This is just going to be a general posting about howto use Fibreglass, and polyester resins. I may do DIY articles about fibreglassing bumpers, interior parts/gauge pods, stereo enclousures.
Please try todo fibreglassing on scrap parts, you need to get some practice before trying a final product.
Materials
*Polyester resin
*Hardener
*1 ounce mat
*2 ounce mat
*1" to 2" fibreglass roller
*Mineral spirits (to clean brushes, rollers, knives, ect)
Rubber gloves, cause you don't want that crap getting on you
mixing stick
cheap dollar store brushes (not poly bristles, they will melt with the resin)
a couple plastic pails (todo mixing, and put the cleaners in)
table (covered with crappy cardboard)
Box cutting knife
Scissors
Other things you might need
*Mold release wax
*Gelcoat
*PVA
*Bigger rollers
DO ALL FIBREGLASSING OUTSIDE, OR IN A WELL VENTILATED AREA
Keep in mind, fibreglassing is EXTREMELY messy, so anything you use, make sure it isn't something you will need later, or your g/f's stuff, or parents, or good stuff, cause you will destroy it.
All the marked items you need to get at a specific place, you might be able to get all of them at Canadian Tire, but if you want to pay through the ass, I would go somewhere else. I use a company called Composites Canada, formerly Fibreglass Factory Outlet. They are located in Mississauga, check them out
Method
Mostly it depends on what you are going to fibreglass, but for small things I would use the 1 ounce weight fibreglass. For big things like a bodykit, I would use 2 ounce. Also if you are going to making a mold, you will need the other things, the gel coat, PVA, and mold release wax.
Follow the instructions on howto mix the resin with the hardener, but the way I usually do it is by putting the resin into the pail, adding a few squirts of hardener and stiring. You will know that you did it right, because after 10-20 seconds of mixing the mixture will change colour slightly, from a off light green colour, to a off light brown colour.
Now this part you will need to get used to, and develop a way of doing the glassing yourself. I can tell you how I do it, but you will need to practice and find a way that you feel comfortable with.
I start by cutting up pieces of mat fibreglass, depending on the size, ranging from 3" square to 12" sqaure. Put them on the cardboard, and spread on the epoxy resin with the brush, soaking right into the fibreglass mat till it is almost see through. Put these soaked peices of fibreglass mat on whatever it is you are building, roll out the bubbles with the roller, and the paint brush
Now let the fibreglass cure, as it is drying, you can trim off the excess, because once it dries you will need a jigsaw, or grinder to clean up the edges.
I will post up later what kind of methods you will need to use for different kinds of glassing situations. Right now you have the basics on mixing and applying fibreglass to work with.
Jer