Originally Posted by
Viper1GJ
Can you use 1.4 oz fiberglass cloth for balsa finishing with out getting weave pattern that is hard to fill. I would use epoxy resin for application and Klass Kote primer and paint for finish. I have used .75 oz before but never 1.4oz for outside surface finish.
What would be the difference in surface hardness and surface strength between .75 oz and 1.4oz cloth? The slight increase in weight is not a factor in this application but surface hardness and strength would be.
Thanks for your ideas and suggestions.
Gary
Surface hardness and/or toughness depend a lot on coating thickness as well as type of glass and epoxy used. Hanger rash depends alot on these things too.
1.4 oz glass and finishing epoxy resin is about twice the thickness of .7 oz glass / resin. But since .7 oz and epoxy finish very thin, (about 2 thousandths of an inch), going to 1.4 oz won't buy you much more surface hardness. To be fairly tough and resistant to dents and dings, thickness should be a minimum of 10 thou and 15 is almost bullet proof. But weight builds up very quickly. If you are finishing a cabinet or a boat for example, it's possibly a good way to go. Not so much if you are finishing a plane....