From: RWolf99@aol.com
Message-ID: <73.492a6e8.268bb6d3@aol.com>
Date: Wed, 28 Jun 2000 16:15:15 EDT
Subject: Cutting Table Surface & Workshop Tips
To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
Reply-To: lancair.list@olsusa.com
Mime-Version: 1.0

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I cut my fiberglass on a piece of masonite, rather than formica. Eventually 
you may have to replace the masonite, but that's cheap.  Use the pizza roller 
cutter -- the plastic handled cutter is okay.  Have a sharp pair of scissors 
available, too, for little cuts.  By the way, don't EVER get epoxy near your 
fiberglass cutting table, or near your fiberglass cutting tools.  

I am working in a garage that is smaller than desired.  (I mean, it's smaller 
than a basketball court, okay?)  It's a big job for me to cut fiberglass, 
since I have to clean off a worktable, put my masonite sheet on it, roll out 
and cut the fiberglass.  I envy you guys that can dedicate an entire table 
area to a roll of fiberglass.

To make life easier, I cut a bunch of fiberglass strips at once and save them 
for later.  I fill up a 14 x 24 inch plastic bag (more on this later) with 
about 20 sheets of fiberglass, which are cut on the bias so that the fibers 
are 45 degrees to the edges of the sheets, which each measure about 13 x 22 
inches.  In this process I get some odd pieces, such as triangles with 
selvage and an occasional smaller rectangle.  Save these, too, since they 
come in handy for small jobs.

The plastic bags I use are 4 mil polyethylene, 14 x 24 inches.  The come in 
boxes of several hundred for a small amount -- I forget, but I think it's 
about $20.  Last time I bought a box was two gallons of epoxy ago, and 
there's about a third left.  Draw your outline for the finished BID tape with 
a Sharpie marker on the outside of a bag.  Slice the edge of the bag so you 
can lay it open.  Place the opened  bag on a different piece of masonite, 
which will get sticky and yucky over time.  Take some precut fiberglass from 
your shelf and trim to approximate size -- get only as many layers as you 
need.  You can lay the clean dry fiberglass on the clean inner surface of the 
bag, squeegee the epoxy on the other clean inner surface (you get clear bags 
so you can see the Sharpie marker outline on the outside), and plop the 
fiberglass over the Sharpie marked outline.  As the fiberglass wets out, it 
becomes transparent so you can see the outline.  Repeat as needed until you 
run out of fiberglass.  (You put the right amount on the dry side, right?  
Don't put out more than you need hoping to count plies -- it doesn't work.)  
When finished, you can drape the clean dry side of the bag onto the wet side 
-- sorta rebuilding the bag -- and squish the excess epoxy out.  Then you cut 
the ensemble with the metal pizza roller.  This is where the piece of 
masonite is handy -- it keeps the blade sharp and your table clean.  Peel off 
both sheets of plastic.  When you're done, just lean the masonite up against 
the wall to cure, sticky side in.  Use the metal pizza roller from Lancair 
for cutting wet glass, and store it in a jar containing methylene chloride 
after you finish the layup, but before the fiberglass sets up.

Obviously this only works for BID tapes that are less than 22 inches long, 
but most of them are.  Otherwise, use two bags.  My first attempt at this was 
using Glad wrap from the grocery store.  That stuff was way too thin and made 
a mess.  4 mil plastic is good.  You can buy rolls of it at the hardware 
store, but I find the bags to be more convenient.

My shop has only a tiny area that gets sticky.  That's the area where I 
measure out my epoxy.  The workbenches and layup tables stay clean because of 
the masonite.

Another thing I do is use 1 liter Nalgene bottles (wide mouth) to hold flox 
and microballoons.  Once in a while I make a huge mess and refill the bottles 
from the double-plastic-bag supply, but generally I just pour out 
microbaloons or spoon out flox as needed.

If you've got any tips like this, please pass them on.  I'm sure I haven't 
thought of everything!

- Rob Wolf
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