how do you glass a piece of wood?

[Dale M.]

Basically its sand and clean wood surface, spread on a layer of resin ( catalyzed), place cloth or mat over resin and apply a another coat of resin and squeegee out all the air bubbles and get material to lay flat and as smooth as possible... Let cure out.... Add several more layers of resin and then sand till smooth and then polish with rubbing compound to bring out shine....

OF course its more complex than that. But that is the 5 minute course on fiber glassing...

Probably best thing to do is do internet search and find a few sites (mostly those who manufacture and sell "fiber glassing" products) and read up on their "how to's"....

Its not difficult, but there is a few things that are critical.... How much catalyst you put into resin to make it set is critical and relative to ambient temperature... IF temperature is to cool resin does not work well... IF moderate temperatures and catalyzed correctly you have maybe 20 minutes "pot life" (working time) once it starts to "jello" in pot "stop" its over for that mix... To much catalysis and warm weather and it goes off fast to point it creates so much heat it will hiss and steam in the pot and you have small dragon on your hands.....

When doing FG work everything you use should be disposable..... Brushes, mixing cups (I use hot "coated" paper cups - not plastic or Styrofoam or waxed cups) mixing sticks, clothes, latex gloves.... Always have plenty of acetone on hand to wash tools you want to reuse (brushes) but you have to get them into acetone before resin sets.... Put down drop cloths because if you drip any of spill any on shop floor it will be there FOREVER.......

Dale

[GuitarPhotog]

Basically its sand and clean wood surface, spread on a layer of resin ( catalyzed), place cloth or mat over resin and apply a another coat of resin and squeegee out all the air bubbles and get material to lay flat and as smooth as possible... Let cure out.... Add several more layers of resin and then sand till smooth and then polish with rubbing compound to bring out shine....

OF course its more complex than that. But that is the 5 minute course on fiber glassing...

Probably best thing to do is do internet search and find a few sites (mostly those who manufacture and sell "fiber glassing" products) and read up on their "how to's"....

Its not difficult, but there is a few things that are critical.... How much catalyst you put into resin to make it set is critical and relative to ambient temperature... IF temperature is to cool resin does not work well... IF moderate temperatures and catalyzed correctly you have maybe 20 minutes "pot life" (working time) once it starts to "jello" in pot "stop" its over for that mix... To much catalysis and warm weather and it goes off fast to point it creates so much heat it will hiss and steam in the pot and you have small dragon on your hands.....

When doing FG work everything you use should be disposable..... Brushes, mixing cups (I use hot "coated" paper cups - not plastic or Styrofoam or waxed cups) mixing sticks, clothes, latex gloves.... Always have plenty of acetone on hand to wash tools you want to reuse (brushes) but you have to get them into acetone before resin sets.... Put down drop cloths because if you drip any of spill any on shop floor it will be there FOREVER.......

Dale

Now I remember why I don't want to fiberglass anything

<Chas>

[Corwin C]

Another thing to note is that if you want the wood to show through, make sure that you use epoxy/polyester that cures clear. Most manufacturers have a special formulation for "clear coating." Some are amber, others are foggy, and a few are opaque. It doesn't matter if you're going to paint it. The glass will almost disappear in the matrix when it is wetted down properly. It takes practice to get the right amount. Too much, you're just wasting material and making it heavy, too little and it may have spots where the glass will show up in the finish or even worse, not get a good bond to the substrate.

Almost all of my experience is with RAKA epoxy. I prefer to use a simple squeegee (auto parts store next to the Bondo), "sour cream" cups to mix in (cured epoxy will "pop" out and they can be re-used several times), disposable exam gloves (two on each hand), and lots of tongue depressors (make sure you mix VERY thoroughly, and according to manufacturers directions.) Don't be afraid to try a small project. My first was a chessboard, moved up to some canoe paddles, and eventually built several cedar strip canoes (between myself, Dad and my brother.)

This is my brother's, it was the third one and is definitely the most photogenic ... we got better with every attempt.

It can be daunting, but it's not hard, as much as it is something that once you start, you need to finish. There is no coming back to it later without repercussions of some kind. I put on additional coats before the previous coat is completely cured (no longer sticky & dents easily with fingernail pressure). This avoids the "blush" issue, reduces how much sanding is required, and creates a polymerized chemical bond rather than just a physical bond between layers (here again, follow manufacturer's directions.)

My advice is to pick a moderately sized, manageable project, and "go for it."

[angib]

I would add that it's important not to think this is a 'low effort system'. Coating with resin and fiberglass is pretty easy, but if you want a perfectly smooth glossy finish, there is a lot more work (and skill) required to get that by sanding and filling the surface. This is not a 'wipe on, wipe off' process!

[Scouterjan]

I have done lots of glass repairs of commercial truck front ends, and FG canoes but never on wood. Why is the cloth neccessary? I just want a few coats to make the outer skin as waterproof as possible, it rains LOTS here in the PNW
Jan

[Oldragbaggers]

I would add that it's important not to think this is a 'low effort system'. Coating with resin and fiberglass is pretty easy, but if you want a perfectly smooth glossy finish, there is a lot more work (and skill) required to get that by sanding and filling the surface. This is not a 'wipe on, wipe off' process!

