plexiglass

[Mr Lefty]

Originally Posted by MikeSP1

Cutting and bending isn't problem, and when I'm working with my hands, I've got all the patience in the world. So pretty much a dremel and a hair drier?

I was thinking plexi because I need something to use as a template in order to build a mold. The final product(s) with be from either fiberglass or carbon fiber.

you wanna build a mold... use cardboard and styrophome... that spray expanding foam is awesome for this.


the thing is you can make a sphere with fiberglass... you can't with plexy. you can make it round as in in a cylinder but not sphere... as you'd have folds and shit.

save yourself the trouble...get cardboard and spray foam... it's what I used when doing fiberglass for car stereo installs before I came in the military.

as far as I know it's what they're still using now

[MikeSP1]

Originally Posted by ebbs15

you wanna build a mold... use cardboard and styrophome... that spray expanding foam is awesome for this.


the thing is you can make a sphere with fiberglass... you can't with plexy. you can make it round as in in a cylinder but not sphere... as you'd have folds and shit.

save yourself the trouble...get cardboard and spray foam... it's what I used when doing fiberglass for car stereo installs before I came in the military.

as far as I know it's what they're still using now

Cardboard for the base and basic outline and then spray the shit out of it with great stuff (far away from the bike of course and on only one side) and then just shape it the way I want? That sounds pretty simple.

[Mr Lefty]

yup

[MikeSP1]

Originally Posted by ebbs15

yup

Sweet, that sounds one hell of a lot easier than what I was thinking. Thanks a lot. Cool thing is that the Homac (a Japanese WalMart) opens in 30 min.

[Mr Lefty]

nice... yeah it'll be easy... and if you fuck up... quick to start over!

get some sand paper to help shape it

[MikeSP1]

Originally Posted by ebbs15

nice... yeah it'll be easy... and if you fuck up... quick to start over!

get some sand paper to help shape it

I've got cardboard and a box cutter, I need spray foam and sand paper for now. This'll be a lot easier than what I was thinking 'cause I'll probably screw this up at least once. Thanks

[Mr Lefty]

lol I used to make at least 4 molds before I got one right

just remember that spray foam expands with alot of pressure... so very little is needed


I was help'n a buddy put in a window in his adac and he got some spray foam for around the window... neither of us had ever used it so we sprayed alot to fill it up... it started spilling out but we cleaned it up... 2 mins later... the window went fly'n out, and down 3 stories down to the ground... crazy shit.

[MikeSP1]

Originally Posted by ebbs15

lol I used to make at least 4 molds before I got one right

just remember that spray foam expands with alot of pressure... so very little is needed


I was help'n a buddy put in a window in his adac and he got some spray foam for around the window... neither of us had ever used it so we sprayed alot to fill it up... it started spilling out but we cleaned it up... 2 mins later... the window went fly'n out, and down 3 stories down to the ground... crazy shit.

Nice, I'll keep that in mind

[was92v]

I have done some work with both as a one time parts making experiments. I found about 3/4 of a stock car windshield laying in the road where it had fallen out of a truck. It was lexan and still had the protective paper on the plastic. It will bend pretty easy with heat. I made a seat and tail for a 350 drag bike out of it. The paint looked great. I painted it inside out, like a clear slot car body for those on here old enough to remember such things. Decals, then top candy, then base, etc.. on the inside so it had a 1/4 inch of clear (lexan) on the outside.

[was92v]

The next year I made a one piece lift off body out of aluminum screen and fiberglass "boat repair kits" from the Ace hardware. It didn't look all that great but it worked.
Actually the bike looked better to me without any body work.