Fun With Fiberglass and Composites

Not only fun, but skills that the home shop enthusiast shouldn't be without.

It seems that most of the shop techniques we've written about so far in this blog have been related to metalworking. We love welding, machining and fabricating with metal, but we can't imagine calling ourselves master craftsmen if we don't have some good skills for working with composites. The word composite as used in this article refers to materials built up with reinforcing fibers and a binding agent, like fiberglass. Fiberglass is the most popular of the composite materials for use in the shop. Once a few basic techniques are mastered, fiberglass becomes one of the most versatile materials available to the home shop enthusiast.

Building Your Kevlar Canoe: A Foolproof Method and Three Foolproof Designs

So what are composites exactly? In most cases they are reinforcing fibers embedded in a plastic resin. The resin usually starts out as a liquid which is combined with the reinforcing material and a a precise amount of a hardening agent. The reinforcing material be in the form of loose fibers, mats of short fibers, and/or woven cloth. The result is a very workable material that can be hand shaped, laid into a form, or draped over an existing object. The shapes and types of objects that can be made with composites or assemblies of composite components is almost limitless. Once the composite material is cured it can be cut, sawn, drilled and sanded to make finished objects.

An example of resin and cloth construction could be that of a boat hull, made out of another material like wood, which is then covered with fiberglass cloth and resin, which forms a waterproof skin and which may contribute some strength to the overall structure. A number of small aircraft designs consist of foam cores that are covered with glass-fiber cloth and resin. In this case the fiberglass skin provides almost all of the structural strength of the aircraft. A mass produced car, the Chevrolet Corvette, was for many years made with body panels of fiber reinforced plastic.

Glass is not the only fiber used to make composites. High tech fibers like Kevlar and carbon-fiber are also used where either super strength or very light weights are called for. Composite technology is making advances into areas where other materials have long been used. Large commercial ship and aircraft builders are increasingly turning to composites to build stronger, lighter, faster and more fuel efficient vehicles. Consider for example the New Boeing 787 Dreamliner, a 300 passenger commercial airliner. It has an all composite fuselage. Even the U.S. Navy has designs on the table for warships that will have superstructures made largely of composites.

For the home shop enthusiast an introduction to working with composites could be a simple as using fiberglass putty and/or matting to restore rusted automobile body panels. A great project for composite beginners could also be building a canoe or kayak. There are many plans and even parts kits available for small boats. Automotive enthusiasts can also find simple projects that can teach the principals of composite construction. Learning by doing is what we stress here at ShopKulture/Wrenchtech.

Some good videos that teach the fundamentals are available from FiberGlast Developements. These videos can be purchased directly from FiberGlast or through Amazon.com. They can also be rented from Smartflix.com. Small amounts of resin, fiberglass mat and cloth can be purchased from home stores like Home Depot and Lowes. Larger amounts of materials can be ordered from FiberGlast or FiberglassSite.com

Here are some links to resources for the composite construction:

FiberGlast Developments
EpoxyWorks Magazine
West System
West System Techniques & Materials
FiberglassSite.com, Discount Fiberglass Products