Glassing over plastic

General Composites Discussions Composites Talk
#1

I’m new to the fourm, and to frp in general so let me say hi first. The project I’m working on is a fairing for my Harley that will house a stereo and speakers. I have a plastic fairing that I’m using as a template.

My original plan was to make a plug using expanding foam, make a mold off of that, the VIP the final piece. That’s turning out to be a little too expensive for me at this moment (unempolyed).

So my new plan is to glass over the plastic fairing. What would you recommend for getting resin to bond to the plastic?

Jimmy

#2

I know a lot of people will repair ABS fairings with fiberglass on the inside after scratching up the surface. This only gives you a mechanical bond, but its good enough for a repair… I probably wouldn’t hang my stereo/speakers on just a mechanical bond.

I’ve heard to get a stronger bond you can use some sort of plastic adhesion promoter, but I’ve never done this before.

Honestly what I would probably do is scratch up the fairings lay up your fiberglass, then after the fiberglass has cured, drill holes through the plastic/fiberglass and rivet. You might have rivets showing on the outside of your fairing, but this way you know your stereo/speakers aren’t going to fall off while riding and I think if you do a good job it won’t look that bad anyway.

#3

I get what you are saying, but I should have been more desriptive. The fairing would be a two piece design, an inner and an outer. The inner will be solid glass and support the stereo, speakers and mounting hardware. The outer would only, for the most part, a cowl. The outer would also need some sort of flange or tabs for mechanically, ie screws, attaching the inner and outer together.