Hi Finfella’s
has anyone tried
(a) laying up fibreglass matt to make a fin panel
or
(b) glassing wood core fins with matt?
what were your findings on this?
thanks
josh.
“fibreglass matt” ?
…please explain / ? photo ?
cheers !
ben
…do you mean “chopped strand” kinda stuff ? [ like used for guttering / canoes , perhaps ?]
…If so , yes I have… and no , it ain’t pretty [or easy ].
Better to stick to 4, 5 or 6oz cloth , Josh …saves you time and effort , in the long run . [My “fin panel” thread …I used 6oz…
Josh,
Yes, that’s how we made our first solid glass fins in 1961 through '64/'65. The fins would be cut out when the panel was “green” using a razor knife. Crude, but effective. OK for solid color, but not for clear. Cloth is just all around superior.
Cost can be cut a little, by using clear surface glass panel layers on each side of a colored center glass mat layer. This is how Hansen made thier fin panels in the sixties.
hi again Josh !
I think this one from my fin collection [a cut down / ‘recycled’ single fin of mine] may have been , then glassed with 6 or 8oz normal cloth , perhaps ?
…cheers !
ben
Thanks Bill! Thanks Ben!
this kind of stuff, it’s very cheap in comparison to cloth here
…yeah , THAT’S the culprit / suspect !
“do yourself a favour” , Josh …
spend the extra on 6oz cloth . [that stuff soaks up resin like a sponge , so you "save " no money , really ! … just my experience , anyway …]
cheers mate !
ben
And, just in case you don’t know, no epoxy with this stuff!
Also, if it’s incorporated into a flex design, it delams quickly, as the glass is not continous and not supported by another corresponding strand.