{"product_id":"fiberglass-mold-making-kit-small","title":"Fiberglass Mold Making Kit - Small Parts, Tooling Gelcoat + Isophthalic Resin","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe smallest complete path from a part you own to a rigid fiberglass mold you can pull copies from. Tooling gelcoat for the mold face, isophthalic tooling resin for the backup laminate, both release agents, the glass, and the roller and wedges that actually get the mold off the plug.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhat is in the kit\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 quart tooling gelcoat with hardener, no wax, black or orange\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 quart isophthalic polyester tooling resin with 2 oz MEKP\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003ePartall #2 paste wax 12 oz and Partall #10 PVA 16 oz\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e1 yd 0.75 oz veil mat and 1 yd 1.5 oz chopped strand mat, 50\" wide (12.5 sq ft each)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e8 oz fumed silica for filleting internal corners\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWet\/dry sandpaper prep pack for finishing the plug\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e3\/8\" x 1\" fiberglass roller, three 2\" chip brushes, 4 graduated cups, stir sticks, gloves\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e2 oz surfacing wax for the final layer, two 4\" flexible release wedges, instruction card\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe order of operations\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003col\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGet the plug perfect. A mold copies every scratch, so finish and polish first.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eWax it, 3 to 5 coats of Partall #2, buffing between coats.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrush a PVA film over the wax. On a first pull off a new plug, use it.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBrush the tooling gelcoat on at about 20 mil, in two passes. Let it gel to a firm tack.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLay the 0.75 oz veil mat first. It stops the heavy glass printing through to the mold face.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBuild with 1.5 oz mat to about 1\/4 inch, rolling out every layer. Add surfacing wax to the last batch only.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLet it cure hard, then work the wedges around the flange until it releases. Wash the PVA off with warm water.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ol\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe three waxes, because everyone mixes them up\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePartall #2 paste wax\u003c\/strong\u003e is the release barrier. It goes on the plug, 3 to 5 coats, buffed between each.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePartall #10 PVA\u003c\/strong\u003e is not a wax. It is a water-soluble green film brushed or sprayed over the wax as insurance on new plugs and first pulls. It washes off with warm water.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSurfacing wax\u003c\/strong\u003e is an additive you stir into the \u003cem\u003elast\u003c\/em\u003e layer of resin only. Polyester cures tack-free only when air is sealed off it, and that is what the wax floating to the surface does. Put it in an intermediate layer and the next layer will not bond.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy the gelcoat says No Wax:\u003c\/strong\u003e a mold face gets laminated over. Wax at that interface is exactly what you do not want. That is the difference between tooling gelcoat and the waxed gelcoat you would use as a finish coat.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy isophthalic:\u003c\/strong\u003e a mold has to survive repeated exotherm and demoulding without moving. Isophthalic tooling resin shrinks less and holds shape better than the general purpose orthophthalic resin used for parts. It is the right resin for the tool and the wrong resin to save money on.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBuilding something bigger than a hatch cover? Step up to the Standard kit for about 5 square feet or the Pro kit for about 10.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhy chopped strand mat and not 1708\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the most common question in mold building and the answer is not the one people expect.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eChopped strand mat is random-oriented\u003c\/strong\u003e, so it has no grain and prints no pattern through to the mold face. A tool copies itself into every part you ever pull off it, so fibre read on a mold is permanent in a way it never is on a part.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMat conforms.\u003c\/strong\u003e It goes into compound curves and tight radii without bridging. 1708 is a stitched structural biaxial: stiff, prone to bridging in a corner, and its stitch bundles telegraph as the laminate shrinks.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e1708 is a structural fabric\u003c\/strong\u003e, built for directional strength in a part. A mold does not want directional stiffness, it wants dimensional stability and thickness. 1708 also costs nearly twice as much per yard for a job mat does better.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eUse 1708 to repair a transom or lay up a hull. Use mat to build the tool that makes them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFillet your internal corners before you laminate.\u003c\/strong\u003e A sharp inside corner is exactly where glass bridges and traps air, and a void behind the gelcoat becomes a chip on the first pull. Thicken a little resin with the fumed silica into a peanut-butter putty, run a radius into every internal corner, and let the glass follow a curve instead of a crease.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Boat Suppliers","offers":[{"title":"Black Tooling Gelcoat","offer_id":52485088477486,"sku":"SK-MMF001-BK","price":139.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Orange Tooling Gelcoat","offer_id":52485088510254,"sku":"SK-MMF001-OR","price":139.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0840\/4071\/2494\/files\/Boat_Suppliers_Black_Tooling_Gelcoat_with_Hardener_-_1_Quart_Kit_c0973c97-cb8d-4114-9d60-e80d6dd99075.jpg?v=1787279237","url":"https:\/\/boatsuppliers.com\/products\/fiberglass-mold-making-kit-small","provider":"Boat Suppliers","version":"1.0","type":"link"}