I've damaged my fibreglass bath by dropping a heavy glass shower screen onto it.

This photo shows the damage

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a07wjnz8hl...55.16.jpg?dl=0

I'm wondering how best to repair it - my first thought is car body filler?

On 22/01/2018 15:09, Murmansk wrote:
I've damaged my fibreglass bath by dropping a heavy glass shower screen onto it.

This photo shows the damage

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a07wjnz8hl...55.16.jpg?dl=0

Oh, nasty...

I'm wondering how best to repair it - my first thought is car body filler?

If you can get to the back of it, then I would start with laying up some
fibreglass mat and resin so you have a backstop. If you can't get to the
back, then some wood splints inserted into the hole and stuck with some
grab adhesive.

After that, a primary fill with plastic padding or some other two part
filler. (you can get car body filler like wood fillers, that come in
white).

Then it rather depends on how cosmetically accurate it needs to be...
getting two "whites" to match is often difficult.

A gel coat repair kit may be your best bet:

https://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co....ir-kit-1-white


--
Cheers,

John.

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"Murmansk" wrote in message
...

I've damaged my fibreglass bath by dropping a heavy glass shower screen
onto it.

This photo shows the damage

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a07wjnz8hl...55.16.jpg?dl=0

I'm wondering how best to repair it - my first thought is car body filler?

Household insurance claim and let them worry about the what's and wherefors
!

Andrew

On 22/01/18 15:09, Murmansk wrote:
I've damaged my fibreglass bath by dropping a heavy glass shower screen onto it.

This photo shows the damage

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a07wjnz8hl...55.16.jpg?dl=0

I'm wondering how best to repair it - my first thought is car body filler?


It can be done but it isn't quick and it isn't easy. a lot of rubbing
down building up and polishing out to make it good. kits for small
repairs are available for boat owners and probably for the car/caravan
market as well.

TW

Time for a new bath.

On Mon, 22 Jan 2018 07:09:24 -0800 (PST)
Murmansk wrote:

I've damaged my fibreglass bath by dropping a heavy glass shower
screen onto it.

This photo shows the damage

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a07wjnz8hl...55.16.jpg?dl=0

I'm wondering how best to repair it - my first thought is car body
filler?

The best repair duplicates the original structure - glass reinforced
resin sealed with a gelcoat. You need to cut away the damaged area,
feather the back edge an inch or two with a grinder and lay up a
couple of layers of glass in resin (supporting it with a former
treated with mould release stuck on the front) then remove the
former when the resin is firm, key the edges of the front and apply
gelcoat (which you'll probably want to sand when fully cured depending
on how smoothly it goes on, but the gel just has to seal the resin,
anything else is cosmetic).

Murmansk wrote:
I've damaged my fibreglass bath by dropping a heavy glass shower screen onto it.

This photo shows the damage

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a07wjnz8hl...55.16.jpg?dl=0

I'm wondering how best to repair it - my first thought is car body filler?


There is an epoxy product called Milliput in Superfine White shade that
I have used in smaller bath repairs, and it looks okay. But you'd need
something underneath, like fibreglass, as already mentioned. I used a
two pence piece underneath, and made sure there was more epoxy on top to
give it some structural resistance to falling through.

It worked okay, but I could never stop worrying about it, so I ended up
replacing it. And now the replacement bath currently has a
Milliput-repaired small crack in it. Our son keeps dropping his toy
battleships in it. I'll replace it again when he's grown up a bit. I
think a metal bath would be the answer, but then he would always be
cracking the enamel.

Murmansk wrote:
I've damaged my fibreglass bath by dropping a heavy glass shower screen onto it.

This photo shows the damage

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a07wjnz8hl...55.16.jpg?dl=0

I'm wondering how best to repair it - my first thought is car body filler?


First ask yourself, will any possible repair satisfy your other half
(assuming you have one). ;-)

Tim

--
Please don't feed the trolls

On 22/01/2018 16:22, DerbyBorn wrote:


Time for a new bath.


+1

Fibreglass and resin is wonderful stuff, and I've mended a few things in
my time with it. But I wouldn't say that the result is cosmetically
beautiful.

The trouble is that a new bath may mean new tiles, and that means loads
of mess.

On 22/01/18 15:09, Murmansk wrote:
I've damaged my fibreglass bath by dropping a heavy glass shower screen onto it.

This photo shows the damage



I'm wondering how best to repair it - my first thought is car body filler?



Yes, but hang ten.

What you need to do is first pf all patch from underneath with a bit of
chopped strand mat and polyester resin - Halfords can supply - then use
polyester resin and a (mica?) filler - and that may be available from
Halfords or you may need to shop elsewhere at a specialist glass fibre
shop and finally resin with a white pigment.. Powder paint WILL work,
for white (Ti O2 is inert) but again a specialist glass fibre shop may
have a better 'gel coat' pigment

Once the layers are built up, sand back going down top 600 grit or finer
and use T- cut to blend the repair in


--
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on
its shoes.

