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Glass cloth will not take
to sharp corners, so I filled
these with a mixture of resin,
chopped strands and a thickening
agent. A generous
layer of this mixture will prevent
any cloth from showing
through. It also helps to flatten
out any irregularities in
the compound. Use only aircraft-grade
epoxy; it's much
easier to work with and it
leads to better results.
Immediately following
the resin/fiber mixture,
I applied the layers of glass
cloth that would form the
mold. I try to minimize the
amount of resin; the cloth
reaches its maximum
strength once it's completely
soaked. Any excess resin
only adds weight. The first
layer of cloth can be laid on
the mixture with almost no
resin at all. I added subsequent
layers of cloth until it formed a rigid mold. For small items like
this, I stick to a wall thickness of %2 to % inch; this requires approximately
five layers of 1 -ounce cloth. I always let the cloth cover a fairly
wide area (about 1 inch) around the plug, as the second half will be
formed against this and will require trimming after the moldings have
cured. This photo shows the final stage of the first half of the mold.
|=| When the first half
had fully hardened,
began the second half
of the molding. Never
remove the molding
from the support or the
first half of the molding
from the plug in the
early stages; patience
is the key to this
process! I carefully
removed the blade from the support and cleaned off any excess
clay. This photo shows part of the newly formed flange in black,
with all of the clay still stuck to the blade and flange. Thanks to
the release agents, it was easy to remove.
Next, I used a Dremel saw to cut
off any excess cloth. To ensure a
proper fit, I drilled some 1/8-inch
blind holes into the flange,
spaced about 3 inches apart.
This will act as a lock when forming
the second half of the mold.
Commercial pins are available as
well, but for small items like
these, I generally stick to this
method. Once again, I liberally
treated the plug and flange with
release agents before moving
on to the next step.
l For the second side
of the molding, I
simply repeated all of the
previous steps. Here, I've
just applied the glass cloth
to the molding compound
to begin forming the second
half of the mold.
When they were fully
cured, I drilled the
moldings through while
they were still attached
to the plug; this ensures
maximum accuracy.
I then trimmed off the
excess cloth and
separated both halves
from the plug. For the
first splitting, I normally
use some warm water
to dissolve the PVA; an old credit card carefully placed in between
the flanges can also be beneficial. Never use metal tools or brute
force! Usually, the plug just falls off. In this photo, I had just
removed the two halves from the plug.
Because you must close the mold while the cloth is still
wet, it is essential that the cloth fit the molding exactly.
Pictured here are two layers of 0.4-ounce cloth together
with a non-woven surface cloth. The black shoelace is, in fact,
carbon roving, which I later laid around the blade's perimeter.
Making the actual
prop is basically
just a variation of
the molding
process, beginning
with the application
of the wax and
PVA; the primary
distinction is in the
outside coating.
Though gelcoat is the most common choice, you can also use a
good quality epoxy-based paint. I brushed on two coats of yellow
Hobby Poxy. Once it had hardened to the point that it was sticky, I
brushed in some slightly thickened resin.
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