Foam Outer Finish Material

[GPW]

Actually , I've used Kraft paper over foam wings before , it works , but like Eagle said , we don't think it would be ultimately as strong as the canvas... But for a smoother finish , no reason you couldn't put the paper over the top of the canvas...

[eaglesdare]

I don't have any experience skinning foam, so forgive me if I go off the rails. I'd like to ask if anyone has tried paper as a skin? I was thinking that it would easily be saturated by low viscosity epoxy or thinned wood glue. For paper, I was thinking about Kraft paper, masking paper, or even a couple of layers of newsprint. Using a squeegee to drive the adhesive into the paper might make for a smooth, paintable surface. Not sure how the costs would compare. What are your thoughts?

off topic: there is a gathering that you might be interested in. not far from hamilton.
Heavenly Acres Campground
2010 Madison Rd.
Stanardsville, VA 22973

PH: 434.985.6601
Email: [email protected]
Web site: http://www.heavenlyacres.net/

if you decide to visit, give them a call and let them know you are with the tearjerkers gathering. they are trying to keep us all together. the date is the 10th of jun.

come on over to the tearjerkers site and check it out.

[Wobbly Wheels]

FWIW, I've tried vellum, newsprint and craft paper with laminating epoxy.

Whatever they seal vellum with also seals against epoxy. That said, I keep it in mind to try it as a nice finish to small flat panel layups. I think I have one of my vellum pieces downstairs I can post a pic of.

The resin penetrates kraft paper but the paper stay stiff so if there is any irregularity in the surface you'll be sanding out and filling the bubble after it cures.

Newspaper is great. I've found it works really well as an epoxy equivalent of chopped strand mat (epoxy doesn't dissolve regular CSM). I put the newspaper in a freezer bag with mixed epoxy and put it in the fridge so I can let the resin 'attack' the paper and turn it into a sort of mush that you can pack into corners and over compound curves. Cooling it lets it sit for hours without kicking off. I use it mostly for making plugs - personally, I don't know that I'd use it for skinning because long fibers are where you'd get the tensile strength/panel stiffness from.
I don't use newspaper to catch epoxy drips on the shop floor anymore...not since having to chisel the newspaper/drips off the concrete !
Sticks like....(chocolate ?)....to a blanket.

I think a paper product would work if you could find one with long fibers, but most of the process of making paper is breaking down the fibers. agree that you'd probably be best to stick with cloth for skinning large panels, but much of this is new to me too.

[gullywompr]

Whatever they seal vellum with also seals against epoxy.

Wonder if vellum would work as peel-ply?

Newspaper is great. I've found it works really well as an epoxy equivalent of chopped strand mat

Excellent, thanks.

long fibers are where you'd get the tensile strength/panel stiffness from.

Maybe fiberglass window screen cloth? It's cheaper than bidirectional fiberglass cloth and also duck cloth (if my math is correct, it may not be). I realize there are far fewer fibers than regular BID, but I'm wondering what the tensile strength requirements are for a teardrop - intuitively it should be less than the beating that a boat hull has to take.

[GPW]

CO, I think we're all guilty of Overbuilding here , and could probably get away with a much lighter building ... with enough newspaper it should be Very Strong, T2 or 3 makes it waterproof... ... and for a very light open fabric that's impossible to tear by hand , try polyester Camo net ... I've used that as a backing on English Longbows I make , Never had a failure !!! Tough stuff , doesn't fray ... Lots of things to try ...

[Wobbly Wheels]

Wonder if vellum would work as peel-ply?

My thoughts exactly ! I was goofing around with some scrap trying to make a slip-molded airfoil for wind generator blades so I figured it might be a quick way to make and adjust molds to try different profiles. 'Intermittent' is probably the best way to describe the bond and in the spots where it didn't link there were actually bubbles between the vellum sheets.
EDIT: finally got around to grabbing a pic of the result - the shiny tracking is where the epoxy is just sitting on the surface of the vellum rather than wetting it. You can also see on the edge where the sheets pulled apart far too easily.

Maybe fiberglass window screen cloth?

On its own I think it would take enough resin to fill the weave that it would undo any cost savings, but I wonder about using it between units of light cloth to make a thin but stiff panel without using coring....

I bet it would work really well on things like fenders and skirting as an abrasion guard.

CO, I think we're all guilty of Overbuilding here

Hehe....I know what that's like !
The best way I can think of to 'combat' my own 'tank-building' tendency is to get fanatical about the weight.
So it'll be lightweight AND overbuilt ?
Maybe ?

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[gullywompr]

'Intermittent' is probably the best way to describe the bond and in the spots where it didn't link there were actually bubbles between the vellum sheets.

Well, that's discouraging. Perhaps dacron is still the best bet.

[cuyeda]

This elephant trailer (Traveling home of Jules Verne 1940's) will get covered in canvas. Just a little inspiration for this topic.

[GPW]

Strangest trailer we've EVER seen ...

[eaglesdare]

hey i like that!

[GPW]

Looks like a boat inverted...

[Wobbly Wheels]

Love it !

That nose cone must have been a bit of work.

[droid_ca]

do you have any more information on that trailer I'd love to learn more about it

[GPW]

This is for Eagle .... don't know if it was mentioned before ... seems so huh ? http://www.industrialpolymers.com/produ ... tyrospray/

[droid_ca]

hey cuyeda do you have more on that trailer?? its an interesting design