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Hey, in my school i have heard about a professor who was gifted some Carbon fiber material because it was old and he also came to the conclusion that its garbage. Old Composites material does seem to not wet out, you did good on noticing that because it might have been a major weak spot in the future.
Hey Matt, a tip from an old boat builder: if you use a 4"hot dog paint roller to wet out your fiberglass you will get a much smoother and bubble free layup. You will also get longer pot life out of your resin when it's spread out in a paint tray.
WTG composites tech here, metal rollers either smooth or a disk wheel can go right into the solvent bucket and live forever. depending on how complex the curvature, they can, at times, out perform paint rollers, squeegees and paint brushes.
@@mistermonkey5842 we used the foam rolers to distribute the polyester, and then the metal rollers to get ridd of the bubbles and so on, and then i used to just squise the rollers for polyester and then run over and suck up the exess polyester
I think all of us have been through that moment that the program you've been using for several years, just fails flat on your face with no explanation whatsoever, or there's that one feature you just never used, never knew how, then suddenly you learn it and it would have solved years of grief.
As a 19 year Solidworks surfacing verteran (exactly half of my life), I do not experience these issues. I do however question where it all went wrong for me.
I've been punting on a couple of small rocketry projects because they need composites work. It's not that it's that bad, it's just that I need a large enough chunk of uninterrupted time to commit. Composites - even with the sanding - can actually be fun if there's no external time crunch.
I've been working in a company that does composites and I never ever wanted to have the epoxy safety course done so then I was not allowed in the resin process at all, I don't regret it.
In my experience the actual time to complete a task is the estimate times two moved to the next larger unit of time. So 3 days is actually ahead of the curve for a 2 hour task!
From my experience with both software and electronics projects, so so often the 80/20 rule applies. When you think you are 80% complete then you are actually 20% done due to what you have yet to learn (insert foreboding sounds here). Thats why a lot of projects (especially waterfall managed) have a major panic the closer they get to a deadline as they find out about all those things they didn't know. I'm enjoying the episodes Matt - its great to see the reality (at least they feel authentic to me)!
The aerosols in basically any spray anything are generally not plastic/foam safe. That's why I generally recommend against spray lubricants when working with plastics.
It is usually the propellant that eats the foam. So you try it from a distance, the propellant disburses, and "I guess this sort of spray stuff must be OK". And then you missed a bit and... :)
Ok Matt, pro tip from an amateur composite builder. Instead of squeegeeing your resin on use a resin roller. It will save you a ton of work and cut out or at least down the dry spots. (I'm also lazy...) And instead of doing the peel ply outer layer use vapor barrier from the home store. (3mill or 5mill) Squeegee that down tight and it will A: remove excess resin and B: leave a smooth finish. Smooth enough YOU DON'T NEED TO SAND. And C: lock your part down to the plug damned near as tight as a vacuum bag. You might need to relax the plastics folds with a heat gun for best finish. If you do need to sand it will be miniscule. Trust me, I make carbon fiber parts like this which you can't sand very much without it going to hell cuz you want to see the exterior layer!
@@Powered-by-Ramen_Yamabird I was using epoxy resin when I discovered the extra benefits of his while skipping the vacuum and it had no reaction whatsoever. It even peeled off easy. Way easier than peel ply! I don't know what if anything polyester resin would do. I do believe I melted a couple plastic cups down using poly in the past... Probably best to do a small test piece.
Agree! 😃 …and the sticker fade gives the impression that stickers USED to be on the front nose cone but were blown off by SPEED - very cool. Looks fast even when it’s not moving.
(would this work?) Glue stick, wax paper on the plug, mold release film over the wax paper, fiberglass. That or your next project should be a vacuum forming table Usually a hard edge that can't be filleted in CAD means that the fillet will wipe out an anchor point or a dimension origin for a defined feature and cause the model to be unsolvable so it gives a generic error. Sometimes going much smaller on the fillet will work but it depends on the model. You can also make a sweep feature along the hard edge with a custom shaped cut
Hi.. Great tips! May I ask you this, do you have a link (hopefully a video) where this was done using the wax paper method. I'm aiming to do this over an actual part, instead of a plug cause the fabricated item is to be mated to the part as closely as possible (and easily removed and put back on).
6:35 Always the edge blend. especially fun when the cad gives you an error, you export the file, import it into another cad which does the same thing without complainig.
I tried something recently that I found had great results. A single-use mould for a one-off item. This meant my mould could be made with really soft materials (polystyrene👉crack filler👉paint👉mould release👉 fibre-glass) now you’re sanding something really soft instead of sanding Fibreglass which is a loveless task 😄 It was my first attempt so I struggled but the result was really accurate especially considering I cut the polystyrene by hand. In the hands of a well-practiced sculptor and especially someone with a access to a CNC router, I imagine you’ll get near perfect results with the least amount of work.
