Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2005 13:08:35 -0600
Reply-To: Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Stan Wilder <wilden1-1@SBCGLOBAL.NET>
Subject: Re: ADVENTUREWAGEN molds - further update
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Saving the adventure van molds sounds like a noble effort.
I have some experience with producing large fiberglass parts and the molds
must be in perfect condition.
By perfect condition you must remember that every flaw will transfer to the
part you're building.
The molds must be restored with special molding gel coat and polished out to
a mirror finish.
That mirror finish must then be prepared with mold release.
The next move is to build a part.
With a part that size it's going to be some kind of real race to get it gel
coated and a light layer of chopped or laid up fabric in before you start
requiring multiple batches of resin mix.
In the process of applying chopped or laid up fabric you have to be careful
of making it too thick and burning your mold or drying (curing) too fast and
shrinking enough to draw your gel coat.
In building parts that require near perfect appearance, it is not uncommon
for shops to defect as much as 50% of the parts they produce. That number
substantially decreases as you gain experience or get your equipment tweaked
and your personnel trained.
You can test this by visiting a shop that makes fiberglass shower stalls,
tubs etc. They never seem to run out of factory seconds to sell of the
building supplies surplus stores.
Giant parts like swimming pools will often have several repairs to them
before they're ever installed for the first time.
You fellows are getting yourselves into a barrel of snakes with very little
potential of anything but owning a few parts that might fit best in a VW
museum someplace.
To caq that off the part needs to be shipped on the van it would be
installed on.
Meaning that the potential buyer must come to you to leave with your new
part.
Consider the freight on a 7 foot X 16 foot X 4 foot heavy wood crate with a
NO STACK designation.
We bought a California built inboard hydroplane and had it shipped to
Louisanna ........... the freight was 50% of the cost.
Stan Wilder
Engine Ceramics
214-352-4931
www.engineceramics.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Gary Lee, Vanagon Racks" <gary2a@TELUS.NET>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Sunday, February 06, 2005 10:47 AM
Subject: Re: ADVENTUREWAGEN molds - further update
> >The aw top that's on my van was made from a combination of both hand
> >lay-up and chop mat. I've work in fiberglass kayak building and some
> >boat building. In Sea Kayaks this can be a common method for
> >production. Chop mat does have it's advantages over hand lay but if you
> >were going to take your time I would agree with Gary and lay the whole
> >thing up with cloth.
>
> It's probably semantics, but someone mentioned using a chopper gun with
> compressed air to spray in the glass fiber and resin mix.
> By hand lay up, I was thinking in terms of a glass cloth and mat laminate.
> So hand laying the mat fabric. A layer of mat, then a layer of cloth, then
a
> layer of mat etc. The mat fabric looks liked chopped up strands of fibers
> pressed together. Kind of like oriented strand board used as sheathing in
> house construction.
> I doubt any Kayaks are made using a chopper gun, too much weight and less
> rigid. Shower stalls are chopper gun.
>
> I wonder if the original AW tops are chopper gun or hand lay-up?
> Chopper gun looks rougher and more inconsistent. Hand lay-up is smoother
as
> it is rolled out.
> I assume the AW inside liner is thin and light, this would suggest hand
> lay-up.
>
> Gary Lee
> http://www.telusplanet.net/public/gary2a/vw.htm
>
>
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