Facts about Styrene Exposure
Styrene, a chemical used in the manufacture of composite parts made of polyester and vinylester, has been getting a bad name as of late. There has been much debate as to how carcinogenic this chemical is to humans.
From the video description:
This video is part of ACMA’s Risk Communication Program. ACMA’s Risk Communication Program is designed to give owners and managers the tools they need to inform and reassure their employees and plant neighbors about chemical health risks.
The ACMA is the American Composites Manufacturer’s Association is the world’s largest trade organization serving the composites industry.
Styrene is an important component of many products used in the world around us to make strong, lightweight, composite materials. There are many wonderful uses of this chemical and it is an important ingredient in many raw materials. It can be safely used with proper precautions to protect human health.
Custom Fiberglass Speaker Boxes
Fiberglass materials allow for custom shapes and features. A very popular Do It Yourself project is custom speaker boxes for automobiles.
To accomplish this, it is important to begin with a solid foundation material. Very often this is wood, which allows for screwing and stapling. Next, the speaker mounts need to be properly attached. Orientation of the mounting surface is established for the speaker that will be used in the finished installation.
Fleece fabric material is one method that is used to span the surfaces and transition across the different areas. This material allows for smooth transition, holds staples, is easy to work with, and is inexpensive. Once it is in place it can be covered with resin and fiberglass to establish a solid surface. This can be sanded smooth and painted for full effect.
WestCoastCustomsTV demonstrates how the fleece is applied in the video below:
Working with Bondo
Commonly referred to by the trade name of “Bondo,” polyester body filler is used by autobody shops to achieve cosmetic repairs on automobiles. It is relatively inexpensive, easy to work with, and achieves good results when used properly. It is basically polyester resin that is highly filled to create a thick paste which can be turned into a solid with the addtion of a hardener.
I have been using autobody filler since age 14, and am finally getting good at it! Just kidding. It is more art than science, and practice makes perfect. Basically, a surface needs to be properly prepared to achieve good adhesion. Then the filler is applied after being mixed with hardener, and allowed to cure afterwords. Some fillers can be sanded as soon as 20 minutes after application.
Basic setup and tools
The basic setup is a working board surface to mix the bondo and hardener. The mixed material is applied with a squeegee or putty knife to fill in low areas. They also aid in cleanup, along with some paint thinner to clean the tools.
Hardener added
Mixing the hardener starts the application window from where the material goes from liquid to solid. The hardener is a peroxide paste that directly affects cure time along with temperature. Too little hardener can also cause poor physical strength characteristics along with difficult sanding properties.
Uniformly mixed
The hardener must be uniformly mixed before it is applied. This prevents lots of problems down the road.
Applied to surface
The body filler can be applied with putty knives or squeegees to achieve the desired affect. This polyester bodyfiller will shrink during cure, so filling high is typical. The flip side is that all of the high spots must be sanded back down, which is wasting filler and time, so it is a fine line to walk.
Working with body filler can be frustrating for the beginner who must practice lots of patience. There are many important aspects that must be followed, just like all composites materials processes. Autobody filler requires proper surface preparation, mixing and metering of materials, and attention to details in order to avoid future problems.
A couple of other practices I recommend is to always wear a dust mask, keep the body filler dry, and only apply bondo over sanded bondo. Some like to just build layers without sanding the lows, and this can lead to adhesion problems.
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