Dura-glass?

"DURA-GLASS" or Kitty Hair...is a long strand fiberglass puddy, when mixed with a paste hardener creats a ridiculously hard contraption considerably less likely to shrink and or warp then fiberglass itself...

it is used like body filler over large fiberglass projects. to prevent warping...it is also used as a very strong filler (considerably harder then bondo/ body filler...also considerably harder to sand...best to catch it at its clay phase, then to allow it to cure..

also unlike body filler it wont absorb water and it is considerably more structurally sound...ie it wont chip and or dent nearly as easily as filler...and it can be applied as thick as you want...

That's it in a nut shell..

spades07 wrote:

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Thanks. now one more what is grille cloth and what is IT used for? 

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grille cloth is a very thin stretchy material used as a cover for speakers ( for example like the covers over the speakers in you r home stereo system)

since it is so thin and very stretchy it lends itself very well to the meca of fiberglass projects people like to do in there cars...it is ideal for gauge pods, and kick pods, midrange speaker enclosures, and door panels.  and say if you were to redo t the interior of your car all in glass..(like a demo car) then it works well for new dashes and pillars and and other such stuff...common practice of sub woofer boxes is to use fleece since it is thicker and will absorb more resin...kinda an oxymoron of a technique though...considering Fiberglass is only used for two resons...less weight and greater felexibility of design...however the more resin a piece uses the more weight it gains...and more resin DOES NOT equal more strength, however it will provide a minimal amount of deadening...

grill cloth also has a smoother finish to it once resined, than fleece does...therefor if you have access to the inside of the box/ piece through a hidden MDF panel you can build up on the inside of the pice with chop mat and not have to worry about too much final prep work on the front of the piece, you may be able to throw on a layer of rage gold and sand and prime..

bah dumb no edit function....

anyway....the other really good benefit of grill cloth is that because it is thin and does absorb less resin it tends to sag less once wet out...therefore you dont need as many ribs in your armature (framework) and your curves are more precise and controlable/ predictable...fleece tends to sag a lot once wet out, and can really change the way it looks prior to being wet out...either that or you need more support ribs on the inside...these however add unwanted weight aswell...

though fleece was a nice idea i would try to aviod it...use grill cloth or a similar product....

i went to fabric land and bought this stuff that is almost identical to grill cloth..it is just a thin and just as stretchy but it only cost me a $1.oo a sq meter where grill cloth can cost upwards of 4 and 5 bucks a sq meter.. shop around...i dont think materials like spandex will take resin and it is far too stretchy anyway....basically go to a fabric store find the fleece section, tug on it for a bit then continue through the store tug on materials till you find one that is both dirt cheap and just as stretchy...i will look futher into what material i bought and post its name up...i think i actually got mine at Wallmart.

crazyoldcougar wrote:

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bah dumb no edit function....

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https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=32446&PN=1

the12volt • Support the12volt.com

LOL, Hey Cougar, hows that for a "EDIT" hint? 

Just a small addition, polyester resin does not saturate well with spandex being its largely partial rubbery threads and other like components.

Take from https://pubs.acs.org/cen/index.html but go here: https://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7707scitek4.html to see this --->  A sensationally bizarre polyurethane, spandex is a long-chain synthetic polymeric fiber. Soft and rubbery segments of polyester or polyether polyols allow the fiber to stretch up to 600% and then recover to its original shape. Hard segments, usually urethanes or urethane-ureas, provide rigidity and so impart tensile strength and limit plastic flow.

Other fabrics that are good for different kinds of fabrication because of thier varying properties are Pique Knit, Polar Fleece, Felt Fleece, which are all made of polyester thierselves, therefore absorbes polyester resins best. 

What the crap?!  Sorry, this posting is for Duraglass!  Lets talk about Duraglass.

well i guess i need to do some serious post wh**in to get my edit function then...lol

i had assumed it was something like that...and i wasnt too worried, but thanx for clearin it up for me...

i didnt think the spandex would even take the resin i assumed it would eat the rubbery portions of it...the material i have is polyester based...

and yeah hotaccord....i have learned a boat load from the alpine pictures...they do say a thousand words...

**Hijack Alert** the only thing i cant figure ou tis how they seemlessly attach there insert panels and access panels..

Dont know about the Alpine car...the "X5" is it?   I have been using small amounts of epoxy to adhere components and panels to dashes, A-pillars, and overheads, and like.  On occasions, some customers have asked certain panels be removable so OEM panel plugs, Velcro, rubber cement, keyed screws, and button locks have been the requests made.  Other panels that are upholstered and inset, just like the X5's dash speaker covers that they claim will be covered in suede, those type of parts I have been using varying beads of epoxy.  Wonder if they spend so much time to make those panels so precise that they are press fit?  They are only show cars, so they only have to look good, not so much as reliable.

Took a minute from the shop and started hackin.....here ya go...

https://www.alpine-usa.com/news/events/demo_cars/05_x5/install/1304.htm 

The result of the mold is a fiberglass piece with a layer of primer already in place, making the final finishing much easier. 3M's Panel Bonding Adhesive is being used to attach the side skirt to the car. That is the statement with their photo.  I bet 3M is all they use, eh?