Once the plug is covered with gelcoat, I let it cure to a tack. I did this project on a nice hot San Diego day so it cured to a tack in about 45 minutes.
At this step I used a different approach than I am used to. I came into possession of a large roll of veil that I decided to use in the corners and angles of the mold. In the past I have always used a combination of cabosil and resin. I found the veil easy to work with, especially when pushing it into corners with a chip brush. With the veil in place, I proceed to build the mold with three layers of 1 ½ ounce chopped mat.
I begin applying the chopped mat by brushing a nice thick layer of catalyzed resin over the area of the plug that I am working on. Then I place a piece of mat that has been pulled off of my roll and lay it on the plug. I like to keep the pieces fairly small on a project like this, no larger than 6 inches square. Pulling the mat apart will leave many loose fibers that will help the strength of my final product once it has cured. When applying the mat, I like to overlap my pieces by about 20% and build a nice flange around the base of the plug.
I let this mold cure on the plug for almost a week before demolding. This mold popped off its parting board with little effort. Likewise, the mold separated from the plugs with ease. The process for removing the mold from the plug is simple. I use a half dozed small plastic putty knives that I insert between the mold and the parting plane. Once I have one putty knife between the mold and the parting plane, I simply insert another putty knife at the edge of the separation that occurred as a result of the first knife. This is repeated time and time again as I work my way around the perimeter of the mold. Once you get started, this is an easy process.
And there it is, just how I like it. The plug is intact and the mold is relatively free of defects.
At this point the mold is inspected for any flaws, repaired and then prepped for its first part pulls.
Making parts with this mold is very similar to making the mold itself. I begin by applying five coats of mold release wax to the inside of the mold. Once the mold is waxed, I can apply a coat of PVA. After the PVA dries, I brush in a nice healthy layer of gelcoat. Once the gelcoat cures to a tack, I begin to lay resin and mat. Since this is a fairly large item, I do two layers of 1 ½ ounce mat to provide a little strength without the part getting too heavy.
Once this fiberglass gels, I trim the excess with a sharp utility knife and let the mold cure to its full hardness. Since I will be joining the two halves of the helicopter, I don’t pull the pieces from the mold until I am ready to join them. This is because any shrinkage / warping will wreak havoc with my attempts to line up the two halves of this copter during the joining process.
Removing the parts from this mold is done just as described previously. I slip a putty knife between the mold and the part. Using several putty knives, I work the perimeter of the mold to loosen the piece. I progressively dig the putty knives deeper and deeper until my parts pop out of the mold.
Once the parts have been removed, I can clean / flatten the edges with a sanding block, align the two halves and use masking tape to hold them together and seal the seam. To finish this project I catalyze about 4 oz of resin and pour it along the inside of the seam that divides the two halves of this copter. The resin is poured into the fuselage through the opening where the exhaust port would be. I then tilt the copter forward and backward to cover the seam with resin. Once this cures, I can remove the tape and deal with filling any defects in the seam.
With this post, this project is done. I apologize for the long delays between these last few posts. Good luck with your fiberglass projects. This project ended up consuming alot more of my time than I expected. I now have two helicopter ceiling fan models with a JetRanger on the way. Turns out it is a popular item. I have sold many on eBay and quite a few to folks who see them hanging in my office. It is always nice to make a few extra bucks with your hobby