Thanks for those replies, which have provided some useful pointers.

I can get to the back of the hole so I think I may get some fibreglass matting to provide a solid base and then go for Milliput or car body filler.

I suspect Milliput may be better as it gives lots of time to work it before it dries.

My other half lives in the flat upstairs so it's only me that has to live with it!!

On Mon, 22 Jan 2018 18:20:42 +0000, GB
wrote:

On 22/01/2018 16:22, DerbyBorn wrote:


Time for a new bath.


+1

Fibreglass and resin is wonderful stuff, and I've mended a few things in
my time with it.

I've built / moulded many things out of it, including canoes and RC
racing boats.

But I wouldn't say that the result is cosmetically
beautiful.

I think it can be.

Uncles Reliant Robin was hit whilst parked at work and a similar sized
hole to the OP's bath punched though the top of the wing.

He was going away for the weekend but rang us to mention the damage in
the hope we could help him resolve something when he got back.

We dived round there as soon as he's gone, repaired and re sprayed it
and I'd have to say you would be hard pressed to spot where the hole
was. In fact, when he was dropped back late Sunday night he 'felt' for
the hole but couldn't (tried both sides in case he's remembered it
wrong) and even went indoors to get a torch as he thought he was going
mad. It was only when he saw the traces of fibreglass on the gravel
drive ... we then got the phone call. ;-)

The trouble is that a new bath may mean new tiles, and that means loads
of mess.

Something I considered when we fitted the plastic corner bath 30 years
ago now and so I reinforced the plastic with a good couple of layers
of chopped strand mat and extra reinforcement on the weaker bits.

I'm pretty sure the reinforcement has helped to protect against damage
caused by things that have been dropped in it over the years. ;-(

Depending of ease of access ... and what's likely to be considered
'acceptable' ... I'd clean the hole up with a round file / Dremel and
maybe use some of that slotted MDF to create a backing to pull some
chopped strand matt up against the back of the hole. Once cured, the
hole could be filled with patches of CSM and then filled with a body
filler, smoothed and polished or covered with some quality shaped
vinyl to make it a feature (like a big water droplet). ;-)

Cheers, T i m

On 22/01/18 18:36, Murmansk wrote:
Thanks for those replies, which have provided some useful pointers.

I can get to the back of the hole so I think I may get some fibreglass matting to provide a solid base and then go for Milliput or car body filler.

I suspect Milliput may be better as it gives lots of time to work it before it dries.

However what you have there is polyester. Milliput is epoxy.

Agreed it comes in china white....





My other half lives in the flat upstairs so it's only me that has to live with it!!



--
Climate Change: Socialism wearing a lab coat.

Murmansk wrote:
I've damaged my fibreglass bath by dropping a heavy glass shower
screen onto it.

This photo shows the damage

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a07wjnz8hl...55.16.jpg?dl=0

I'm wondering how best to repair it - my first thought is car body
filler?

Accidental damage is cheap on house insurance.
Or did you not bother?

On 22/01/2018 18:36, Murmansk wrote:

My other half lives in the flat upstairs so it's only me that has to live with it!!


In that case, gaffer tape.

Bill

On 22/01/2018 21:02, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:
Murmansk wrote:
I've damaged my fibreglass bath by dropping a heavy glass shower
screen onto it.

This photo shows the damage

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a07wjnz8hl...55.16.jpg?dl=0

I'm wondering how best to repair it - my first thought is car body
filler?

Accidental damage is cheap on house insurance.
Or did you not bother?



Its probably include without the accidental cover.
I claimed for new bath after I fell off some steps and cracked the bath
when I put my boot down rather hard, no "accidental" cover on the policy
but it did cover fixtures.

What will be the consequences of a sudde failure?

What is the depreciation effect on the property?

Perhaps you plan to keep coal in it.

Or an insurance claim and a new bath.
Brian

--
----- -
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please!
"John Rumm" wrote in message
o.uk...
On 22/01/2018 15:09, Murmansk wrote:
I've damaged my fibreglass bath by dropping a heavy glass shower screen
onto it.

This photo shows the damage

https://www.dropbox.com/s/a07wjnz8hl...55.16.jpg?dl=0

Oh, nasty...

I'm wondering how best to repair it - my first thought is car body
filler?

If you can get to the back of it, then I would start with laying up some
fibreglass mat and resin so you have a backstop. If you can't get to the
back, then some wood splints inserted into the hole and stuck with some
grab adhesive.

After that, a primary fill with plastic padding or some other two part
filler. (you can get car body filler like wood fillers, that come in
white).

Then it rather depends on how cosmetically accurate it needs to be...
getting two "whites" to match is often difficult.

A gel coat repair kit may be your best bet:

https://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co....ir-kit-1-white


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/