fibreglass cutting help

[Airbozo]

Ok never had to cut fibreglass before and I want to cut out an opening for a slimline dvd (only thing that would fit). I would like to make the opening as seamless as possible. Anyone have ideas or suggestions on pulling this off?

The to-be-cut piece in question already has a nice finish on it and if I can I would like to leave the finish intact. To make things more complicated, the piece I want to cut is curved. I have a nice dremel and am fairly good with it but in my experience, even the cutoff wheels leave a large gap, and I will probably have to use the reinforced wheels to get a nice cut since the fibreglass is so thick (almost 1/4" in that spot).

Thanks!

[qoou]

i think you mean plexi?

[Airbozo]

i think you mean plexi?


No, fiberglass.

Plexi I can handle. Mostly. The mod I am starting includes a piece of fiberglass, where the dvd and "possibly" extended I/O panel will reside. (still not sure, may depend on my ability to cleanly cut the fiberglass)

Edit: BTW, will start posting the log in the next couple of weeks...

[Aero]

hmm this is tricky. I would recommend a jigsaw. Of corse you will need eye protection and a mask of somesort. But other than that I would use a metal blade for a detailed cut. The best thing to do would be to tape the whole thing up with masking tape, then cut it in sections, start with one part, then move across the curve taking out chunks. A scroll saw would be best, but if your carefull with a jigsaw it could work too. You'll probably need to get some epoxy for the edges you cut to keep the fiberglass from fraying when done too. That should work, but some people here have more experience with fiberglass than I do, so I may be wrong.

[crazybillybob]

The best way to get a thin line with Fiber glass is a razor blade (utility knife with a sharp NEW blade).Tape off the area, and use a straight edge (think flexable steel ruler) It's going to take sevral passes to cut through the FG so I'd tape the Ruler in place (still hold it with your free hand to keep it from moving while cutting). Now for the 1/4" thick section... Well use the Dremel to thin it out from the back (noone will see the back! Don't go to thin or the FG will get weak, but you should beable to go about 1/2. The other bonus to razor blade is that it will cut through the finish without chiping it. Just make many passes with light pressure, don't try and cut it all at once (that will lead to cracking!!), but you will need to dress the cut edges of the FG as it likes to frizz, a light coat of clear epoxy or even clear nail polish (if it's in a low trraffic area) applied from the back (again so noone will see it) should do the trick. The Jigsaw is another good option but it will chip the finish, and it will leave a wide (1/16 -1/8") saw gap.

Good LucK,
CrazyBillyBob

(hey Some pics would really help :) )

[Airbozo]

Thanks guys for the info.

The gap is what I am most worried about. The jigsaw might work for the I/O panel, but would leave too big of gap for the dvd cover. I would love to test both methods, but there are no spots on this part to "test cut" since you will be able to see 99% of the outside.

I will get some pics up of the part so you see what I am working with.

[Airbozo]

So after much consternation, I decided not to worry about messing up the paintjob. I would still like to use the piece I cut out for the drive door so I will have to be VERY acurate with the dremel (guess I will have to wait to cut it until my coffee wears off!), and use a ton of the thin cutoff disks.

Pictures and worklog soon!

[dragon2309]

if you wanted to spend the money i would suggest a diamond cutting wheel for the dremel, its as thin as the smaller (not reinforced) cut-off wheels but its tremendously strong and coarse. Only thing is thy cost about £15 GBP (about $35 USD) for jsut one.

[Airbozo]

I took the dremel to the fiberglass part today. It actually cam out very nice, but I will have to fabricate a slimline cd bezel to fill the hole since the part I cut out is now too small to use. Not a big deal though, I will try to make one from Plexi. Oh and I only went through 4 cutoff disks. Most of the cutting was only through 1/8" of fiberglass and a small part got up to 1/4". Not sure why I was even worried. Fiberglass is easier to cut than plexi since it does not melt.

Pictures to come tomorrow.

[qoou]

are u talking about the fiber glass thats annoying to sand, and is use on cars? you can just use a normal cut off wheel on thats stuff

[Airbozo]

Yeah the normal wheels went through it like buttah! It was only my shakiness that caused me to break a couple of wheels, other than that it was easier that plexi (but a total pain to file down but I got it....).