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Where can I learn to mold fiberglass for a cabinet build?

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vivificus:
Hello there,

I'm a new guy to these boards and a long time stalker...err lurker. I'm wondering if anyone on here has experience working with some sort of plastic or fiberglass which can be molded into a shape or better yet teach me hold to get a similar effect out of MDF, putty and a lot of sandpaper. I'm researching for materials to give me a better idea of my limitations for my cockpit cabinet I'm thinking of doing. Thanks in advanced to anyone who can point me in the right direction. :cheers:

BobA:
Read Ond's thread about his futuristic retro cab to see a master fiberglass worker in action.

Ond's Cab

Vigo:
There is an 8 part video on youtube on the method of molding fiberglass:

This is the link to part 1 of 8
http://www.youtube.com/user/fibreglast#p/u/25/FCivvXA2FVU

vivificus:
Yeah, I had a look at some videos on youtube about fibre glassing and they were all pretty informative until a point; where molds are concerned, I'm still not sure how to make a mold for the shapes I desire. Maybe I just need to keep looking around, I'm sure I'll get the information I need! Thanks for the help guys and Ond's cab is all kind's of awesome!

TopJimmyCooks:
Are you copying a cabinet or making molds from scratch?

if you're copying, making the first reverse form is done on the actual original part.  this is typically called splashing and the splashed mold is single use.  Then, you use the splash to make a positive part and hang/mount that over a metal or wood frame called a buck to keep the shape right.  Then, off of that buck/positive you make your real mold.  It is very thick and heavy fiberglas, with flanges to allow bolting multiple parts together if you have to have seams (so you can get them off your workpiece by taking them apart) and sometimes with metal supports glassed in if it's big enough to not be self supporting.  Tooling up for production in this way is big bucks and you need guns to spray gel coat, and it will go a lot faster if you have a chopper gun so you're not hand laying all the fabric. 

If you're going from scratch, do it like Ond did- or Arcadefan on his hated computer space machine - and make a wood, metal wire, whatever form, stretch fleece, build up with hand layed fiber, then spray your top surfacer/gel, etc. 

USE PROTECTION.  Don't skimp, long sleeves, respirator, etc.  Good luck.  this should give you some intro so you can find further vids, tutorials, etc.

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