The propellant in spray adhesive has Toluene, (80 and 90 but not 75) but it evaporates around 8 inches from the nozzle. They make fiberglass resin rollers, little plastic discs on a bar, very smooth finish. As others have mentioned, the resin won't get hot in a shallow pan/paint tray. You can get sheets or rolls of release paper (what stickers are attached to when new) and you can smooth it onto wet fiberglass to get a silky smooth finish. It doesn't stick to anything..
With aero, I'm guessing every little thing helps or hinders top speed. Will you sticker from the back to the front to ensure the edges of the stickers are in a fish scale like orientation? If done the other way I can imagine some lifting and creating random little air brakes. I'm interested to know that the sticker mass will be once covered.
I"ve found that coating (read painting) the foam or polystyrene plug with an acrylic (water based) paint will protect the foam from being dissolved by the adhesive used for the protection film or solvents in the resin.
as someone who does this for a living, i get the perfect coat of mould release nearly every single time and i would have done mould release on top of the plug underneath the release film as a backup layer. the glass can heat up when curing and then maybe mess up with the film
Laying up on foam, using spray adhesive or a direct layup with mold release... Paint the plug with latex exterior paint for houses. It has a protective film and you don't have to go through all of that foolishness It's also very cheap especially for a big project like this. For fairing compound...rondo, 50/50 resin and hardener to Bondo and hardener. You can take it up to 60/40 and best part If you do, is it is self-leveling Which equates to less sanding and it can be applied with a spounge or melted fine nap roller or paint brush. This doesn't do any good for Matt but it may help future Matt 😁👍 on his next project.
9:18 - Have you tried these special alu rollers to remove excess polyester and air bobbles in the fiber? Don't know the American name for it sadly, direct translated it is called an "air roller'
@@SuperfastMatt it should, at least it will move the resin and bleed trapped air. Bonus info: I just made a isocyranator oven with old oven to heat up some polycarbonate windscreen for a boat - that video dropped just as I needed it - thanks!👌😁
Back when I was a just a wee one I worked for a professional painter and was taught that primer is hydrophilic and will absorb water. Idk if that will cause any adverse effects to your fiberglass or not but if it were me, I would at minimum shittily rattle can a coat of clear on. Maybe someone else reading this can shine some light on the facts for us.
That jives with my experience of learning by doing. I assumed it had something to do with the non-gloss finish being more porous and accepting or something like that. I have the same worry that paint is needed.
@@Vaino_Hotti hygroscopic and hydrophilic are roughly the same thing. Hydrophilic literally translates to water-affinity. Hygroscopic is more aggressive, in my understanding, like a molecular sieve - it'll pull moisture out of a room. Both words work in this context. To my knowledge, primer will absorb humidity if left exposed, which is why it has drying agents in it and is then painted over same day.
when I was in college, I helped with concrete canoe competition. and one of the development we did was to invert the plug, so the plug was on the exterior. aka making the mold with the plug. that made a nice exterior finish.
@superfastmatt I really hope you answer this: Is this a king of the hill situation where your friends work with you on your car for the joy of doing it? Or is this more of a you help them on their cars and they help you sort of thing? Love your videos despite not caring for cars generally.
It really feels like you play up all the errors, but as I think about it, literally every project I've ever taken on goes like this. Every single step, my plan does not reflect the reality of what's going to happen. Thank you for presenting the reality of DIY.
After mixing your resin pour it out into a large alum foil cake pan. I sometimes even set the pan on a couple of those blue ice pack things or on an old laptop cooler.
We made our SAE supermilage vehicle's topper using this same process. We were inexperienced college kids with little to no guidance... our plug was made of MDF. 400lbs of MDF. So. Much. SANDING.
If you glass direct onto the foam (Epoxy) and hollow out the foam were needed for clearance then glass the inside you have a strong structure with less layers of glass needed and better crash protection.
I truly appreciate this video today I'm going to try to make a fiberglass fan shroud for my project I like your video on fiber glass because you don't know what your doing I have watched a few pros do it and I don't think I learned much watching them doing it right on the other hand watching you bumble threw it I learned what not to do
Ive created a couple intake manifolds for cars out of fibreglass. I use pool noodles and pipe insulation to get my shape and coat it with vaseline. warm it with a torch and paint it on the foam. the fibreglass cloth with stick to the vaseline and you can paint the resin on without it moving all over.
I'm just at the beginning, and may be foreshadowing, but you still need to spend hours sanding, and doing body work if to get a nice finished surface. A mold lets you put the part back in to stabilize it while adding internal bracing.
My favorite easy/fast composite was when I had a really busted up plastic under tray on my old Audi. I ended up reassembling the plastic using silicone and fiberglass window screen, with plastic wrap to shape it. Somehow it worked well and held up for years.
As long as the fibers are buried in resin you can use body glazing putty to fill the pinholes. It sands A LOT easier than epoxy and will leave a great finish after paint.
