FIBERGLASS HELP

This weekend i was rolling fiberglass around a tube and i put wax paper around the tube before i started, to make sure the fiber glass wouldn't stick.......but it ended up getting stuck anyways.......so does anybody know if i pour acetone down the tube will it melt the fiber glass???

jawaad211 said:

This weekend i was rolling fiberglass around a tube and i put wax paper around the tube before i started, to make sure the fiber glass wouldn't stick.......but it ended up getting stuck anyways.......so does anybody know if i pour acetone down the tube will it melt the fiber glass???

Click to expand...

Nope. If it is cured you will have sand it to remove it.

We wrap our mandrels with 5 mil clear mylar, then it that with mold release.

Wax paper sounds easy to rip.

But if I pour the acetone down the tube will it melt the wax paper and fiber glass or just the wax paper

You may not want to hear this, but it's better getting a new tube and starting all over. This is a case where "the genie is out of the bottle".

If you do decide to sand it, make sure you get a respirator and not a dust mask. Your health is too valuable to breathe what you will be putting in the air.

Greg

I've only used silicone impregnated parchment (baking aisle). Not sure what mylar is. Oh yeah, saran wrap and plastic sandwich bags are also non stick in my experience. I'll echo what others have said, best to start over. Acetone won't do much if anything. I've used it to clean fiberglass tubes after making them. I majorly screwed up a paint job on a fiberglass rocket and used paint stripper to start over. Methylene chloride in the remover softened my aeropoxy fillets.

Jawaad,

Congratulations to your experience. It's not always the destination but the journey that impresses us most.

How about heating that to 40'C while gently distorting the tube by pressing on the sides. Maybe a majority of the wax paper will release with some gentle coaxing?

I second the 5-mil polyester film (Mylar). I purchase mine from Museum Services Corporation for $5.50 per-yard in 60-inch width. Fix the seam with box (packing)tape. David Reese at TDK Propulsion recommended liquid PTFE release agent for my GRP project. Great material. I purchased a lifetime supply (quart) from Applied Vehicle technology for $33.

Feckless Counsel

What is it that's stuck? The fiberglass to the tube, or the fiberglass to the wax paper? And, not to make an incorrect assumption, is the fiberglass on the inside of the tube, or the outside?

Sometimes the wax paper is only waxed on one side, so if that's what's stuck, sanding will be required to salvage the fiberglass (BTDT, relatively easy to do with a sanding drum or flapper wheel in a dremel or drill).

If it's the fiberglass to the tube, is it stuck because it bonded, or just because it's so tight you can't overcome the friction? If the latter, does the tube stick out further than the fiberglass? If so, try making something like a centering ring that you can use to put over the tube to help push on the fiberglass to help push it off the tube.

BTW, what's the tube made out of? And, do you want to save the tube?

Mike

What I did was I took a body tube and put wax paper over it and then started to roll the Fiber glass. The problem that im having is that the inside tube won't come out now.
Sorry if that was un-clear:y:

jawaad211 said:

What I did was I took a body tube and put wax paper over it and then started to roll the Fiber glass. The problem that im having is that the inside tube won't come out now.
Sorry if that was un-clear:y:

Click to expand...

Wax paper is not appropriate for this application. As mentioned you should have used Mylar or some other appropriate release film. Although you may be able to soak your finished product in water to soften, loosen and ultimately remove the mandrel (depending on what it's made of), likely it is better to start over with the correct materials.

As mentioned above is there anything that the tube could be soaked in to dissolve or saturate it to the point that it would crumple out? The tube is a Magnaframe tube from Giant leap rocketry if anyone is curious.

You're going to have to reach in and peel the tube out in layers, if that's what you want.

-Kevin

You can try freezing it. And then "shock loading" it to come apart..some times that works. If all else is failing...soak it in water. The paper tube will be easier to get out, leaving just the fiberglass part.

Tony