Hi Folks
I have recently bought a 7ft fibreglass observatory which came in two
pieces, the dome and the bottom wall section. I managed to get the dome
round the side of the house but the bottom piece was just too bulky and
I had to get the angle grinder out and cut it vertically in two and now
wondering how to get them back together again. As its a fibreglass
observatory I assume I need fibreglass to fix it back again but as the
last bit of fibreglassing (is there such a word?) I did was at school
some ?@! years ago I`m a bit in the dark what to do next, how,where
from etc!!.
Any advice from the group most welcome.
Cheers
Steve

Steve wrote:
Hi Folks
I have recently bought a 7ft fibreglass observatory which came in two
pieces, the dome and the bottom wall section. I managed to get the
dome round the side of the house but the bottom piece was just too
bulky and I had to get the angle grinder out and cut it vertically in
two and now wondering how to get them back together again. As its a
fibreglass observatory I assume I need fibreglass to fix it back
again but as the last bit of fibreglassing (is there such a word?) I
did was at school some ?@! years ago I`m a bit in the dark what to do
next, how,where from etc!!.
Any advice from the group most welcome.
Cheers
Steve

You're not going to get that strenght back just fibreglassing it so I'd
suggest some ally strips pop riveted down the sides inside and outside with
the ally plating.

You can buy fibreglass matting and compound from car accessories shops and
boat building suppliers if you choose to do it that way.

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

In article . com, Steve
wrote:

I had to get the angle grinder out and cut it vertically in two and now
wondering how to get them back together again. As its a fibreglass
observatory I assume I need fibreglass to fix it back again


You have a good bit of work and expense to come.

First, DO NOT BUY the glassfibre kits in the high street. They are over fast
in their going off. Your resin will last two or three minutes in this heat,
about ten in normal temperatures. Purchase some proper resin, matting and
catalyst from a professional company. You will have up to an hour working
time.

Cut lots of aluminium fingers and drill a 4mm hole in each end of the
finger. Get some cellophane and cut long strips that will cover the slot
between parts and some to the sides. If the joint butts accurately, you can
dispense with the cellophane.

Screw the fingers using short self tappers over the cellophane such to cover
the slot and hold the pieces in correct alignment.

Using an angle grinder with a STONE disc, grind out the other side so that
the joint tapers over some reasonable area.

Make up a small amount of resin and paint over the joint. Leave to set and
then do the same again, having made up some extra resin.

Lay a piece of matting onto the wet resin and stipple the resin in as if you
were painting through a template. Short bristles help. Do not use a
"painting" motion. If you are brave, you could lay more pieces of matting,
but make them different sizes. Do not lay too much in one go.

Make sure that all the matting is fully impregnated and rolled out to remove
air bubbles.

Repeat as required until the joint is about level and strong.

Now you can remove the screws and fingers, leaving just the holes to fill.

Finish as required with polyester filler and paint to match.

--
AJL Electronics (G6FGO) Ltd : Satellite and TV aerial systems
http://www.classicmicrocars.co.uk : http://www.ajlelectronics.co.uk

Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics) wrote:

First, DO NOT BUY the glassfibre kits in the high street. They are over fast
in their going off. Your resin will last two or three minutes in this heat,
about ten in normal temperatures.

Oops. Muggins will be working fast then.


NT

On Sat, 22 Jul 2006 09:57:25 +0100, "Andy Luckman (AJL Electronics)"
wrote:


First, DO NOT BUY the glassfibre kits in the high street. They are over fast
in their going off. Your resin will last two or three minutes in this heat,
about ten in normal temperatures. Purchase some proper resin, matting and
catalyst from a professional company. You will have up to an hour working
time.

Cut lots of aluminium fingers and drill a 4mm hole in each end of the
finger. Get some cellophane and cut long strips that will cover the slot
between parts and some to the sides. If the joint butts accurately, you can
dispense with the cellophane.

Screw the fingers using short self tappers over the cellophane such to cover
the slot and hold the pieces in correct alignment.

