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Posted By:
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Raffi Minasian
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Posted On:
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Sunday May 13, 2012 at 6:09 PM
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Message:
resin and fiberglass clarification
This is a subject that often requires some clarification. So here is my best attempt. Resin is the liquid slurry that is used to bond the fiber matte (generally woven fibers of glass filament but sometimes woven rope). The matte is a white blanket that is actually rather rigid until it is soaked with the resin such that it can conform to contours.. The resin is brushed or poured onto the matte as it becomes catalyzed (a % mix of resin and hardener chemically activates over time). As the mixture kicks off and solidifies, the matte and resin becomes integrally bonded AND conforms to the mold it was cured in. Sometimes a "chopper gun" is used to spray the resin and finely chopped glass fiber through a specialized spray gun. This is a good way to go as it makes for a smoother and faster application over hand lamination. The mixture of resin to glass fiber can be thin or thick, depending on the application. Tighter areas are good for chopper gun application. Often chopper gun body shells are sprayed and cured and then structural hand layup forms are added for more rigidity in large areas.We first began experimenting at FM using resin purely on a cost basis (both cheaper in material cost AND cheaper in shipping due to the lighter weight). The first tests were proposed by me to use on the hood of the Shelby GT350. I felt this was a good application for the model since the original hood was fiberglass. To make the presentation to the company I asked our lawyer if there was a "legal" definition of what constituted fiberglass. After some explanation on the process, our lawyer determined that there was no legal requirement defining fiberglass on the basis of glass content or resin %. In a real car the fiber matte operates as a better structural form (less brittle and more uniform under tension and compression than just resin). However just resin was easier to mold and less expensive. So we moved ahead with that title and raw resin material. Much like other things out in the market that are not % quantified (how much burger and bun is there legally allowed in a hamburger? Milk in a milkshake, etc unlike Gold which has a specific legal material rating) resin is technically fiberglass and fiberglass (once united with cured resin) is also technically resin.So the actual content of glass fiber in any FM model car like the Lambandi or Corvette is little to none, but still can be considered a "two-part catalyzed, structurally moldable polyester material that conforms to a cavity to yield a solid. Hope this helps explain some of the history of the use and actuality of the material content.
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 | resin and fiberglass clarification by Raffi Minasian #42699.5
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