[aerohead]

Apologize for late catchup,been very absorbed with the trailer project.Al Glidewell helped me load photos from the camera of the mold making and fiberglass wet layups for the square-tube axle fairing.-------------- I never know how the sequence of photos will come out when I submit them from photoshop.-------------- I'm no professional and hope the images provide some useful visual info.----------- In "school" we used very expensive tooling epoxies,special tooling plasters and hemp bird's nests to create a durable plastic-faced plaster splash,good for a few parts if carefully maintained.This mold cost maybe $3.00,for a 5-inch by 25-inch part about 1-inch deep.Some of the components are recyclable.--------------- A review of the photos show the original aluminum strut"pattern,male-mold,styling-buck" recessed into rigid foam insulation board atop a foam rubber pad,gaps taped with HVAC aluminum tape,surrounded by a clamped-on dam,coated with Vaseline,and covered with sand-mix concrete,including a hardware-cloth reinforcement embedded within the matrix.--------------- After an overnight cure,the "styling-buck,male-mold" is released,leaving the female "mold".------------ With 3 applications of carnuba wax,preferably followed with a spray coat of polyvinyl alcohol ( PVA ),the mold is ready for layups.Since I lacked the vibrator,as used in concrete countertop-making,I ended up with air voids.These could have been filled although I elected to just skin the whole face of the mold with aluminum tape and use this surface to cast against.----------------- The photos take you through an entire layup,with 2-cloth/1-mat plus 3-ounces of polyester resin+ MEK peroxide catalyst per part.------------ I made no attempt to vacuum bag,I just rolled the fabrics with the serrated roller designed for this activity and squeegied any excess resin.I let the parts cure overnight,and without PVA,I got good releases each time.---------------- Any part could be made in this way once a "master" pattern were available.Reproduction parts can be made by casting a mold directly off an existing structure,EXAMPLE: there is a Porsche 356 kit car that was developed this way.------------- Hope the info helps.I'll try and revisit the thread from time to time in case questions emerge.Happy fabricati!ng