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Glassbeading Or Sandblasting Fiberglass

1K views 15 replies 13 participants last post by  backwoods 
#1 ·
Just curious to see if anybody has ever tried glassbeading or sandblasting fiberglass? I have some fiberglass fenders that are cracked, and there is a lot of dirt in the cracks or between the splits. I was going to try and clean most of dirt out and see if I can epoxy most of the cracks back together, but wasn't sure what the best way of cleaning the dirt might be. I would think that sandblasting would be a little too harsh on the fiberglass, but what about glassbeading them? Since most glassbeading cabinets don't have the higher pressure, I thought it might be a little bit more wiser to use it. I guess sandblasting could work if I turned the pressure down on the tank too, but I'm still just a little scared of using this route.

I guess I could just cut out most of the cracks, and just build everything back up with new fiberglass, but I was hoping for an easier fix. Any suggestions?
 
#2 · (Edited by Moderator)
How about putting baking soda on/in the cracks (maybe with and old tooth brush) and dripping white vinegar on them (turkey baster) and letting the dirt bubble out? Shouldn't hurt anything. Works great on lots of porous materials and will even remove mildew.

I've never tried this on cracked fenders, but I have used it to clean bathroom tubs and sink gouges that needed repaired.

Just a thought.
 
#5 ·
How about putting baking soda on/in the cracks (maybe with and old tooth brush) and dripping white vinegar on them (turkey baster) and letting the dirt bubble out? Shouldn't hurt anything. Works great on lots of porous materials and will even remove mildew. Just my 2cents.
Ah, didn't even give that a thought. Good thinking, and I will have to give that a try. Thank you!
 
#8 ·
Troy,

Sandblastig or glass beading fiberglass will probably ruin the fenders,and if it doesn't it'll probably do more harm than good.I would use the baking soda and vinegar methob mentioned above.Baking soda and water will clean corroded battery terminals.Maybe spray the crack with simple green or another degreaser and blow the crack out with an air nozzle.Maybe that'll break down the grease.
 
#9 ·
Do you have pictures? Is it stress cracks or is it crazing?

Being a boat repair guy, to properly repair cracks in epoxy, you should grind back the epoxy and feather out from the crack. Then you have a larger surface for the newly applied epoxy to attach.

If you have too many cracks to use this method, you can open up the cracks by dragging the pointed end of a can opener over them. Take a look at Interlux products. They have a product that will coat and fill in the open cracks and crazing. You can then primer and paint or re- epoxy you fiberglass pieces. This process will usually last about ten years.
 
#10 ·
If the crack and dirt is down into the fibers, I would grind the crack out into the fibers till the dirt is gone. Then use a 2 part epoxy to fill it. This is the way I've done truck hoods for years.

Are they fiberglass or SMC? The difference is you can see the fibers on the back side of a fiberglass panel, SMC will be smooth on the back. Fiberglass resins don't work very well on SMC being its compressed together (resin won't soak in). Thats the reason I use epoxy to do repairs.
 
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#12 · (Edited by Moderator)
norton has a plastic an fiberglass repair kit drill an 1/8th" hole at the end of the crack use a dremel or similar tool v grove the crack then use glass cleaner to clean the area. do not use any thinners or solvent based cleaners on it the fiberglass will absorb the solvent an give ya ahellof time fixing the repair. i would use fiberglass mat or long hair filler to help with structal integritiy of the piece. pictures of the problem parts would also help for better advice on fixing this.
 
#15 ·
How about putting baking soda on/in the cracks (maybe with and old tooth brush) and dripping white vinegar on them (turkey baster) and letting the dirt bubble out? Shouldn't hurt anything. Works great on lots of porous materials and will even remove mildew.

I've never tried this on cracked fenders, but I have used it to clean bathroom tubs and sink gouges that needed repaired.

Just a thought.
That sounds like a very safe and easy method.

Soda blasting is great for soft materials. I don't know if it works with the same equipment as sand blasting. Just a thought.

Geno
We have a lot of ARMEX baking sode blasters at work, and they do a really good job....less agressive than sand or steel shot. We also have plastic bead blasters....little granuals of plastic for media.
 
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