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Fiberglass Cloth Trick

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Dave Hull:
If you are going to be doing much work with glass fabric, consider getting a rotary fabric cutter used on a cutting matt. Far better than any scissors approach to reduce fraying especially on complex cutout shapes. If you are just doing the one plane or occasional reinforcement you can manage without. But forget about the pinking shears....

For the job you are describing, stiffening the fabric as Bill suggested helps. Then, if you paint on the thin epoxy to the bare wood and aren't using too coarse a grade cloth you can drape the cloth (you get one shot to get it right doing it like this), then lay some Saran wrap over the whole area and work the joint with your fingers without making a sticky mess.

Conversely, you can spread the epoxy on the peel layer (Saran? Wax paper?) then lay your glass on it, then lay it on the plane. That way you have a lot more to hold onto. Good and bad features there: more to hold and get you lined up (Sharpie marks) but the excess plastic can make it harder to get into the corner.

Everyone finds a way that suites their tools and skills. Lots of ways to skin a cat....


PS--The attached picture shows the small rotary cutter and the (very) small cutting matt. The matt should be larger than the largest piece you expect to cut out. I didn't have a picture of doing the fish filets, but you can get some ideas maybe from this cowling. The fabric here was cut on a 45, which allows a significant amount of warping (stretching) to contour to the compound curves. It is done in one piece, and as a traditional wet layup. Using low viscosity epoxy (EZ-Lam) painted thinly over the wood surface with the China-bristle brush, then drape the precut 0.58 oz cloth overtop. The better your aim, the smaller the piece of glass you can try. With the thin epoxy you can do some over-brushing without ruining the weave. Else, lay Saran over the wet assembly and work it with you fingers or in some cases a squeegie. A flexible credit card offer thingie works pretty good, or a piece cut from a cereal box.

doug coursey:
I did the nose of my nobler using 3/4 ounce cloth and stuck it down with thinned  clear dope working from the center out,its easy to trim the excess cloth after that .then i brushed on the epoxy,its easy to work with because the cloth doesnt move..

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