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Fibreglass Coating Wooden Roof

Started by Jam Jar Lurker, Feb 18, 2020, 04:59 pm

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Jam Jar Lurker

Feb 18, 2020, 04:59 pm Last Edit: Feb 18, 2020, 05:34 pm by Jam Jar Lurker
Just wondering... when fiberglass coating the TARDIS roof, do you lose much definition in the detail of the stacks?

And...

Is it a tricky job for a complete novice?

Exploring different options at the moment.

Francis
"Have courage, and be kind... Where there is kindness, there is goodness. And where there is goodness, there is magic."

Senseidale

Hi I fibreglassed the inside of  my Tardis roof and used fibreglass resin on the outside thus far it has held well in the rotten weather we have had just lately, I am complete novice when it comes fibreglassing but I am very happy with the results, so go for it.

Dale
"In 900 years of time and space, I've never met anyone who wasn't important"

Volpone

Photos of fiberglassing a roof here:  http://tardisbuilders.com/index.php?topic=3204.105

That's about the second thing I ever fiberglassed.  The only things I would say are:
1) Buy glass *cloth*, not matting.  Cloth is actually woven while matting is just unoriented strands and the fibers start coming up as soon as you start brushing the resin on.  The reasoning for the matting is that it conforms to irregular shapes better than woven glass, but in practice I say it is more trouble than it's worth. 
2) BUY NITRILE GLOVES.  A big box of them.  Have them handy and just put on clean gloves whenever the pair you're wearing gets too messy. 
3) Read the instructions on how to mix the resin to the hardener.  It isn't difficult, but you do want to get the percentages right.  Too much hardener and it dries too fast.  Not enough and it won't dry at all. 
4) That said, the stuff won't dry at temperatures below, say 50 degrees F.  I don't think it says that anywhere so I couldn't figure out why the stuff wasn't drying on an earlier project and had to do some digging.  Once temperatures went up, the stuff finally dried, but trying to keep the material from losing its shape during that time was a pain. 
5) Mix the resin in small batches.  It's a pain in the butt.  But mixing it all up at once doesn't do you any good if 75% of it hardens before you can apply it. 
6) I'd say it isn't difficult and it gives good effect.  Oh, and people will warn you that it is smelly.  But it isn't smelly like a skunk eating rotten eggs next to a burst sewer pipe.  It's smelly like model airplane glue.  So for me it triggered happy childhood memories of making P51 Mustangs and DC3s and the occasional model car. 
"You know, the very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alters their views to fit the facts, they alter the facts to fit the views, which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering."
-The Doctor,
"Face of Evil."

Jam Jar Lurker

Thanks Dale and Volpone; lots to think about.

Francis
"Have courage, and be kind... Where there is kindness, there is goodness. And where there is goodness, there is magic."