There are deep pour resins that don't overheat as fast. Might be worth looking into, especially if you plan on vacuum forming your more complex parts. It should keep the resin from setting up too soon.
If you put the mixed resin in a shallow tray it is less likely to go into thermal runaway. The larger exposed area provides cooling. You can also put the container in a larger container of ice water
I've used a water bath to keep resin from going into thermal runaway. An ice bath works even better and it extends the working time a little by dropping the resin below its minimum cure temperature. The downside of an ice bath is that it tends to thicken up the resin slightly, which is a problem if you're trying to infuse resin but is manageable if you're wetting the cloth by hand.
Now you're getting there! Release film is still too fancy. Packing tape works even on larger parts, and the cheaper (and shinier!) it is, the better. No messing around with spray adhesive, and you have a much easier time avoiding wrinkles.
I see you used the packing tape trick but I think you need to try another trick I suggested: wet out your fiberglass on a flat surface covered with plastic before you move it to your mold/plug. This will help you avoid dry spots and gives you less gravity problems because it's getting wet on a horizontal surface. You can also production line it so it's faster. It might use more epoxy because some waste will be on the plastic sheet but it's a minor issue unless you run out. I look at it as kind of like pre-preg except you don't need an autoclave.
I am beginning a reverse trike build combining a VW bug front suspension, a Honda Goldwing GL1200 ... and a 1964 Piper Cherokee fuselage. I have been watching your efforts with composites with some interest because I will need to fashion a nose of some type for this thing. After watching this vid I've decided simply carving a nose may be easier than what you are going through. I think starting with either a solid block of aluminum or maybe oak might be my best bet.
@@brianb-p6586 I couldn't avoid the joke ... but I HATE working with fiberglass. At 73 this Piper BugSmasher will be perhaps my last crazy project. It is rooted in the same spirit of The Shotwell you can see on Jay Leno's YT Channel. Cars today are impossibly expensive and hideously over complicated. I've been a mechanic since the time VW's cost $1,495 and would last forever if maintained properly. It also follows the build tradition of the Checker usen proven reliable and long-working parts. My first job as a mechanic was at a Checker Dealership ... they were amazing automobiles.
About the old fibreglass not wetting. The fibres are coated in a material that is ‘resinphilic’ (my phrase, not a manufacturing term). Basically like a hydrophilic surface this material helps the resin coat the fibres. It is why fibreglass for performance composites has a shelf life. The goo goes off after a while (
The shell/body turned out nice for a first-timer :D For the next big project use a layup roller. It looks like a stack of washers or coins. Wet out the surface, drape glass/carbon over it, roll it down with the roller. The roller will push the cloth into the resin and tightly against the mould. Also it won't pull the fabric like a squeegee will. Can't really over-wet with the resin since it will all just come out through the glass as you keep rolling. Only squeegee the very top layer if you have to. Otherwise let the thicker layer of resin harden so you have something to sand without getting into the cloth.
@SuperfastMatt you actually get used to the itching if you keep sending for more than 3 days.. and also stick with the same fiber type.. somehow I ever felt glas itched more than carbon but never mind..
If you're using epoxy resin the issue you had with the glass not wetting out may have been because some fibreglass is not suitable for epoxy. Some fibreglass has a styrene binder in it that is not dissolved by epoxy. Polyester and vinylester both contain styrene, which dissolves the styrene binder.
I'm writing this during the first ad, but I swear to god this better be the easy way to make composites and not some joke where he buys a second set of drums
Matt, I love your channel! Just a heads up, you're literally using the wrong respirator for the job. Pink filters are for particulates, you need the charcoal filters with the white pre-filters. Sorry, had to do it 😂
Quick question, how did you handle the kerf of the cutting blade when cutting off the engine cover? Was the engine cover designed longer by the width of the kerf, or is the final part shorter by the width of the kerf?
You might have been better off without the peel ply. Use a thin fill coat of resin on the outside after the layup has dried. That's how we used to make surf boards. Easy, thin and smooth. Use finishing resin for the fill, not laminating resin.
A possible reason the fiberglass didn't wet out is if you used epoxy instead of a polyester resin. The polyester resin dissolves a binder that some fiberglass uses.
9:30 Suggestion: #1: Remove Peel-ply. #2: Shoot a light coat of black or dark grey epoxy-based primer. This is your guide-coat. #3: Apply a thick layer of fairing compound, 1/16-1/8" thick all over. (See note below). #4: Sand off 90% of the fairing compound. Do not sand down to guide coat. If you hit paint, stop sanding that area. Sand it once down to an even contour. And do not apply more compound, additional compound will always be mixed different and be different hardness. It will make everything worse when you sand varying hardnesses of layered material. #5: continue sanding from 36 grit floor sandpaper down to 300 grit or so. You are only trying to remove the scratches after 36, 60, 100 grit. The finer paper just removes scratches, not much fairig compound. #6: Shoot another coat of primer. Note: To save several hundred in your native currency: Mix your own lightweight fairing compound in the manner of Burt Rutan homebuilt airplanes. That is: 3M glass baubles mixed approximately 4:1 with epoxy resin into a thick, white frosting like a week-old wedding cake might have. These glass spheres are very lightweight and strong. The fairing compound is about 20x stronger than pink foam. It sands like wood filler: amazingly fast. And since you have a guide coat of primer, and wont be sanding through it, everything sands exactly the same rate and levels itself easily. This whole engine cover job could be 3hrs or less.