Using an angle grinder with a STONE disc, grind out the other side so that
the joint tapers over some reasonable area.

Make up a small amount of resin and paint over the joint. Leave to set and
then do the same again, having made up some extra resin.

Lay a piece of matting onto the wet resin and stipple the resin in as if you
were painting through a template. Short bristles help. Do not use a
"painting" motion. If you are brave, you could lay more pieces of matting,
but make them different sizes. Do not lay too much in one go.

Make sure that all the matting is fully impregnated and rolled out to remove
air bubbles.

Repeat as required until the joint is about level and strong.

Now you can remove the screws and fingers, leaving just the holes to fill.

Finish as required with polyester filler and paint to match.

To do the repair properly requires more or less what you said above
but it needs doing from BOTH sides.

Grinding halfway through and taper repairing one side then letting it
go off, then removing the strips of aluminium used for joint alignment
followed by grinding out the other side and using resin and matting in
a similar manner makes for a much stronger joint.

www.cfsnet.co.uk or http://www.glasplies.co.uk/ will have all the
original poster needs.


--

On Fri, 21 Jul 2006 22:53:13 GMT, "The3rd Earl Of Derby"
wrote:

You're not going to get that strenght back just fibreglassing it so I'd
suggest some ally strips pop riveted down the sides inside and outside with
the ally plating.

That is just perpetuating the theory that all metal structures acquire
fibreglass over the years and all fibreglass structures acquire metal.



Doing the repair right (not permanently using ally strips!) will make
the join as strong if not stronger than the surrounding material.



--

"Steve" wrote in message
ups.com...
Hi Folks
I have recently bought a 7ft fibreglass observatory which came in two
pieces, the dome and the bottom wall section. I managed to get the dome
round the side of the house but the bottom piece was just too bulky and
I had to get the angle grinder out and cut it vertically in two and now
wondering how to get them back together again. As its a fibreglass
observatory I assume I need fibreglass to fix it back again but as the
last bit of fibreglassing (is there such a word?) I did was at school
some ?@! years ago I`m a bit in the dark what to do next, how,where
from etc!!.
Any advice from the group most welcome.
Cheers
Steve

=======================
Have you considered adding strengthening flanges to each half through which
you could fit coach bolts (or similar) to hold the two parts together? You
would then be able to dismantle the base if you ever needed to remove it.

Cic.


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A very big thank you to all of you who took the time to reply.
Forgot many years ago how to fibreglass so all this advice extremely
helpful.
Didnt bank on having to cut the ruddy thing in half and repairing it
but there you go.
Cheers again
Steve

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "The3rd Earl Of Derby"
saying something like:

You're not going to get that strenght back just fibreglassing it

Utter ********.
--

Dave

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "The3rd Earl Of Derby"
saying something like:

You're not going to get that strenght back just fibreglassing it

Utter ********.

I think you do as well.

Structural repair theory begins by recognizing the difference between a
repair and the original piece. When a part is first fabricated, all the
resin in it cures chemically as a single unit regardless of the number or
orientation of the reinforcement plies. This is called the primary
structure or bond, and it is the strongest form in which a part can exist.
Once the part is damaged, all repairs become secondary bonds attached to
the original primary structure. In real life, this means that the repair is
only as strong as the adhesive used to make it. For this reason, never use
a weaker resin than what the part was made with originally. In fact,
stronger adhesive resins are sometimes used for repairs. However, even this
substitution must be cautiously tested so it does not change the
performance of the part.

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

On Sun, 23 Jul 2006 01:17:57 GMT, "The3rd Earl Of Derby"
wrote:

In real life, this means that the repair is
only as strong as the adhesive used to make it. For this reason, never use
a weaker resin than what the part was made with originally. In fact,
stronger adhesive resins are sometimes used for repairs. However, even this
substitution must be cautiously tested so it does not change the
performance of the part.

A proper repair to a composite structure is not gluing by any stretch
of the imagination.

