Hey All -
After a hiatus, I'm back on track. I completed the seatback before getting lazy, but I'm not sure about the quality of the part. I tried the Plastic Pressure ply, but I think I may have left too much epoxy on the front. It was hard to tell, so I was more aggressive on the backside. Way too aggressive. I'm torn between remaking the part and sanding off 75% of the backside and doing the proper repair. (probably the latter)
Anyway, my question here is concerning F22, which I layed up last night. I started with the forward face instead of the aft face so I could weight it down with a large piece of MDF.
I tried to trim the part with the Fein tool, and as it cut, gummy stuff got all over the blade. okay, NOT fully cured. I did the scratch test with the cup. The scratch came out white, but the epoxy was sticky as well. I tested the epoxy ratio, and it came out to .379. It is cool here in tulsa right now, even with the insulated shop, so I figure I'll be building a heat tent before more cure.
I'm also pretty sure I didn't squegee enough through the plastic, but I'm not exactly sure how to identify this on a layup that was peelplied and plasticplied. I'll post pictures tomorrow.
I'm starting to wonder now whether i should investigate the LoVac technique. I imagine that this would make it easier to avoid overly wet layups (without the vast expanses of white I found on the seatback), but it could be that I just need more practice. There aren't a lot of composite builders in my area, so it's hard to get good feedback.
okay, enough rambling... Pictures to come tomorrow.
Aaron