Using Spray Adhesive To Hold Down Fiberglass Cloth.

[fikinut]

Does anyone know if it is ok to spray adhesive into a resined helmet, lay fiberglass cloth on top, and rondo over it? I tried the traditional way of fiberglassing inside with horrible results. Some of the cloth lifted up during resining and became hard leaving several sharp edges. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

 

[DaFlea]

Does anyone know if it is ok to spray adhesive into a resined helmet, lay fiberglass cloth on top, and rondo over it? I tried the traditional way of fiberglassing inside with horrible results. Some of the cloth lifted up during resining and became hard leaving several sharp edges. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I would not recommend putting the cloth on the outside. If you go with this approach I would attach it to the inside as normal but only spray the cloth or the inside of the helmet, not both then apply. Also I would use the 3M 77 spray not the cheep stuff that Wal Mart sells.

 

[mchammertime]

I agree. Make something simple (that you wouldn't mind ruining) and try it out. That way it wont ruin your helmet if it doesn't work.

 

[Dancin Fool]

I used spray glue with Cheesecloth and resin on the inside of my armor and it worked great. I think it would translate to fibreglass as well.

 

[andrewstrand]

check out the picture at the bottom of my thread....that is exactly what i did. Cut the strips of fiberglass, used adhesive and poured resin in.



http://405th.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=22356



thanks



andrewstrand

 

[NAGA]

I read somewhere that using the adhesive on the cloth prior to the resin would prevent the resin from being properly absorbed by the fiberglass cloth. I haven't tried it myself, but that's the reason I haven't used that method thus far.

 

[andrewstrand]

the resin on my helmet cured and it pretty solid.

 

[Roadwarrior]

I put spots of Elmer's white glue and it worked pretty well.

 

[top shape]

I used automotive spray adhesive on the inside to keep to glass mat down. the glass mat still lifted in some areas, but it was better than nothing and the resin cured as normal. I think if you work in small sections at a time, it will work better.

 

[Twitchfmx8811]

I used spray adhesive. I spray the area im gonna lay the fiberglass, lay the fiberglass, repeat until the whole inside of the piece has it laid then I apply resin on top.

 

[TurboHeart]

the adhesive seems to be a good idea, i will def. use this next time =]

 

[Tyvern]

No.......................................................................................



B.F.I. Don't do it dude, It will stick to your hands like crazy. TRUST ME I've done this with a chest piece{it turned out okay}

a.f.d YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

d.i.e

n.a

g

 

[DreamHazard]

The best method in my opinion is to resin the inside and let it cure til it's tacky, then press the cloth/mat onto the sticky resin.

 

[tiredofbuttons]

I tried this last year when I was first starting out. Made bubbles underneath that were horrible when the whole thing was sanded. <shrug> definitely not good for me.

 

[Kirrou]

The best method in my opinion is to resin the inside and let it cure til it's tacky, then press the cloth/mat onto the sticky resin.

That sounds like a pretty solid idea.



As for using adhesive that also sounds like something to try.



I also found that if you cut your cloth into long and fairly wide strips, we are talking about 3in by about 10in" maybe shorter for the detail spots. Then lay them parallel to each other and overlapping things tend to stay fairly smooth.



Also If something bubbles or gets warped and you can't seem to fix it, yank it out.

It is easier to re-fiberglass then fix a botched glass job.

 

[ImaGonnaGetYou]

I can say from experience that you can use spray on adhesives to hold the fiberglass in place. Just like how excess glue on the inside of a helmet doesn't affect the resin, it won't affect the fiberglass either. However, it does have a tendency to peel off if you thickly cover the fiberglass in resin, so I recommend using 2 slightly thinner layers of resin on the inside.



However, of course, you will need a coat of resin on the inside before using the adhesive, so that the fiberglass has resin fully surrounding it. I also recommend a second layer of fiberglass if you're paranoid that the adhesive will mess with it (although I'm 100% sure it doesn't).



EDIT: Also, make sure the fiberglass is COMPLETELY FLAT before letting it stay still. Any air bubbles will come back to get you and become a real PITA once you move onto the bondo stage.

 

[JoeyCoz]

I read somewhere that using the adhesive on the cloth prior to the resin would prevent the resin from being properly absorbed by the fiberglass cloth. I haven't tried it myself, but that's the reason I haven't used that method thus far.

This happened to me. I ended up throwing away the piece. I know others have used spray adhesive with good results, but it did not work for me. Maybe I used too much, I don't know. Best thing to do is to try it out on something small.

The best method in my opinion is to resin the inside and let it cure til it's tacky, then press the cloth/mat onto the sticky resin.

I really like this idea, only I'd wait until the first coat of resin fully cured so the part would be somewhat stiff. Then you could remove the supports, add a second coat, and lay in the glass once it gets tacky. With the colder temperatures this time of the year, the resin will stay tacky longer.

 

[fikinut]

Thanks guys for all the input. I went ahead and used it anyways and it worked pretty good. Instead of resin, I used resin + bondo mixture (Rondo) and it did a great job. Some areas are soft so i'll go back to the regular resin procedure on my next project. Oh and Daflea, I meant inside the helmet, not outside.