Fiberglass Resin

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gakkengod

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When using fibreglass resin it is always a good idea to work in a Open and Ventelated Room or outdoors.

However Never work near or around anything you like, want to keep, or can get ruined.

Also no matter how many videos you think you've watched or how many tutorials you've read it is NOT a good idea to use plastic drinking cups to save a buck on your resin containers. (This is because the plastic will melt from the heat of the resin and hardener.)

If you can use rubber gloves and a respirator.

Your work area is key, if you are going to work on a tabletop then throw down a piece of cardboard or plastic big enough to cover the object you are working on.

Im not willing to repeat all the stuff on the warning labels cause you should always read a warning label before purchasing something.

If you are using a paint brush please remember that it will never come clean and will have to be thrown away. (this i say due to cost effectiveness.)

Also the brush's bristles may pull out of the brush and onto your piece. (use the brush to remove stray bristles and stroke the brush against your work area cover)

After you are finished dispose of your work area cover brush and the container-or try to rinse it out-.

Thinner is pointless unless used in excess.

Finally to dry pieces it is best to leave them in a warm dry environment.(consumer hairdryers do very little to nothing to speed dry time.)

It would be a good idea to use old wire hangers that are going to the trash to suspend pieces above the ground and avoid dirt and dust.



After your pieces are fully dried if you plan to fiberglass mesh them and keep your detail, I've read on this site that you should fiberglass mesh the inside.

Note that it will not be suggested to wear in this condition. To make it a bit safer to wear you can use flex foam.(I found some peel and stick craft foam at walmart i think i will try to use.)



If there is a post like this somewhere else please feel free to remove it or notify me to remove it.



Thank you, I will update this as i learn more.
 
"If you can use rubber gloves and a respirator. (I dont cause I dont see the point in it.)"



Honestly , I REALLY hope no newbie on this forum read that and thinks they can go without a proper respirator ( rubber gloves is good if you dont want to keep the resin on you when you go to bed, with resin and fiberglass woven pieces on your hands that wont go away ).



I can promise you, if you keep on without respirator, you will notice it when you get older. The Styrene in the resin is very toxic, and will give you a permanent cough, the chance getting cancer ( at a much bigger risk ) , and more dieseases to come. I have read about several members of this forum going to the hospital because they breathed resin fumes.



http://405th.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=8604 The complete respirator guide. And if you dont see the point in keeping your health, then dont write it.



Regards,

/Tahu
 
Seriously? The fumes from fiberglass resin are TOXIC. Not just a little toxic. VERY TOXIC. Just because you can't smell them doesn't mean that there aren't any fumes. VOCs (volatile organic compounds, like the fumes from resin) are very dangerous! They are carcinogens (proven to cause cancer). There are long term effects yes, but also immediate. They kill brain cells, and impede motor skills. Bad, BAD, BAAAAAAD idea. Want to make yourself stupid fast? Don't use a respirator. Not just the paper ones, they don't do squat for VOCs. You need a good respirator with canisters/filters certified for VOCs. Might sound harsh, but thats the reality of it.
 
gakkengod said:
If you are using a paint brush please remember that it will never come clean and will have to be thrown away.



not true. if you soak the brush in Laquor thinner and clean them as soon as your done using them they should be fine. if there a bit hard before you resin agian soak and clean them again. and on brushes, you should never use a paintbrush but an Acid brush, the main difference is these are made for chemicals that will ruin you brush, and they're bout .35 cents

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Oi... Kid, you're taking this too harshly, I think.



It's a good idea to share anything you may have come across. I mean, it'll help teach the rest of the community what to avoid when they, themselves, fiberglass a piece.



I mean, not to jack your thread, but there are a few things I've noticed when I do this. For example:



  • The resin never really seems to get hot when I set it, but it hardens just as well. Doesn't seem to melt any plastic, either. Maybe I'm undermixing the hardener?
  • The cap that comes on all Bondo brand Polyurethane resin is a good mixing container. I suggest using Aluminum foil to line it, to make cleanup easy and to prolong its life.
  • At Lowe's, they often have packs of 8 chip brushes for $6. They're really useful for brushing on resin, and I've never had one flake on me. Problem being, they still suffer the issue of getting resin between the bristles and being useless in 7 minutes flat. Though, at less than a dollar a brush, it's still the cheapest part of the armor.
  • Brush your teeth and use mouthwash before you start working. After awhile, the inside of the respirator will smell like breath and intestines. It's not a nice smell, especially when your diet is high school cafeteria pizza. (We need a nauseous emoticon)
  • Not sure if this is due to the aforementioned undermixing issue, but parts exude a urethane-y aroma for hours after they're set and apparently cured. Like 12 at minimum.
  • Oh, and make sure you trim away little flyaway strands from your glass cloth (If you use cloth instead of mat). They'll tangle around your gloves and ruin the 3 minutes you spent getting the strip to fit perfectly to the fine contours of the side of your helmet and get rid of bubbles...



I hope this helps as much as some of the issues you brought up that seem to have reinforced the overall standpoint on respirators. (P95 HEPA-filtered 3M Dual-Cartridge respies are only $40, kids. Chemotherapy in 20 years is thousands and kills you slowly! It's stressed because it's IMPORTANT! Even with a fume hood, I'd suggest a respirator!)
 
thanks and I agree you SHOULD USE RESPIRATORS.



i found some dirt cheap paint brushes at walmart and they work well... once.



please remember to wash after using fiberglass resin and change your clothes otherwise, you will smell like it as well as have really sticky skin.
 
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