Glassing Foam
02-20-2003, 06:57 AM
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Glassing Foam
I have almost completed the fuselage of my current aircraft and I am about to glass it. The fuselage is made up of a wood box, covered with Foam to achieve the proper shape required. I have been filling all the small holes in the foam to get a perfect finish prior to glassing. However, because it is foam, almost every time I touch it I leave some type of dent, scratch or imperfection. It seems to be a constant struggle to maintain a good finish. I think the only way to solve this problem is to glass it as soon as it is ready.
I also have very minute scratches on some of the filler, and the more I play with it the more work that is required. Because I will glass it using West Systems, will the glassing eliminate the scratches and minor holes within the foam? This is my first glassing attempt and I want to ensure the finish is perfect prior to glassing. I have talked to a few guys and they say go ahead and glass it, the West Systems will eliminate any minor imperfections. I find that because it is foam, not sheeted, it is hard to maintain a good finish. When it is glassed I can then fix any minor flaws with Glazing spot putty. It feathers well and I need a good firm working surface to get the best finish prior to primming.
That was kind of long winded in the explanation. Any comments or suggestions regarding my dilemma would be appreciated.
Craig.
I also have very minute scratches on some of the filler, and the more I play with it the more work that is required. Because I will glass it using West Systems, will the glassing eliminate the scratches and minor holes within the foam? This is my first glassing attempt and I want to ensure the finish is perfect prior to glassing. I have talked to a few guys and they say go ahead and glass it, the West Systems will eliminate any minor imperfections. I find that because it is foam, not sheeted, it is hard to maintain a good finish. When it is glassed I can then fix any minor flaws with Glazing spot putty. It feathers well and I need a good firm working surface to get the best finish prior to primming.
That was kind of long winded in the explanation. Any comments or suggestions regarding my dilemma would be appreciated.
Craig.
02-23-2003, 06:25 AM
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Glassing Foam
Hi Craig - I would definitely go ahead and glass it sooner rather than later. A couple of coats of light glass with a little sanding in between would sure help imperfections. The West Systems (slow) epoxy is amazing. The 5 to 1 mix is a little different for me though. Are you going to thin it with a bit of alcohol? We used to blot the epoxy with toilet paper to remove any excess weight too.
Ernie
Ernie
02-24-2003, 03:39 PM
#3
Glassing Foam
I would just glass it and fix the imperfections later. Anything you do to the foam now is just added weight. Get it glassed, you will cause more imperfections when doing that. When you get it all glassed, you can use red devil spackle to fill the imperfections. It is very light and does very well. You can also use west systems with a ton of micro in it for fill, but it will be heavier. You don't want to get the thing too heavy with fill or you will have a lead sled on your hands.
