alexandervdr

I am taking off several layers of paint/fillers etc. Using a combination of chemical paint stripper and paint scraping.

Here and there I have semi-loose strands of fiberglass popping up. Does it make sense to re-coat those areas with polyester resin? Any better solution?

Pop Chevy

Need more info and a pic would be great. Depends how bad it is , you may want to gelcoat it or yes you can just do small spots with resin or you can even use gelcoat with a brush .

67vetteal

Loose Fibre and chemical stripper are a recipe for later problems. The chemical stripper needs to be completely neutralized before any type of sealer is applied. The embedded compounds will create gasses when subject to heat such as sunshine. Bubbles will appear and ruin the paint finish. I've used Vinegar diluted and plenty of clear water as a starting point. Cyanoacrylate glue, (Crazy Glue) at a hobby store, comes in a very runny type that you can use to penetrate deep into the effected area and displaces any air that is deep in the glass. I've repaired hailine cracks with Cyanoacrylate glue successfully. The repairs on my 67 are over 20 years old and still holding. Al W.

needforspeed150

I have a '63 coupe that when I got it it was a mess. Someone had done bad things to the fiberglass when stripping. Many areas had mass problems. I used gel coat and sprayed the body then block sanded it with air finish sander, you could then tell where low spots still were and then respray and the reblock until those low spots were covered. If you use gelcoat you have to clean the top surface before you sand because it uses a wax that comes to the top when it cures and will clog the sandpaper.
Ben

mickatbp

Either way, make sure you use a 'waxed' resin or gelcoat otherwise the outer surface will stay tacky. Flocoat is gelcoat designed to be brushed or sparayed on as the last layer and is waxed so will cure completely. Resin is designed that way to a project can be done over a number of days and the previuos layer will successfully bond to the next. If you use a 'waxed resin' as correctly stated this will float to the top and ensure a completely cured resin. If you use an unwaxed resin or gelcoat this will definitely clog your sand paper. If you have unwaxed resin at home you can use this and either buy some 'Wax in Styrene' to ad to the resin to change it to 'Waxed Resin' or if you can exclude the air from the outer surface this will do the same thing and ensure a completely cured surface.

A question, this Cyanoacrylate glue is that model glue or is it more like superglue? I have some patch panels that I will need to use at some point during my resto and these were out in the weather and are covered in Glass Fur ............ I too was wondering how I was going to tackle this problem. As previously mentioned my intention was to use a glue or resin that will wick right down into the loose strands. I believe there are options available that are used on boats to stop osmosis ............. if that is the correct term under these circumstances.

alexandervdr

I am actually a model hobby guy since decades, and have used more Cyano glue in tiny bottles than most of you burned fuel in C2

Cyano or superglue are different names for the same thing. As was mentioned in one of the earlier replies, the thinnest version can go very deep in the fibers through capillarity effect. To places where the resin won't go.

67vetteal

Large "Furry" areas present another situation that is not hard to deal with. Body Filler is nothing more than Polyester resin that is mixed with a powder such as Talc. You can thin out resin with acetone mix in a little filler add hardening agent and work it in. I'd spray Gelcoat over the reshaped panel and then precoat with epoxy primer for finish coating. Al W.

mickatbp

Is it better to use Acetone or Styrene Monomer to thin out resin? Fact sheet from a supplier: "Styrene Monomer, is the recommended reducer for thinning polyester resins and gel coats. The addition of styrene monomer can reduce physical properties and effect cure times." Acetone on the other hand is a solvent used to clean and disolve uncured resin. "Polyester resins used in the composites industry are made up of three main components, the base resin, styrene monomer and additives".

As another option .......... not that I have tried it but "S249A Surfboard Laminating Resin, Silmar S249A is the primary surfboard laminating resin used by the surfboard manufacturing industry throughout the world. It is low viscosity for easy wet out, cures water white and contains ultra violet inhibitors." The easy wet out and low viscosity are the important factors. I guess if you used this and added some Styrene you'd have to test cure a few sample batches to see what % catalyst is required for it to cure. You'd also want to make sure it was unwaxed otherwise there may be some problems in getting the next layer (or paint etc) to stick.

TRC_RESTO

Chemical stripper is a NO NO on fiberglass , delaminate , or pop the bonding strips . Soda blasting is the best way to go .
Yes , you will need to rebond the panels then V groove the seam and glass the repair .
Make sure you let it cure before priming

DansYellow66

This is too broad a statement to be accepted as gospel. There are different types of chemical strippers and many specifically formulated for fiberglass. Corvette bodies have been stripped with paint strippers for 60 years successfully. Yes, there are some chemical strippers you wouldn't want to use on fiberglass and could cause damage - just as there are many that won't. I stripped mine with Captain Lee's 20 years ago and repainted with lacquer. Still looks like the day it was sprayed and that is saying something with lacquer.