flat fiberglass panel for "stuff"

[Uncle Skip]

Just had a brain fart about materials for projects and thought I'd share.
I've made several flat parts like my steering column floor seal out of fiberglass.
I have two pieces of heavy glass that I tape saran wrap, wax paper, or, if you're making a larger piece, pieces of a trash bag to each side of the glass.
I lay out one piece of woven 1/2 ounce cloth, several layers of light weight random mat, and another piece of woven cloth on top.
You can make the plate without the cloth if you want to. The finish will come out pretty much the same, I just like the cloth finish.
I soak the fiberglass with polyester resin, blott up the excess with toilet paper and sandwich the whole thing between the two pieces of glass.
A heavy weight on top makes sure it gets squeezed down properly.
*-4-5 layers of fiberglass make a nice ~1/4" thick plate, but you can guesstimate and add or subtract layers to suit what you think you'll need.
But err in favor of thicker than thinner and I think you'll be happy.
Do it once and you'll be able to estimate what you'll need.
Let it sit overnight and you've got a nice straight fiberglass panel for all kinds of projects.
Lots easier to cut with a band saw, jig saw, or scroll saw than hacking with a pair of avation snips on a piece of aluminum.
Uncle Skip

[Brian Taylor]

Thanks Skip, I use fleece from the fabric store for many of my fiberglass projects.

[Alan Mclennan]

Thanks Skip, I use fleece from the fabric store for many of my fiberglass projects.

yes thanks uncle!, now Brian! what do you mean by " Fleece"?

[Brian Taylor]

Same fabric they use for sweat shirts/hoodies etc. I used it for molded speaker boxes, door panels and a few other projects around the shop.

[Uncle Skip]

Mac.
He probably uses fleece because it stretches around corners and curves really well.
Great for parts that might otherwise be made of plastic, but, like plastic, it doesn't have any real strength. If you're making complicated forms, lay up the fleece over your pattern and them reinforce it with glass if you need it.
I don't use it much because I can't stand dealing with the little fuzzies from the cotton.
You might use it to make a dash pad for your truck.
The glass plate I make is intended for structural things.

U@ss

[Alan Mclennan]

both good ideas from the guy`s from Texglass!