Here's a quickly read tutorial from one of the top fiberglass/resin distributors.
Read the 6 page tutorial, and learn to speak the language of the trade, so you can purchase what you really want.

http://www.fiberglast.com/learning_c...fibergalss.pdf
miniflyer,
Some people might use lithoplate, but in my 38 year career in aerospace manufacturing as a tooling and manufacturing engineer (Teledyne Ryan/Northrop Grumman on such projects as the B-2 Stealth Bomber, Global Hawk, C-17, etc. dating back to 1967), I've never seen lithoplate used on the surface of a tool (MOLD) . Many are machined from steel, and/or aluminum, and some are even flash nickle plated after machining and hand finishing. A great many are pulled as a splash on the surface of a plaster master model using epoxy face coat, and laminating resin.
Many of these tools are inspected with CMM and Theodolite measuring systems down to the .0001 of an inch. (ten-thousandth of an inch). I think that these tools are "pretty professional', and very precision........as opposed to most of the molds used in the RC model industry.

I'll try to scan and post some photos of C-17 landing gear masters, C-17 aft fuselage FAJ (floor assembly jig) and from some of the the B-2 laminating/curing fixtures if anyone is interested.


Harley Condra
BVM REP
JetCat REP