Amen Andrew. Patience is required. I forgot that simple fact last weekend and it cost me a lot of extra work to correct my mistake. It's also important to understand about resins, cure times and temperatures and the importance of the mix ratio. Do your homework first, maybe watch a couple tutorials on Youtube if you can find some.

It's not rocket science, but you can also create an unholy mess with it if you do it wrong. Again, without going into too much detail I'll reference last weekend. That's going to show up on my blog later in a new category I'm going to call "Mistakes."

[Oldragbaggers]

I have done lots of glass repairs of commercial truck front ends, and FG canoes but never on wood. Why is the cloth neccessary? I just want a few coats to make the outer skin as waterproof as possible, it rains LOTS here in the PNW
Jan

You can certainly do that if you wish, I think a lot of people do. The resin alone is pretty brittle and may crack over time with flexing of the wood and such, especially if you have a thick build up. It does not add any strength at all, but it doesn't sound like you're concerned with that. The cloth will add strength to your structure and it holds the resin. Resin applied with cloth should not crack without a significant impact. It's all in what you're looking to accomplish.

[Dale M.]

I have done lots of glass repairs of commercial truck front ends, and FG canoes but never on wood. Why is the cloth neccessary? I just want a few coats to make the outer skin as waterproof as possible, it rains LOTS here in the PNW
Jan

IF you are just putting a "finish" over wood, resin (polyester) only will work, but its very brittle and will shatter without the cloth/mat underlayment.... The cloth/mat included into the resin mix makes it "tough" (less brittle) and more resilient to damage...

IF you want a to skip the cloth/mat part there are epoxy compositions that are better suited for a "finish only" application...

Dale

[Corwin C]

I have done lots of glass repairs of commercial truck front ends, and FG canoes but never on wood. Why is the cloth neccessary? I just want a few coats to make the outer skin as waterproof as possible, it rains LOTS here in the PNW
Jan

Epoxy, while being an excellent sealer, adds very little strength on its own. The canoe that is pictured a few posts previous is 1/4" thick white cedar strips (they're actually ripped from dogeared cedar fencing planks), glued together with Titebond II wood glue. Before fiberglassing, it relies on the form that we built it around to hold its shape. It was then covered on the outside with 6oz. fiberglass and RAKA epoxy. The fiberglass is doubled up on some of the exterior parts of the stem, stern and bottom (abrasion points). The form is removed and the still floppy shell gets a layer of 6oz. glass/epoxy on the inside. The strength transformation at this point is hard to believe (or express for that matter.) There are no ribs or keel whatsoever. The gunwales, thwarts, stem, seat frames, and stern are ash. The "vanity strip" is poplar and red cedar. Without the fiberglass, I seriously doubt that it would stand up to a single person standing inside in the water, let alone the three ahem "ample" persons that are pictured in it. For those that are wondering, there's close to 1000# in an 18' canoe in that picture, with plenty of freeboard for more. The fiberglass/epoxy adds an ENORMOUS amount of strength to the structure as well as sealing the wood completely from the water.

[Scouterjan]

thanks for the imformation guys, a layer of cloth it will be. I will also be using West Systems Brand FB, really a nice product to work with
Jan

[PcHistorian]

ok, I like this stuff, what I want to know is, with all the talk here of "foamies" can the foam outer surface be fiber glassed and painted for a hard, light surface. Any thickness would protect the foam from pebbles and stones while traveling. I'm worried it will dissolve the foam, like contact cement on styrofoam.

[Oldragbaggers]

PC, I have used epoxy directly on foam for the purposes of bonding it and it did not dissolve it whatsoever. I am using the dense rigid pink stuff made by DOW.

[Dale M.]

ok, I like this stuff, what I want to know is, with all the talk here of "foamies" can the foam outer surface be fiber glassed and painted for a hard, light surface. Any thickness would protect the foam from pebbles and stones while traveling. I'm worried it will dissolve the foam, like contact cement on styrofoam.

Polyester resins tend to melt various types of foams... Epoxies on other hand are not as dangerous to use on foams...

You could lay up a epoxy/cloth composition that would form a tough shell over foam and be weather resistant and impact damage resistant,.... One would need to do test with the epoxies over the foams first to be sure product are comparable with each other.... OR research by contacting the manufactures of foam and/or epoxy products for their opinions on compatibility...

Dale

[KCStudly]

I recall someone saying that they did have problems with epoxy eating into the foam, but it had to do with temperature. Too much epoxy all in one place or a too hot batch will melt it. But that was an isolated report.

I would trust Oldragbaggers input, with the added precaution to beware not to try to fill really big voids, apply initial applications in small layers, and watch your mix ratios.

I'm no expert, little experience with epoxy or foam at all, really. Just sharing what I have read here.

[Oldragbaggers]

Now you all have me curious so I just may have to do a little experiment this weekend. I have some fiberglass and foam scraps in the garage. I will laminate a piece and will post pics and let you know how it went. This is an idea I have been playing with so I am curious myself anyway.