Found a smoking deal for a 100yd roll of 50" wide 2.3 oz glass (60x56 threads per inch), perfect for my under-balsa layer, but I’m wondering how it will wet out and wrap rails with three layers (to make 6.9 oz, perfect!) for my outer shell layer.
Anyone have any experience with this?
Ask for a sample and try it. Some weaves are so tight they won’t saturate very easily with epoxy or poly. Most sellers, even on Ebay, will send a couple square inches before you buy.
Let me guess… is it from Thaycraft (or something like that). If so it wets out nicely, but I had much better luck using a wetout table because the resin requirements are so small that I needed extra resin when working directly on the balsa skin. My only complaint was that the glass had a sightly musty smell, but otherwise the glass looked perfect.
60x56 is a pretty tight weave, I think you are likely to have lam problems, especially with 3 layers. I have looked at the same stuff, I think, and other stuff from that site and have always hesitated because of the same concerns. I would love to hear if you try it out.
Yes, from thayercraft…
So, danb, you’ve wet out multiple layers of this stuff, same weight, before? And no problem? That would be my main concern with that tight a weave. Any ideas what the thread count is on a typical 4 oz glass?
I wet out up to 16 layers (I had folded it into a little package). The key is the wetout table and letting it soak through. I hated it going over the rough balsa, but loved it on the wetout table. I only wrapped 1 layer around the rail but had no problems.
Don’t laminate the three layers together if you think you’ll have wetout problems. Sounds like a fairly fine weave, so if you end up getting it and it proves difficult, just wetout and layup one layer at a time. Use a roller and wet the table or board first. Resin seems to soak out off a wet surface better than soaking in trying to wet a dry surface.
It may take a little longer, but the benefits are there such as tight layup and staggering laps (I always thought I did ‘staggering laps’!), and it can still be timeously vacuumed if that’s what you’re doing.
Perhaps you are aiming at a specific weight, but I’d only use two outer layers, even though in reality one’s probably enough for lightweights like me.
I use 2oz under, no problem. Did outer deck on one board with 3 layers of 2oz, under vacuum and had problems with air trapped under the glass that I never have with 4oz cloth. This even with thoughrough wet out, so be careful!
Called thayercraft and spoke to Steve Thayer, very glad I did.
He recommended against layering up the 2 oz, but gave me a great deal on the “normal” 3.7oz stuff I usually get from fiberglasssupply.com for 2.63 a yard. He hooked it up at 1.50 a yard, and even arranged to roll me up a custom-length (75 yd) roll of the stuff, instead of having to buy their stock (240 yard) roll.
Super nice guy, just the kind that I love doing business with and that will always get my repeat business. Glad I called.
As for my sandwich, I’ll just do 3.7 oz beneath and two layers of 3.7 on top, just like my veneer lam boards, and I’ll be quite happy with it. 
The 2.3 oz is great for between the laminates. Its a real weight saver - only time will tell how long it lasts.
J
I’m gonna try it over some 1/32 veneer I glued over an 15y old bonzer 10’ poly board that was all hammajang (busted up). I’m just trying to seal the wood without alot of weight since the board was double 6 bottom triple 6 top before I sanded it and glued the wood on…
Weighs a ton already without the outer glass layer
CMP says I need to go 4oz minimum to protect the wood but anymore weight and this thing will sink not float.
I guess if it all goes to pot I can just grind it all off paint it and seal it with a light coat of epoxy…
But the sapele and this pink wood I used is so much prettier though.
lohas