I have made lots of fiberglass, and now I always use a mold even for one-off parts. You really don't want to be sanding and filling the actual part. Do it all on the buck, use easily sandable material, then epoxy coating. For one-off parts, use a thin mold with backing material to keep its shape (foam, wood, ham) and use it asap, same day even.
Enjoy your schtick! Composites technician., Likely the resin voids you notice after pulling peel ply relate to sizing issues. Saturated sizing issue a known cause for wet out failure of the 6 year old product you had laying around. The product isn't bad, just needed re-conditioning. Silane technology a good search term.
Probably pointless thought, but doesn't primer left on its own tend to absorb moisture? I guess not really a concern over composites, but may mean you leave a trail of stickers down the salt flats, I am sure the organizers will love that.
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All hail
hehe, royally screw up. Seems appropriate.
Now You are ready to build an aircraft like the Long EZ / Cozy / Velocity with this "mold less composite" method...
🤮
Hey, in my school i have heard about a professor who was gifted some Carbon fiber material because it was old and he also came to the conclusion that its garbage. Old Composites material does seem to not wet out, you did good on noticing that because it might have been a major weak spot in the future.
So with this project 80% finished that means time to start on the next project: turning an amphibious vehicle into an airplane!
😂
that gas turbine electric charger... i want to see that
It's called "a temporary break so I don't burn out" hahaha
The DUKW-Duck yes of course
Amphiplane!
Add three more lights behind Foreshadow Matt so that he may also be Four Shadow Matt.
I like the way you think
Why stop there? I think we need a Five Shadow Matt
THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS
I shouldn't be laughing this hard
"Fiberglass Matt"
The fact that the sticker plan may have originated as a scheme to avoid sanding is extremely on brand, good work sir
Hey Matt, a tip from an old boat builder: if you use a 4"hot dog paint roller to wet out your fiberglass you will get a much smoother and bubble free layup. You will also get longer pot life out of your resin when it's spread out in a paint tray.
We used 2" wide rollers when repairing busses and semitrailers of fiberglass, cant beat a roller with a baint brush on big flat surfices
Like one of the foam rollers?
@@Raven74947 Yeah, we got them in 10packs and just tossed them after each use, you can get them dirt cheap
WTG composites tech here, metal rollers either smooth or a disk wheel can go right into the solvent bucket and live forever. depending on how complex the curvature, they can, at times, out perform paint rollers, squeegees and paint brushes.
@@mistermonkey5842 we used the foam rolers to distribute the polyester, and then the metal rollers to get ridd of the bubbles and so on, and then i used to just squise the rollers for polyester and then run over and suck up the exess polyester
6:35 Every single CAD user: i couldn't/forgot/didn't want to do this in CAD, so I'll just do it by hand
"ill remember this is there anyway"
->cut to prototype assembly where nothing fits because you did in fact, not remember
Error: Failed to compute fillet
🤬
I think all of us have been through that moment that the program you've been using for several years, just fails flat on your face with no explanation whatsoever, or there's that one feature you just never used, never knew how, then suddenly you learn it and it would have solved years of grief.
I resonate with some function just not working for some reason and having to deal with it. Fillets are the worst sometimes
As a 19 year Solidworks surfacing verteran (exactly half of my life), I do not experience these issues. I do however question where it all went wrong for me.
Your intro reminded of the sign my brother had at his office:
1. Job done quickly.
2. Job done inexpensively.
3. Job done properly.
(Choose TWO)
Golden rule of Engineering:
-Fast
-Cheap
-Good
Pick two
That’s a very old and common saying among engineers.
@@SynchronizorVideos Indeed, wasn't claiming it as an original idea, was just reminded of the sign he had.
@@SynchronizorVideos Post Pandemic, it's become "pick one."
This saying never made sense, because billable time costs money.
so are you saying that your process for this is sand cut sand?
So, so good.
Bravo
What you did there, it was seen. ;o)
from this series i have learned that if i ever want to feel excrutiating pain in my project i should work with composites
Can confirm. And I only did a squareish shaped box that hides under the car.
It's really not that bad if you know what you're doing. However, we *are* watching Superfast Matt, so..
I've been punting on a couple of small rocketry projects because they need composites work. It's not that it's that bad, it's just that I need a large enough chunk of uninterrupted time to commit. Composites - even with the sanding - can actually be fun if there's no external time crunch.
