There are still a few terms I need to complete but they will be done soon when I get a little more time, cheers
Peel Ply:-
This is a tightly woven nylon fabric treated with a finish to which epoxy and polyester resins do not bond. When the peel-ply is laid over wetted fibreglass, it is porous so excess resin soaks through and wets it out leaving the fibreglass with a higher resin to weight ratio underneath. Once the resin cures the peel ply is pulled away taking the resin layer that had impregnated through it. The surface of the fibreglass will now be textured and clean leaving behind a matt finish. This finish allows excellent secondary bonding for the gelcoat or another layer of cloth with little or usually no sanding. My bonnet is a good example. After i'd put a final layer of cloth over my entire bonnet I wanted a good surface to spray the gelcoat on to. So, on top of the final layer of cloth I put the peel ply on and once it had cured peel it off.
Microballoons:-
I'm going to copy some text off the internet for this one as it can get a little tricky to explain. I'll keep it simple! Hollow glass or phenolic microballoons in powder form — the glass looks like caster sugar — increase the viscosity of the resin while reducing density, providing a high strength/weight ratio and good sandability of the cured filler.
Basically, you mix the microballoons with the resin and use it as a filler. I didn't want to fill the indent on my door with layer upon layer of cloth so, poured in a mix of microballons and it acted as a levelling compound filling the dent neatly. Once cured you can easily sand it and apply a light layer of cloth on to the top of it. If you look at the 2007 work you can see I used it to profile my bonnet before I put put my final layer of cloth on.
Spraying Gelcoat:-
With regards to spraying gelcoat, nothing could be easier! With the right facilities! When I sprayed the bonnet I used a gravity feed spray gun, nothing special. I think there are specialist spray guns on the market for gelcoat that have a larger nozzle than the paint spray guns but Paint guns work OK. For small repairs you can even use the small model makers Badger air guns to spray the gel. As long as you thin the gel down to the right quantity it sprays on really well and can give a superb finish. I usually use 2 bar of pressure. I think the air would have to be dry (which is the facility i have) as you wouldn't want any moisture spraying through with the gel. All you need to do is thin the gel, you can buy specialist gel thinners or, depending on your gel I think you can use Acetone or MEK. Get a spray gun and hey presto! (and a spray booth and extraction system)!
Cotton flock:-
increases resin viscosity and strength, generally used in 2:1 filler/resin ratio as internal corner reinforcement. I've used it as a void filler and general profiling putty before clothing over it.
Gelcoat:-
A gelcoat is a material used to provide a high quality finish on the visible surface of a fibre-reinforced composite material. The most common gelcoats are based on epoxy or polyester resin chemistry.
Grind Angle:-
When you join a repair to existing strucure you want the repair to be as durable and as strong as possible, increasing surface area of a repair will achieve this outcome. The size of the grind angle or taper is usually expressed as a ratio, this ratio compares the depth of the repair to the width of the taper. Generally, if you want a stronger repair or if a repair is in a critical area then you will need a larger taper ratio increasing the surface area.
Woven Cloth:-
Woven fabrics are strong reinforcements because the fibres are bundled into yarns oriented in just two directions. The warp and fill yarns of the fabric form at 0 and 90 degrees respectively. Thus, fabrics are anisotropic, or strong in only two directions. Fabrics need to be oriented so the fibre yarns run parallel to the expected loads. If extra strength is needed in a different direction, another ply must be added at an angle different to the first.
Cover Cloth:-
This is just like a surface tissue which puts a smoother surface for a finish to go on. If you are sanding down your repairs this can act as a sacrificial cloth to save you cutting into the cloth underneath.
Glass Flock
Polyester resin:-
Polyester resin is a general-purpose resin suitable for a wide variety of applications. Catalyzation rates can be varied with polyester resins, in order to adjust pot life and curing time to compensate for factors such as environmental conditions. Polyester resins are less expensive, offer more corrosion resistance and are more forgiving than epoxy resins. Polyester resin is the most widely used.
Epoxy resin:-
Epoxy resins are not as forgiving in their measurement as polyester resins, but epoxy resins provide greater part strength and dimensional stability. They also adhere to other materials better than polyester resins. Epoxy hardener ratios can’t be varied, and adequate temperatures (at least 70 degrees F.) must be maintained during the curing process. Epoxy resin systems tend to cost more than polyester resins.
Chopped strand mat:-
This material is just what the name implies. The fibres are typically 3-4 inches in length and are randomly positioned. Chopped strand mat is not a very strong material because of the short fiber length. However, it is isotropic. This means that it is equally strong in all directions. This is the least expensive of all the cloths and is the most widely used being very suitable for moulds. The random orientation of the fibres effectively hides fabric print through gelcoats and makes moulds which are equally stiff in all directions. Chopped strand mat should only really be used with polyester resin.