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How to Join Fiberglass

Jay Kurz

Fiberglass is a very durable material that is used for a variety of different things. Many large parts that are built with fiberglass are made up of multiple sections that are welded together to make a whole. The process of welding fiberglass is used to join fiberglass together or repair damaged fiberglass.

Once fiberglass is applied on top of another piece of fiberglass, or over a seam, it becomes one solid piece of fiberglass. All fiberglass supplies that will be used for welding fiberglass can be found at your local marine supply store.

Tip

Keep the piece still and secured while the weld is hardening because the heat from the weld will soften the glue slightly.

Warning

Always wear a respirator when working with fiberglass.

  1. Connect the pieces of fiberglass that you are joining together and hot glue the seam. Put on a respirator and lightly grind the seam and 8 inches on each side of the seam using a grinder. Blow off all the dust and prop the piece up so the entire seam is accessible.

  2. Determine how thick the walls of the fiberglass you are connecting is and make your weld the same thickness using fiberglass mat. Make every two layers 2 inches bigger than the last so the edges of the weld tapers off and doesn't form ledges when it hardens. If the seam is large make each weld no longer than 2 feet, any longer and it will be harder to work with.

  3. Put on a pair of rubber gloves and mix a small bucket of polyester resin with two percent catalyst. Thoroughly mix the two together using a paint stir. Lay a piece of scrap cardboard on a table that is at least one foot longer and wider than your welds are. Dip a 4-inch felt roller into the resin and roll it onto the cardboard to wet it out. Lay the widest layer of mat onto the cardboard and saturate the layer of mat with resin using the felt roller. Continue the same process adding the layers from largest to smallest keeping each layer centered until you have all the layers sandwiched into one weld.

  4. Pick the weld up from the cardboard and carefully lay it onto the seam with the seam perfectly centered under the weld. Roll the entire weld with an air roller, which is a metal hand held roller that can be found anywhere fiberglass supplies are sold, to remove all the trapped air and flatten the weld out. Add the rest of the welds following the same process until the entire seam is welded with fiberglass. Let the fiberglass harden for a few hours and then sand the weld smooth using 100 grit sandpaper.

The Drip Cap

  • Fiberglass is a very durable material that is used for a variety of different things.
  • Once fiberglass is applied on top of another piece of fiberglass, or over a seam, it becomes one solid piece of fiberglass.
  • All fiberglass supplies that will be used for welding fiberglass can be found at your local marine supply store.
  • Determine how thick the walls of the fiberglass you are connecting is and make your weld the same thickness using fiberglass mat.
  • Dip a 4-inch felt roller into the resin and roll it onto the cardboard to wet it out.