@@martinmckee5333 just like anything, I remember when I started to learn soldering it was pain, now it's still pain but the fun type
I've been working in a company that does composites and I never ever wanted to have the epoxy safety course done so then I was not allowed in the resin process at all, I don't regret it.
The algorithm brings us together again
Indeed, all hail the algorithm
F~ck the algorithm. Subscribe.
Algorithm achieves a 60 hour weekly watchtime.
Send help, I watch too many educational videos.
Nah, the bell did.
Ring it, you will never be disappointed by a supermatt video.
All hail the algorithm
I love watching your videos as a reality check that I never want a similar project. It's strange how a 2-hour task can take 3 days to complete.
Yes, me too!
I live vicariously through Matt's suffering 😂😂
In my experience the actual time to complete a task is the estimate times two moved to the next larger unit of time. So 3 days is actually ahead of the curve for a 2 hour task!
@@caseytailfly on the face of it that seems ridiculously pessimistic. So it's probably right :)
Haha, amateurs. When you get to be REALLY good, you can make a 2 week task take 10 years to complete.
you know the peel ply peeling is even more satisfying in the dark? blue static? flashes
Me watching boatwoks and easy composites: "yeah, I could do that"
Me watching Matt:"fuck that if I ever need to I'm using aluminium sheets"
They ake it look like a 12 year old could do it perfectly. And there is a reason carbon parts are expensive
@@chm1ata That probably explains the quality of some of the aftermarket parts.
Your lucky to have so many talented and trusty friends. As in 2 friends. You are lucky to have 2 friends to help you.
3 friends: there's a spider @ 3:11.
*you're
From my experience with both software and electronics projects, so so often the 80/20 rule applies. When you think you are 80% complete then you are actually 20% done due to what you have yet to learn (insert foreboding sounds here). Thats why a lot of projects (especially waterfall managed) have a major panic the closer they get to a deadline as they find out about all those things they didn't know.
I'm enjoying the episodes Matt - its great to see the reality (at least they feel authentic to me)!
The aerosols in basically any spray anything are generally not plastic/foam safe. That's why I generally recommend against spray lubricants when working with plastics.
We ALL know this ... but aerosols and plastics are a lot like marriage. It's always gone to shxt in the past, but maybe THIS time will be different.
It is usually the propellant that eats the foam. So you try it from a distance, the propellant disburses, and "I guess this sort of spray stuff must be OK". And then you missed a bit and... :)
Ok Matt, pro tip from an amateur composite builder. Instead of squeegeeing your resin on use a resin roller. It will save you a ton of work and cut out or at least down the dry spots. (I'm also lazy...) And instead of doing the peel ply outer layer use vapor barrier from the home store. (3mill or 5mill) Squeegee that down tight and it will A: remove excess resin and B: leave a smooth finish. Smooth enough YOU DON'T NEED TO SAND. And C: lock your part down to the plug damned near as tight as a vacuum bag. You might need to relax the plastics folds with a heat gun for best finish. If you do need to sand it will be miniscule. Trust me, I make carbon fiber parts like this which you can't sand very much without it going to hell cuz you want to see the exterior layer!
Hi.. Legit question as I'm doing a project using his technique. Won't the resin have some chemical reaction with the vapor barrier?
@@Powered-by-Ramen_Yamabird I was using epoxy resin when I discovered the extra benefits of his while skipping the vacuum and it had no reaction whatsoever. It even peeled off easy. Way easier than peel ply! I don't know what if anything polyester resin would do. I do believe I melted a couple plastic cups down using poly in the past... Probably best to do a small test piece.
the sticker bomb fade mockup looks so good
Agree! 😃 …and the sticker fade gives the impression that stickers USED to be on the front nose cone but were blown off by SPEED - very cool. Looks fast even when it’s not moving.
Every time I watch this dude he has me in tears. Nothing better than a comedian who builds cool stuff!
Who needs Netflix when you have SuperFastMatt
Matt is so relatable because we might otherwise assume we need to be perfect to make enjoyable content.
(would this work?) Glue stick, wax paper on the plug, mold release film over the wax paper, fiberglass. That or your next project should be a vacuum forming table
Usually a hard edge that can't be filleted in CAD means that the fillet will wipe out an anchor point or a dimension origin for a defined feature and cause the model to be unsolvable so it gives a generic error. Sometimes going much smaller on the fillet will work but it depends on the model. You can also make a sweep feature along the hard edge with a custom shaped cut
Hi.. Great tips! May I ask you this, do you have a link (hopefully a video) where this was done using the wax paper method. I'm aiming to do this over an actual part, instead of a plug cause the fabricated item is to be mated to the part as closely as possible (and easily removed and put back on).
I'm so excited for the next project since you're basically done.
The sticker bomb fade look is really really cool
Press the stickers with a rag to get them super flat. and fast!
It's midnight in Australia and I just got back from drivig drunk family members home, but no way am I not watching this till the morning!
