by parnold » Mon Jul 05, 2010 11:55 am
I've seen some different posts relating to similar concepts, some with aircraft fabric, etc. In my head, the problem I see me having, is that the fabric will shrink between the wooden spars, and the outer skin will be anything but smooth. Filling in to make a smooth outer skin would be a problem, and could easily add a lot of weight.
My "bright" idea, for ya'll to comment on....
Build the wooden frame, cover with material of your choice. For my concept, I would be using polyester resin as a stiffening agent, then actually covering with fiberglass cloth once I have a fairly rigid shell. So here's the fun part.
Wrap the fabric as tight as possble, and staple liberally to the frame. You would have to be prepared to do the entire shell at once which could be a real issue, but... take the exhaust side of a shop vac, and feed the hose into the shell, which would puff the fabric. By carefully regulating the amount of pressure in the shell, you might be able to get a fairly smooth and rounded shell this way. I imagine as you go, you would have to decrease the air supply, since the application of resin would be inhibiting the "leakage" of the fabric.
Ok, now please tell me your thoughts on what I am missing. I know it can't be this simple.
I always thought it would be neat to make a giant egg trailer, with the bottom cut off obviously, for aerodynamics and aesthetics.