Fiberglass release agent?

Richard Lamb wrote:
wrote:

i planning on building a few fiberglass pieces from a mold this weekend
but don't have time to order a release agent.
From looking at the internet, most release agents are wax based products.
Can I just use paste wax for the mold?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks

Dave


Almost anything that will seal the mold and keep the resin from
sticking will work. I use epoxy only for lay ups. Epoxy makes
pretty good glue. Something to keep in mind...

The following is way primative...

I've often used sheet rock mud for one-off plugs. This is very porus
stuff and if not sealed, it WILL become and integral part of the part.

The main attraction is that it is very cheap and easy to work.

For a mud plug I melt parafin (candle wax) in a double boiler (actually
a tin can in a pot of boiling water) and paint it onto the plug. It
will not be smooth - brush marks and drag lumps will look terrible.

Next, a hot air gun is used to melt the excess off with a careful rub
down while melted. This is to rub the wax into the surface - and burn
your fingers if you stay at the party too long!

Last, a couple of real good paste wax rubs.
Then a smooth coat of paste wax before starting the lay up.
Don't rub these paste wax coate _off_, tho.

Note that this is a fairly risky proceedure - both for the plug
and for the part. But it can work ok if you are careful and patient.

If your mold is already smooth and not as porus, several good coats
of wax might be ok.

Does that help any?

Richard

Richard, Thanks!!!

I'm using aluminum as a mold for the part I want to make.
It sounds like the wax may work like you suggest.
There's a couple of seams that I plan to tape off and don't really care
if the tape comes with the fiberglass when finished.


Thanks again for the help

Dave

wrote:

Richard Lamb wrote:
wrote:

i planning on building a few fiberglass pieces from a mold this weekend
but don't have time to order a release agent.
From looking at the internet, most release agents are wax based products.
Can I just use paste wax for the mold?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks

Dave


Almost anything that will seal the mold and keep the resin from
sticking will work. I use epoxy only for lay ups. Epoxy makes
pretty good glue. Something to keep in mind...

The following is way primative...

I've often used sheet rock mud for one-off plugs. This is very porus
stuff and if not sealed, it WILL become and integral part of the part.

The main attraction is that it is very cheap and easy to work.

For a mud plug I melt parafin (candle wax) in a double boiler (actually
a tin can in a pot of boiling water) and paint it onto the plug. It
will not be smooth - brush marks and drag lumps will look terrible.

Next, a hot air gun is used to melt the excess off with a careful rub
down while melted. This is to rub the wax into the surface - and burn
your fingers if you stay at the party too long!

Last, a couple of real good paste wax rubs.
Then a smooth coat of paste wax before starting the lay up.
Don't rub these paste wax coate _off_, tho.

Note that this is a fairly risky proceedure - both for the plug
and for the part. But it can work ok if you are careful and patient.

If your mold is already smooth and not as porus, several good coats
of wax might be ok.

Does that help any?

Richard

Richard, Thanks!!!

I'm using aluminum as a mold for the part I want to make.
It sounds like the wax may work like you suggest.
There's a couple of seams that I plan to tape off and don't really care
if the tape comes with the fiberglass when finished.

Thanks again for the help

Dave

Duct tape, dude, duct tape.

On Thu, 08 Jul 2004 03:37:46 GMT, wrote:



Richard Lamb wrote:
wrote:

i planning on building a few fiberglass pieces from a mold this weekend
but don't have time to order a release agent.
From looking at the internet, most release agents are wax based products.
Can I just use paste wax for the mold?
snip
I'm using aluminum as a mold for the part I want to make.
It sounds like the wax may work like you suggest.
There's a couple of seams that I plan to tape off and don't really care
if the tape comes with the fiberglass when finished.

Be careful with tape and resin. Some resins will dissolve the
adhesive which can affect the strength of the part. This is
particularly true of Vinyl Ester resin. (Dow Derakane)

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com


Thanks again for the help

Dave