trying to mold trunk, mold pulling away

OK, so I have everything masked off and I begin to lay glass onto the tape. Everything is great, let it get almost dry, apply another layer and so on four times.  Then I lay mat onto it, soak it up, go get some food, come back about an hour later and everything is almost dry but has pulled away from the sides approx. one inch.  It looks like a mold for a trunk that is an inch smaller than what I am trying to mold.  WTF.  Thank you very much in advance.

it probable shrunk because of the heat..... you do have options.. you can start over (bad idea, wasted time & money), or you can add layers to the out side. now keep in mind the adding all that 'glass and resin will make it REALLY heavy, but you can pick up a can of micro balloons to add to the resin. micro balloons are small glass balloons that take up space but they also help keep the weight down.. they are also good for finishing the exposed parts if you have voids in the last layer........... anyways, good luck in deciding what you want to do...post some pics

-------------

wait dude i have another idea for you.. depending on how you set everything up, you could make a cut down the middle of the peice and make a "patch" in the open part.... just a thought

-------------

Ice is right. It pulled away because of the heat. Actually it pulled away because it cured too quickly. For future reference you'll want to mix your resin with less hardener OR let the first layer or two cure completely before adding the subsequent layers. Once you get a base of fiberglass the shrinkage won't be a factor because the fiberglass will hold its shape. You can try to save it but it may be better just to start over. Sometimes fixing it takes longer than just calling a mulligan.

-------------

Thanks for the input guys (or girls). I decided to start over since I hadn't spent too much time on it yet anyway. I used less hardener and waited longer in between coats and it worked perfect. I'll get some pics up when I have more than just a mold.