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Fiberglass 101, Vacuum Bagging Part 1: Preparation
Text and photos by Barry C. Forrest.
| By now you've been experimenting with fiberglass and are now ready to advance to another level. I was at this same point and decided to look into vacuum bagging. The "Bagging" process is described as this. Fiberglass the workpiece as normal and then slip into a specially prepared bag set up that allows you to apply a vacuum. This vacuum intern forces pressure on all surfaces of the part. All excess resin from the part is drawn away and the glass is conformed to all the contours of the workpiece making a lightweight and strong component. I decided to try this process on the plywood fins that are for the Public Enemy Bull Pup that was laminated in the Fiberglass 101 section. | |
| I first prepared the fins by sanding with 100 grit sanpaper followed by wiping them off with acetone or alcohol. This is to remove the sanding dust and skin oil from handling. |
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I have a basic small workshop area and since I have a fairly large air compressor (3hp 40 gallon tank) that can handle continuous running for a few hours, I only needed a vacuum generator, bag hookup, and the bagging materials.
The parts needed are: |
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| All of this can be ordered from Fiberglast, West Marine, or Aircraft-Spruce. (West Marine has a beginner setup for about $125 which includes a cheap vacuum generator) | |
| Measure and cut the fiberglass to be slightly larger than your workpiece so that it will form to it once under vacuum. The fiberglass used here is 1 layer of 3.25 oz "crowfoot" weave. Set it aside on newspaper so you can easily apply to the workpiece once you've applied the resin. |
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