency of syrup.

You can't really brush it on like paint and expect it to just flow into the cracks, you have to "dab" it on with the end of the brush to push it into all the nooks and crannies.
 
It has about a 3 month shelf life. You may have grabbed a can that's been sitting for a while.

The above post makes a good point. It's dabbed, not brushed. A roller comes in handy too.
 
I'm with Flugtechnik on the West system - it's not the cheapest but if you do it right it will last forever.

Resin is never just a brush-on business, it takes stippling with a stiff brush and using metal-disc rollers to get that resin into the glass and get the air out. Resin sitting on top of the glass adds very little to the strength.

It takes practice and experience to get good with composites but it is a very versatile technique once mastered!

Crazy
 
I'm almost positive I've just got the wrong stuff. I THINK I have the bondo fiberglass jelly which is just for a different application. This weekend I'm going to try some thinner fiberglass. I'm sure it'll come out better.
I'm not really concerned with structural integrity because its just holding the upholstery. I will post my findings
 
I have seen Bondo has a Fiberglass GEL resin on the shelf. I wounder if that's what you got... I always used the regular polyester resin. If not, then sounds to me like you either got an old batch, or it started to set up on you. I have used the Bondo brand several times with no issues, syrup is about the right description.

*edit* you post while I was, thats the answer right there
 
What is the thickness of the glass you're using now?

The chopped strand mat I use is 45 thousandths, and wets out extremely easily.
 
Try US Composites. I get all my stuff from them as they are dirt cheap.

They have everything. I use the 404 Tooling Resin with the Chopped Strand Mats. Two layers of 1.5 oz chopped strand mat and the 404 tooling resin makes a solid piece. Can go 3 layers for even more strength

http://www.uscomposites.com/polyesters.html

http://www.uscomposites.com/mat.html


Here is a streetfighter mold I just finished

Finsihed%20Mold.jpg
 
This is just a 1 or 2 use mold. I still have the plug to create the mold again haha. On ones where i want to use them dozens of times I do.
 
Yeah, their prices aren't bad at all.

You wouldn't happen to know what they charge by the roll for 1.5oz chopped strand would you? They had that one listed as "Call."
 
Yea I'm not sure. I buy it by the yard. Usually about 15-20 yards at time.

Looks like 80yds to a roll for the 1.5 so I would probably say somewhere around 2.00-2.15 a yard probably.
 
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