crazy fiberglass idea

[Jim Poor]

Ok, here's my crazy idea, and I'm looking for anyone who has tried it or thinks it can/can't be done.

I've got a REAL good wing that is an EPP foamie. I love the airfoil (don't ask me what kind, it's a scratch build and I didn't do it). But I have been toying with the idea of building a fiberlglass version of the same wing. I'm looking for ideas on how to make a mold from the wing I've got, or just coat the thing with gel coat or what. Has anyone done this?

[Ollie]

Yes, the process has been documented in a fearure article in Soar Tech 10 (available from Carstens publications) and in an instructional video from Soaring Stuff. See:
http://www.carstens-publications.com/
http://www.soaringstuff.com/hollow.html
It is expensive, difficult and the results are no better than the plug used to make the mold.

[HELModels]

porterj,
I just made a fuselage mold recently. First attempt and it worked, but far from perfection. yes, it cost some. I bought a kit full of West Systems resin, hardener, chavant clay, brushes, mylar, fiberglass cloth, coremat(strengthens the mold), graphite powder, release, wax... I got it from cstsales.com. The plug took a long time to make and I coated it with resin and sanded smooth before attempting the mold. Basically, you coat your plug(object to be molded) with wax and release, make a parting surface, and then coat with graphite resin mix, and then fiberglass and coremat on top. If I were molding a wing, I would put a very thin (0.5 oz. cloth)layer of fiberglass over the wing so that the wax went on a smooth nonpourous surface. The tricky part would probably be making a nice parting surface for the mold halves. The more you fiddle with that stuff, the more clever you get at working with it.

You think and then you build!:)