Its 3am in the uk. Just out the uber after just a "few" beers. Got spme baco in the pan and a thia video on 👌🤌😗
Never have I been so happy to see somebody doing something so I don't have to.
6:35 Always the edge blend. especially fun when the cad gives you an error, you export the file, import it into another cad which does the same thing without complainig.
Patreon for the win - I’m just here to feed the algorithm.
Ham in composites is tight! 😉
screen rant 😂
Super Easy, barely an inconvenience
Between the video and the comments, I now know everything I did wrong when doing composites.
Really tempted to try again, now.
All hail the algorithm.
I tried something recently that I found had great results. A single-use mould for a one-off item. This meant my mould could be made with really soft materials (polystyrene👉crack filler👉paint👉mould release👉 fibre-glass) now you’re sanding something really soft instead of sanding Fibreglass which is a loveless task 😄
It was my first attempt so I struggled but the result was really accurate especially considering I cut the polystyrene by hand.
In the hands of a well-practiced sculptor and especially someone with a access to a CNC router, I imagine you’ll get near perfect results with the least amount of work.
The propellant in spray adhesive has Toluene, (80 and 90 but not 75) but it evaporates around 8 inches from the nozzle. They make fiberglass resin rollers, little plastic discs on a bar, very smooth finish. As others have mentioned, the resin won't get hot in a shallow pan/paint tray. You can get sheets or rolls of release paper (what stickers are attached to when new) and you can smooth it onto wet fiberglass to get a silky smooth finish. It doesn't stick to anything..
With aero, I'm guessing every little thing helps or hinders top speed. Will you sticker from the back to the front to ensure the edges of the stickers are in a fish scale like orientation? If done the other way I can imagine some lifting and creating random little air brakes.
I'm interested to know that the sticker mass will be once covered.
I"ve found that coating (read painting) the foam or polystyrene plug with an acrylic (water based) paint will protect the foam from being dissolved by the adhesive used for the protection film or solvents in the resin.
as someone who does this for a living, i get the perfect coat of mould release nearly every single time and i would have done mould release on top of the plug underneath the release film as a backup layer. the glass can heat up when curing and then maybe mess up with the film
Superfast! You never cease to rizz em with your tism!
Laying up on foam, using spray adhesive or a direct layup with mold release... Paint the plug with latex exterior paint for houses. It has a protective film and you don't have to go through all of that foolishness It's also very cheap especially for a big project like this.
For fairing compound...rondo, 50/50 resin and hardener to Bondo and hardener. You can take it up to 60/40 and best part If you do, is it is self-leveling Which equates to less sanding and it can be applied with a spounge or melted fine nap roller or paint brush.
This doesn't do any good for Matt but it may help future Matt 😁👍 on his next project.
9:18 - Have you tried these special alu rollers to remove excess polyester and air bobbles in the fiber? Don't know the American name for it sadly, direct translated it is called an "air roller'
I used it on the fiberglass mat. Does it work with woven fiberglass as well?
@@SuperfastMatt it should, at least it will move the resin and bleed trapped air.
Bonus info: I just made a isocyranator oven with old oven to heat up some polycarbonate windscreen for a boat - that video dropped just as I needed it - thanks!👌😁
Back when I was a just a wee one I worked for a professional painter and was taught that primer is hydrophilic and will absorb water. Idk if that will cause any adverse effects to your fiberglass or not but if it were me, I would at minimum shittily rattle can a coat of clear on.
Maybe someone else reading this can shine some light on the facts for us.
That jives with my experience of learning by doing. I assumed it had something to do with the non-gloss finish being more porous and accepting or something like that. I have the same worry that paint is needed.
Do you mean hygroscopic?
@@Vaino_Hotti hygroscopic and hydrophilic are roughly the same thing. Hydrophilic literally translates to water-affinity. Hygroscopic is more aggressive, in my understanding, like a molecular sieve - it'll pull moisture out of a room. Both words work in this context. To my knowledge, primer will absorb humidity if left exposed, which is why it has drying agents in it and is then painted over same day.
when I was in college, I helped with concrete canoe competition. and one of the development we did was to invert the plug, so the plug was on the exterior. aka making the mold with the plug. that made a nice exterior finish.
@superfastmatt I really hope you answer this: Is this a king of the hill situation where your friends work with you on your car for the joy of doing it? Or is this more of a you help them on their cars and they help you sort of thing?
Love your videos despite not caring for cars generally.
It really feels like you play up all the errors, but as I think about it, literally every project I've ever taken on goes like this. Every single step, my plan does not reflect the reality of what's going to happen. Thank you for presenting the reality of DIY.
After mixing your resin pour it out into a large alum foil cake pan. I sometimes even set the pan on a couple of those blue ice pack things or on an old laptop cooler.
This is so good. New video post script was excellent. Loooking forward to seeing the bestickered behemoth beat your best time on the lake asap!
I love ham in my composites. It reminds me of Easter.
