Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
I'm pretty good with my hands, but my first attempt with fiberglass was a disaster. I spent about $150 in materials to make a mold of a kitchen sink, and had nothing but problems. Problems with bubbles, problems with getting the glass to conform to the contour of the sink, problems with the epoxy setting up too quickly, problems with the glass wanting to stick to my hands more than the sink, problems getting the PVA to coat uniformly, etc..
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With chopped strand mat? Fibreglass cloth is much easier to drape over complex surfaces. Two layers offset at 45 degrees are necessary if you want ~anisotropic properties.
Perhaps it's worth some indication of how much weight is in doors to be saved. On a 1400kg 4-door car I have weighed the empty door shells: 20kg front; 18kg rear.
In terms of safety, a foam filled, double skinned door in composite could be pretty good I think. I'm undecided about the value of a - triangular - tube frame inside the door linking the hinges and door latch.
This is my favourite How To series on making composite panels using a steel panel as the pattern: