Useful links for fibreglass hints and tips.

Extracted from several posts on rvsqn but hopefully useful for reference.

Supplier of parts in UK – Easy Composites for epoxy products (www.easycomposites.co.uk

Pages 28-31 in the RV-14 instructions have some useful info for all RV’s in this respect.

https://www.vansaircraft.com/pdf/revisions/RV-14/RV-14_38.pdf

Also, Scott McDaniels at Van’s has made some videos too – again, RV-14 specific, but plenty useful for others.

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLsHxidYW7eS2bmEfPh-zuZCXn5TXngVlY

Some good discussion on VAF too.

http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=22931

And a low-tech but useful resource that helped me.

http://www.rvpilot.com/Fiberglass/fiberglass.html

“To put some of the stuff on the VAF thread in English …

Use 92110 (https://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/product/163g-twill-weave-glass-cloth-1-mtr-wide) or

92125 (https://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/product/280g-twill-weave-glass-cloth-1-mtr-wide)  glass cloth and cut strips with sharp scissors on the 45 so it drapes better – its not expensive so buy 2 or 3 metres.

West resin is good for this kind of stuff, available from boat chandlers, 105 resin and either 205 or 206 hardener.

I weigh it out on an electric kitchen scale rather than buying their pumps.

Use balloons (micro) as a filler. If thick resin is required use chopped cotton or Aerocell to thicken it.

Use unthickened resin to wet out the cloth.

Rough up the aluminium really well with 60 grip and make the layup on it straight away to avoid oxidation.

Use a few pop rivets to prevent any peel up.

East Coast Fibreglass is a good source of supplies.”

 

“Having Sikaflexed the canopy to the frame I used that to also bond the screen to the foredeck and roll bar and form an internal fillet with the coaming/bar.  When that was set I followed the Vans procedures and the attached info sheet to make the external fillet from “dry micro” and glass layup strips sanded down to various layers of plastic tape.  The LAA composites course was V useful.  I bought the BID fabric, peel ply, fillers etc from Severn Valley Sailplanes and the epoxy, brushes, acetone, pizza cutters etc etc from East Coast Fibreglass Supplies.

Also see http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=82647

I used West Systems epoxy and bought a tub of West black pigment.  I have used perhaps 1/50 of the tub as a little goes a long way.  It is only £8.55 a tub but you can have mine to use and pass on again if you like.”

 

 

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