Air Powered Fiberglass Chopper Gun

An air powered chopper gun cuts gun roving to length and throws the chopped strand where you point it, so a glass layer goes down as fast as you can sweep the gun instead of piece by piece with cut mat. Reach for it on broad shapes: open molds, tubs, tanks, hull and deck sections, and repairs too wide to work with hand-cut mat.

Choosing a chop length

Strand length sets anywhere from 1/4 in to 3 in. Short chop follows tight corners and small radii; longer strand suits wide, open panels. Because it runs on shop air, there is no motor or cord anywhere near the resin, and the handheld body reaches down inside a mold and up onto vertical faces.

Before you start

Roll out every pass while the resin is still wet. Chop that never gets consolidated cures as a thick, dry layer that will let go later. Chopping puts glass fiber in the air, so wear a fitted respirator and run extraction.

• Power: air (pneumatic)
• Chop length: adjustable, 1/4 in to 3 in
• Feed: standard gun roving spools, not included
• Handheld, works inside molds and on vertical surfaces
• Jobs: boat building, mold making, field repairs and automotive composites