Kelum Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 Hi guys, Since I have seen most of the guys here converting their bikes into bobbers..I wanna know if you have ever used fiberglass parts on your bikes...I recently saw some cool japanese modified bikes exactly like harleys...they had metal plates chrome finishes and excellent paint job..I wanna convert my thing into something cool...I went through lot of web tutorials on fiberglassing...am pretty sure that there might be guys here with fiberglass experience...please share ur know-how with me. Fiberglass chemicals are hazardous as I gather...please make a writeup on all the important stuff regarding the subject..will be helpful for all..thanks in advance...
Noise Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 I have done a bit of fibre glassing and its quite easy to master the basic's. first off id start off with doing a cardboard mock up of the item you want to make using LOADS of masking tape as this way its easy to move about but once you start building up the layers it becomes stiff. Once you have your mock up part start cutting up your fibre glass mat into short strips and make up a small pot of resin (if you make to much resin it will go off before you get round to using it). NOTE that you will need to wear gloves for this as the resin gets hot and WILL not come off clothing so also wear scuffs. "BRUSH" some resin onto the surface then place a strip of mat ontop of that then "DAB" some more resin onto the mat to stick it down. repeat this but over lap the mats........once your pot of resin is empty re-fill and carry on. Once you have finished this layer wait till its dried they add another layer till your happy its strong (wont take no more than id say 3-4 layers depending on the size of the item your making) lastly once totally dry get out some wet and dry sand paper and sand down all the big lumps till smooth, the crack out the body filler and fill in all the little holes and sand that down too. Then primer it and paint. Job done
Paulwhite Posted December 19, 2011 Posted December 19, 2011 lol you make it sound so easy ........its allot of prep work! the more time you prep it, the better the finish! and with the layers i found it easyer to brush the resin on the mould then put the 1st layer of matting on, then once coverd, brush another layer of resin over the matting then put on the 2nd layer. do about 3- 4 layers. use a thick matting for the "structure" then a fine matting for the final layer (just streatch it over the top the excess resin will soak into it) leave over night then crack out a orbital sander with a rough grit paper and get the surface as smooth as you can, (to cut it i used a grinder, works faster but it makes loads of dust) then cover in body filler about 1mm thick all round, leave to dry then sand down (usually back to the fibreglass to get the shape) use a smoother gritt paper to get a better finish. so start with a 160 gritt and work it to a fine 200 gritt then finish with a 600 gritt i found at this point spraying it in black helped to spot any "flat spots" when sanding, and also use a block of wood to wrap the sand paper round. then when your happy spray with primer (about 2 light coats) then LIGHTLY spray your paint colour on layer by layer (anywhere from 6 - 15 light coats giving it time to dry) when the paint has dried, put on about 4 light layers of clearcoat to give it a glossy finish (note if you go with a matt colour then putting a clear coat on top will make it look glossy) when dry put some car wax on it to buff it up and make it look nice. take your time painting it! leave each coat a good hour to dry before putting another coat on. and the resin sets faster in heat .....the hotter the weather the faster it sets! roughly 10 min at 20*c and 20 min at 9*c or below your best bet would be to modify or cut an old part like a fender (if your doing a fender) or cover your original part in tape and use it for a mould. i had an idea of making an "outside" mould from clay then layering the fibreglass into it ......would save time sanding it down and shaping it as the smooth clay would give a smooth perfect finish. but iv never tried it.
Noise Posted December 20, 2011 Posted December 20, 2011 lol you make it sound so easy ........its allot of prep work If you look i said to start off with a "MOCK UP" part thus meaning you dont do any prep work to your bike to fibre glass it bar the fack your spending a few hours making the part you want out of cardboard for a template. Yes if your are going to "repair" or "Fix" body pannels or fibre glass a part to your bikes body parts then all you will need to do is get a good sheet of 80 grit wet and dry and scratch the shit out of that part so as the resin and matt gets a good grip on the part. Also i did say its EASY to master the basics (which it is) if your wanting to build a whole bladdy car then it wouldnt sound so easy but seeing that Kelum is only going to be making small items and maybe even repairs then its going to be a doddle. Ive only repaired 6 car bumpers, modified my Toyota MR2's spoiler, built my XVS 125's solo seat from scratch, built two fenders for the 125 (which i admit went in the bin as i didn't like them) and i also built a mock up seat pan to send to Chicago for the guys over there to build my seat i have on my 650 dragstar now so i think is ok to say i know the basics of fibre glassing. If not please feel free to put me right as im always keen to learn.
Kelum Posted December 20, 2011 Author Posted December 20, 2011 Ooo thank you so much guys as you see I 3d model vehicles and I have artistic skills so I thought I should start fiberglassing from little items...over the time I will master and things like this are always easier for me to follow as I have skills on creation may be from my previous lives. Thank you for your valuable ideas here, u've typed a lot here on the topic and the content is wonderfully informative. I will get into this after my Masters exams in first week January..if u have any illustrations on the steps please post them here...thanx guys!
Noise Posted December 20, 2011 Posted December 20, 2011 Here is a quick pic of my XVS 125 when i was mocking up the seat. You can see the masking tape hanging over the sides from my cardboard template and you can prob still make out the cardboard under the fibre glass lol. Once i was happy with the design i then made it into 2mm think sheet metal in which i cut slits in the sides to mould it around my frame and then welded the flaps shut then added foam and leather. If i do any more fibre glassing before January i will post up a step by step "BASIC" guide.
Kelum Posted December 20, 2011 Author Posted December 20, 2011 Here is a quick pic of my XVS 125 when i was mocking up the seat. You can see the masking tape hanging over the sides from my cardboard template and you can prob still make out the cardboard under the fibre glass lol. Once i was happy with the design i then made it into 2mm think sheet metal in which i cut slits in the sides to mould it around my frame and then welded the flaps shut then added foam and leather. If i do any more fibre glassing before January i will post up a step by step "BASIC" guide. Thank you mate, please try doing that before january..it will help me a lot...tc mate
Paulwhite Posted December 20, 2011 Posted December 20, 2011 please feel free to put me right as im always keen to learn. chill.. i wasnt having a go or questioning your method i was just making a statement based on my own experiance, and in my experiance i found that the more prep work you do the better the result. e.g making a form for the fibreglass, then getting the desired shape from sanding (in my case a rear fender) i apologise if my reply offended you but please note that i write all my reply's light heartedly. i too have experiance with fibreglas doing body repairs on cars as well on bikes, iv also done a fender or two for my own projects, and i happen to work with epoxy resin on a daily basis making anti slip floors. here are a couple of pics of the fender i made for an old forum member. (not in any order)
Kelum Posted December 21, 2011 Author Posted December 21, 2011 cool am glad i have you two with experience around for my future projects...my imagination always had limits as i didnt have a means to manipulate plastic or metal, fiberglass seems to be cool...this is way too cool for scientific experiments too...like tubing and structuring for a waste water treatment plant and irrigation systems (small scale)...coool..u guys just cool down...I respect what both of you know...tc guys
Noise Posted December 21, 2011 Posted December 21, 2011 chill.. i wasnt having a go or questioning your method i was just making a statement based on my own experiance, I am chilled very raley get on my high hourse (come to think of it last time i went on a mad one was during bayonet training in the army....lol) any way back on topic. my statement "please feel free to put me right as im always keen to learn." wasnt a dig or any thing like that i was being serious, I dont know every thing......and any man/woman says they do is a liar so i am always happy to be put right and shown a better way of doing things.
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