I love that Foreshadow Matt bit! Don't stop doing it please!
We made our SAE supermilage vehicle's topper using this same process. We were inexperienced college kids with little to no guidance... our plug was made of MDF. 400lbs of MDF. So. Much. SANDING.
Put the resin in paint tray liners.
Keeping it spread out allows more working time..
You can use small irrigation fittings glued to the surface before glassing, connect them up to water tap to push the part off the plug.
If you glass direct onto the foam (Epoxy) and hollow out the foam were needed for clearance then glass the inside you have a strong structure with less layers of glass needed and better crash protection.
I truly appreciate this video today I'm going to try to make a fiberglass fan shroud for my project
I like your video on fiber glass because you don't know what your doing I have watched a few pros do it and I don't think I learned much watching them doing it right on the other hand watching you bumble threw it I learned what not to do
Are you going to weigh the stickers? it would be interesting to see how much more weight they add
This is the most interesting project on UA-cam.
Ive created a couple intake manifolds for cars out of fibreglass. I use pool noodles and pipe insulation to get my shape and coat it with vaseline. warm it with a torch and paint it on the foam. the fibreglass cloth with stick to the vaseline and you can paint the resin on without it moving all over.
Fantastic to learn that peel ply is a thing.
I'm just at the beginning, and may be foreshadowing, but you still need to spend hours sanding, and doing body work if to get a nice finished surface. A mold lets you put the part back in to stabilize it while adding internal bracing.
You could use your shop vac from the to collect the dust from sanding.
Great job. Fibreglass is great fun and it's giving me flashbacks of my Dad's hovercraft repairs.
Your dad is an alien? That's so cool bro.
My favorite easy/fast composite was when I had a really busted up plastic under tray on my old Audi. I ended up reassembling the plastic using silicone and fiberglass window screen, with plastic wrap to shape it. Somehow it worked well and held up for years.
As long as the fibers are buried in resin you can use body glazing putty to fill the pinholes. It sands A LOT easier than epoxy and will leave a great finish after paint.
Super fast matt and Grind Hard Plumbing. I always look forward to Saturday posts by these two channels. Puts a smile on my face
It's very nice job!!!
I hope you're following the ionic 5N race up Pike's speak.
The F151 won even after inadvertently stopping for nearly 30 seconds in the first third of the race
There are deep pour resins that don't overheat as fast. Might be worth looking into, especially if you plan on vacuum forming your more complex parts. It should keep the resin from setting up too soon.
hi matt, its matt, nice to see you.
If you put the mixed resin in a shallow tray it is less likely to go into thermal runaway. The larger exposed area provides cooling.
You can also put the container in a larger container of ice water
I've used a water bath to keep resin from going into thermal runaway. An ice bath works even better and it extends the working time a little by dropping the resin below its minimum cure temperature. The downside of an ice bath is that it tends to thicken up the resin slightly, which is a problem if you're trying to infuse resin but is manageable if you're wetting the cloth by hand.
Now you're getting there!
Release film is still too fancy. Packing tape works even on larger parts, and the cheaper (and shinier!) it is, the better. No messing around with spray adhesive, and you have a much easier time avoiding wrinkles.
I see you used the packing tape trick but I think you need to try another trick I suggested: wet out your fiberglass on a flat surface covered with plastic before you move it to your mold/plug.
This will help you avoid dry spots and gives you less gravity problems because it's getting wet on a horizontal surface. You can also production line it so it's faster. It might use more epoxy because some waste will be on the plastic sheet but it's a minor issue unless you run out.
I look at it as kind of like pre-preg except you don't need an autoclave.
6:28 as someone who works in CADs all the time, I this hella relatable
I am beginning a reverse trike build combining a VW bug front suspension, a Honda Goldwing GL1200 ... and a 1964 Piper Cherokee fuselage. I have been watching your efforts with composites with some interest because I will need to fashion a nose of some type for this thing. After watching this vid I've decided simply carving a nose may be easier than what you are going through. I think starting with either a solid block of aluminum or maybe oak might be my best bet.
That's wild... and bizarrely makes sense. The project, I mean... certainly not carving a front end from block of aluminum.
@@brianb-p6586 I couldn't avoid the joke ... but I HATE working with fiberglass. At 73 this Piper BugSmasher will be perhaps my last crazy project. It is rooted in the same spirit of The Shotwell you can see on Jay Leno's YT Channel. Cars today are impossibly expensive and hideously over complicated. I've been a mechanic since the time VW's cost $1,495 and would last forever if maintained properly. It also follows the build tradition of the Checker usen proven reliable and long-working parts. My first job as a mechanic was at a Checker Dealership ... they were amazing automobiles.
you can get sheets of ABS and form them with a heat gun
Good stuff! I like to use moldless construction for my meals.
Literally the best personality. Love your videos dude🤙
SuperfastMatt, great content keep up the amazing work
Anothe brilliant episode, love watching it and you narrate it with ‘honest’ comments! 😂 Looking forward to the next one.
