Fiberglassing during winter
Printed From: the12volt.com
Forum Name: Fiberglass, Fabrication, and Interiors
Forum Discription: Fiberglass Kick Panels, Subwoofer Enclosures, Plexiglas, Fabrics, Materials, Finishes, etc.
URL: https://www.the12volt.com/installbay/forum_posts.asp?tid=86998
Printed Date: May 03, 2024 at 4:20 PM
Topic: Fiberglassing during winter
Posted By: onelewdh22
Subject: Fiberglassing during winter
Date Posted: December 10, 2006 at 11:36 PM
Hey yall, i'm a intermediate fiberglasser here that was wondering how you guys fiberglass during the winter (i live in the midwest) that don't have a facility to go to. I'm about to make a fiberglass "oven" i read about in a car audio & electronics mag and have a small ghetto bathroom in the basement to do it. But i was seeing what it would take to seal it off from fumes? It's already got an old school bathroom fan t hat blows out into the garage. I'll prolly need another one too. let me know! Richard
Replies:
Posted By: TREVDAWG
Date Posted: December 12, 2006 at 2:29 AM
I have seen people ask this before in the past, and they say not to do it b/c of the weather and water or air might get stuck inbetween the layers. Some people said it is just better to wait till it gets nicer out. But I am in a suburb of chicago and did my first fiberglass project last winter right after x-mas. I had a heater going in the garage and had the temp up to about 55 or 60 for a while. But then I let it sit for about a week just to make sure it was fully dried. I did my first layer or 2 like that but put more layers on as it warmed up. The thing is fine today.
Posted By: M&mfabrications
Date Posted: December 12, 2006 at 3:35 PM
It will take longer for the resin to cure but I have fiberglassed in the cold with no ill effects.
Posted By: M&mfabrications
Date Posted: December 12, 2006 at 3:35 PM
It will take longer for the resin to cure but I have fiberglassed in the cold with no ill effects.
Posted By: sprawl85
Date Posted: December 12, 2006 at 10:19 PM
and the resin will be thicker and it will be harder to wet the mat correctly. I hate working with glass in the winter.
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fiberglass reminds me of peanut brittle... but fiberglass tastes better!
Posted By: layzboy
Date Posted: December 13, 2006 at 1:15 AM
There isn't really anything wrong with fiberglassing in the winter other than the cure time of the resin. The whole point of that article in Car Audio was to provide people with a way to cure their projects in the normal cure time (and evenly). You don't want to just point a heater at your project because you run the risk of warping, and inconsistant curing. The idea of that box was to keep the entire enclosed space at the same temperature, simulating a tropical shop basically. You should have little to no problem glassing in a cold garage in the winter, your project should just take longer to cure. You could always mix your resin a little hotter (slightly more hardener to resin ratio), just be aware that if you apply multiple layers at a time that heat will build up very quickly. As far as fumes go, I would say a fan is your best bet, but I'd recommend just learning to love it:)
Posted By: ricoshay
Date Posted: December 15, 2006 at 9:01 AM
u should be fine with just the fan/bathroom. But i would maybe put a dryer hose on the garage side of the fan or something to prevent coating everything in the garage with dus and the smell.
Posted By: onelewdh22
Date Posted: December 27, 2006 at 12:58 AM
kewl thanks guys! i'll let you know how everything turns out. if there's any tips or tricks anyones got that normall fiberglasses in the winter let me know. R3D
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