Attempting an overlying strip type "repair" to cured surfaces that may
contain release agents, or be purely resin in the case of gelcoat is a
bodge, pure and simple. Also using resins other than that used in the
original layup can cause reinforcement wetting out problems . For
instance epoxy resins are not compatible with the reinforcement binder
commonly used with polyester resins. Using different reinforcing
material, or a different resin chemistry, can also cause differential
expansion in extremes of temperature leading to interlaminar shear.
Repairing only from one side can result in an unbalanced layup which
in extremes of temperature can cause distortion and delamination
failures in the area of the repair.

In real life a tapered repair from both sides, which fully exposes the
original substrate (matting) and which uses resin similar in
composition to the original layup and similar reinforcement will be as
strong and possibly even stronger than the original layup.




--

Hi again
I forgot to mention on my original post that the observatory walls
appear to have been made in three sections based on the fact that there
are three seams on the outside but nothing internally. I simply cut
down two of the seams removing one of the sections for it to fit down
my drive. I assume when it was manufactured one of the methods
mentioned by members of the group above was used to join all three
sections and overlayed internally with fibreglass to hide any joints?.
Regards
Steve

On 23 Jul 2006 15:19:44 -0700, "Steve"
wrote:

Hi again
I forgot to mention on my original post that the observatory walls
appear to have been made in three sections based on the fact that there
are three seams on the outside but nothing internally. I simply cut
down two of the seams removing one of the sections for it to fit down
my drive. I assume when it was manufactured one of the methods
mentioned by members of the group above was used to join all three
sections and overlayed internally with fibreglass to hide any joints?.

If that's the case then the seams are probably stiffener. D

oes this mean you are now left with a section to patch in that runs to
a plain rather than a turned up edge?

Any pics?


--

Thanks for the quick reply Matt.
Yes thats right just a plane edge not turned up.
Is there anywhere you can post pics without having a web site?.
Will post some tomorrow if poss.
Cheers
Steve
Ps could send you em directly?

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "The3rd Earl Of Derby"
saying something like:

You're not going to get that strenght back just fibreglassing it

Utter ********.

I think you do as well.

snip crap culled from t'internet

I've repaired plenty of damaged fibreglass bodyshells and can say you're
talking ****e, as usual.
--

Dave

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "Steve"
saying something like:

Is there anywhere you can post pics without having a web site?.

www.flickr.com
--

Dave

On 23 Jul 2006 15:37:33 -0700, "Steve"
wrote:

Thanks for the quick reply Matt.
Yes thats right just a plane edge not turned up.
Is there anywhere you can post pics without having a web site?.

www.imageshack.us is simple, quick and doesn't require registration



--

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:


"snip crap culled from t'internet" lol

I think these people know more about FG than you do...they make the bloody
stuff

http://www.fibreglast.com/contentpag...enter-123.html

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

On Mon, 24 Jul 2006 00:00:00 GMT, "The3rd Earl Of Derby"
wrote:

Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:


"snip crap culled from t'internet" lol

I think these people know more about FG than you do...they make the bloody
stuff

http://www.fibreglast.com/contentpag...enter-123.html

They might (as the rest of the article looks ok at a first glance) but
the bit about secondary bonding is borderline bull****


--

Hi Matt
A couple of pics here if I`ve done it right?.
http://img108.imageshack.us/my.php?i...scn1837yn7.jpg
and
http://img235.imageshack.us/my.php?i...scn1838pm4.jpg
You can see some battle marks fighting with it down the drive!.
Regards
Steve

Steve wrote:
Hi Matt
A couple of pics here if I`ve done it right?.
http://img108.imageshack.us/my.php?i...scn1837yn7.jpg
and
http://img235.imageshack.us/my.php?i...scn1838pm4.jpg
You can see some battle marks fighting with it down the drive!.
Regards
Steve

FF's what are you growing in that? ;-)

--
Sir Benjamin Middlethwaite

The3rd Earl Of Derby wrote:



FF's what are you growing in that? ;-)

The wifes words exactly when it turned up ;-)
Steve