About the old fibreglass not wetting. The fibres are coated in a material that is ‘resinphilic’ (my phrase, not a manufacturing term). Basically like a hydrophilic surface this material helps the resin coat the fibres. It is why fibreglass for performance composites has a shelf life. The goo goes off after a while (
The shell/body turned out nice for a first-timer :D
For the next big project use a layup roller. It looks like a stack of washers or coins. Wet out the surface, drape glass/carbon over it, roll it down with the roller. The roller will push the cloth into the resin and tightly against the mould. Also it won't pull the fabric like a squeegee will. Can't really over-wet with the resin since it will all just come out through the glass as you keep rolling. Only squeegee the very top layer if you have to. Otherwise let the thicker layer of resin harden so you have something to sand without getting into the cloth.
@SuperfastMatt you actually get used to the itching if you keep sending for more than 3 days.. and also stick with the same fiber type.. somehow I ever felt glas itched more than carbon but never mind..
If you're using epoxy resin the issue you had with the glass not wetting out may have been because some fibreglass is not suitable for epoxy. Some fibreglass has a styrene binder in it that is not dissolved by epoxy. Polyester and vinylester both contain styrene, which dissolves the styrene binder.
Thanks!
Dude!! Great video!!! The sticker fade back!!! Way cool!!!!✌️
I'm writing this during the first ad, but I swear to god this better be the easy way to make composites and not some joke where he buys a second set of drums
Matt, I love your channel! Just a heads up, you're literally using the wrong respirator for the job. Pink filters are for particulates, you need the charcoal filters with the white pre-filters. Sorry, had to do it 😂
Future Matt 🔫
Foreshadowing Matt 💀
😂😂😂
Quick question, how did you handle the kerf of the cutting blade when cutting off the engine cover? Was the engine cover designed longer by the width of the kerf, or is the final part shorter by the width of the kerf?
You think painting the pink thing would make it smoother and easier? before putting the release film on top of it?
Put the batch of resin in a shallow tub of ice and water and remember to stir it often or continuously to extend pot life.
Pulling off the peel ply could be an ASMR video - so satisfying! All Hail the Algorithm
New outro! LETS GOOO!
I'm glad you're completely done your car now!
You might have been better off without the peel ply. Use a thin fill coat of resin on the outside after the layup has dried. That's how we used to make surf boards. Easy, thin and smooth. Use finishing resin for the fill, not laminating resin.
A possible reason the fiberglass didn't wet out is if you used epoxy instead of a polyester resin. The polyester resin dissolves a binder that some fiberglass uses.
Nicely done!
9:30 Suggestion: #1: Remove Peel-ply. #2: Shoot a light coat of black or dark grey epoxy-based primer. This is your guide-coat. #3: Apply a thick layer of fairing compound, 1/16-1/8" thick all over. (See note below). #4: Sand off 90% of the fairing compound. Do not sand down to guide coat. If you hit paint, stop sanding that area. Sand it once down to an even contour. And do not apply more compound, additional compound will always be mixed different and be different hardness. It will make everything worse when you sand varying hardnesses of layered material. #5: continue sanding from 36 grit floor sandpaper down to 300 grit or so. You are only trying to remove the scratches after 36, 60, 100 grit. The finer paper just removes scratches, not much fairig compound. #6: Shoot another coat of primer.
Note: To save several hundred in your native currency: Mix your own lightweight fairing compound in the manner of Burt Rutan homebuilt airplanes. That is: 3M glass baubles mixed approximately 4:1 with epoxy resin into a thick, white frosting like a week-old wedding cake might have.
These glass spheres are very lightweight and strong. The fairing compound is about 20x stronger than pink foam. It sands like wood filler: amazingly fast.
And since you have a guide coat of primer, and wont be sanding through it, everything sands exactly the same rate and levels itself easily. This whole engine cover job could be 3hrs or less.
You are getting better Matt!!! There is a plug surface treatment for making only 1-3 parts of a plug, but dont know the cost??
Love this sens of humour.
I have made lots of fiberglass, and now I always use a mold even for one-off parts. You really don't want to be sanding and filling the actual part. Do it all on the buck, use easily sandable material, then epoxy coating. For one-off parts, use a thin mold with backing material to keep its shape (foam, wood, ham) and use it asap, same day even.
Enjoy your schtick! Composites technician., Likely the resin voids you notice after pulling peel ply relate to sizing issues. Saturated sizing issue a known cause for wet out failure of the 6 year old product you had laying around. The product isn't bad, just needed re-conditioning. Silane technology a good search term.
Nice to see some family collaboration having Superfast Matt working with Fiberglass Matt !!! 😂
Probably pointless thought, but doesn't primer left on its own tend to absorb moisture? I guess not really a concern over composites, but may mean you leave a trail of stickers down the salt flats, I am sure the organizers will love that.