.5 oz. Glass Cloth Cutting Method.

I don't have a wheel style cutter, and am about to cut a length of .5 oz glass cloth.
I intend to have my template of the size I need drawn on some Bristol board, then sandwich the cloth between two pieces of the paper and cut it using a steel rule as a straight edge to guide a brand new #11 X-acto Z-Series blade.
The Bristol Board I got is worthless for making parts, so this will give me a use for it.

I expect this to yield good results, and if it does, I'll share the pics' to prove it!

I have hesitated to work with this weight, as it looks like it will just unweave and float away if you stare at it too hard.

I cut a small section of the yard I have free to send to a member here, but that was just one single cut.

Wish me luck!

I use yellow frog tape as a sandwich and then cut the three layers together.

cwbullet said:

I use yellow frog tape as a sandwich and then cut the three layers together.

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Can you please elaborate? You put the tape right on the cloth?
My bare hands are rough enough that they tangle on this stuff, I can't imagine what happens when you put tape on it.

Wait a minute, I think I can see it in my head now.
You keep the tape on, and remove it after the epoxy has cured?
That's genius!

That will work for my flat pieces like fins, but the body tube still needs to be rolled on, and I don't think it will work for that as I require a slight overlap for a seam.

I have done making tape three ways. All work.

1. I leave the tape on and remove it after the epoxy starts to set. It can be tough, but it does work.

2. On tubes, I put the tape at edge and just cut that piece off. This is the easiest.

3. I use it to just to hold the edge together while I cut the cloth. I peal the tape toward the cut when I remove it. The yellow barely sticks to the cloth. It is tough but it reduces the fraying.

The above are good suggestions, but I don't believe #3 will work for 0.5oz cloth (at least it doesn't work for me using 0.75oz which is the lightest I have).

dixontj93060 said:

The above are good suggestions, but I don't believe #3 will work for 0.5oz cloth (at least it doesn't work for me using 0.75oz which is the lightest I have).

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If you goal is no fray, you are correct, but does reduce it significantly.

cwbullet said:

If you goal is no fray, you are correct, but does reduce it significantly.

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Actually for me it is more than fray, it is distortion of the warp and weft (even with the light tack tape).

dixontj93060 said:

Actually for me it is more than fray, it is distortion of the warp and weft (even with the light tack tape).

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I have a rotary cutter and give that a try and report back.

De-tacking the tape helps. I'll stick it to my forehead before placing on the FG. And a rotary cutter is damned-near required. You can get them locally, I'm sure.


Later!

--Coop

Sorry I have not tried my paper sandwich technique yet, but you guys seem to have some extremely viable options and suggestions, so why should I start wasting actual valuable resources. We can all imagine what a piece of .5 oz. glass cloth looks like, so we can and should "Sim" it a bit and hash it over.

I had the idea to tack it to the insides of the Bristol Board Sandwich. Since the Bristol Board I have is resistant to CA, I expect it to react the same to Elmers spray adhesive.
I should be able to eliminate both weave distortion and fraying with this.
One side of the sandwich will not be Bristol Board, but parchment paper, so that the completed template can have it's edges dressed with CA before removing it from the tacky backing.

A Jig and a Press may very well be developed to accomplish this operation in a repeatable fashion.
A cookie cutter method of composite construction.
I'll likely commence on this tomorrow, so stay tuned, and thanks for the suggestions.
The rotary cutter is on my list for sure, but I think the cloth would still need to be sandwiched for maintaining the delicate weave pattern.
Even static electricity seems to make havoc with this weight of cloth, or at least the type I'm working with, which I think is Hangar 9 or Hobbico.

It's in the FG box, and I don't feel like digging it out now.

Get a wheel man! I got a small wheel and plastic surface from a local fabric shop for about $15 combined and it makes my fiberglass cloth a joy to work with.

I used an extensive amount of .5 glass for FAI models and simply cut it with either a #11 Exacto blade or a single edge razor blade. As long as a straight edge is pushed tightly against the fabric then you can cut it without distortion.

Also, spray it with some spray starch and press down on it with paper towels to press it flat and soak up the excess. Let it dry for about 15 minutes and you won't have any fraying. The small amount of starch won't interfere with any subsequent operations.

Pat_B said:

I used an extensive amount of .5 glass for FAI models and simply cut it with either a #11 Exacto blade or a single edge razor blade. As long as a straight edge is pushed tightly against the fabric then you can cut it without distortion.

Also, spray it with some spray starch and press down on it with paper towels to press it flat and soak up the excess. Let it dry for about 15 minutes and you won't have any fraying. The small amount of starch won't interfere with any subsequent operations.

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I Like Starch!

If you think cutting is hard try wrapping a 7.5" airframe with it.

g zilla said:

If you think cutting is hard try wrapping a 7.5" airframe with it.

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With 0.5 oz???

cavecentral said:

With 0.5 oz???

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Yeah I wrapped it twice with 8 oz and was trying to fill in the pinholes with .5 oz. Might of been easier filling and sanding.