Fiberglass??

[MONSTER]

I Searched "fiberglass" here, and saw mention of G4 and G10. Whats the difference, thickness maybe??

Tha reason I ask is, I "think" Ive found a MOTHERLOAD!! I happen to ask a Guy who Paintball here, and works in a Machine Shop, if they had any scraps. Ive known him for 2-3- years, no idea why I havent ask before now . I was originally looking for Al, but also found what looks JUST LIKE Gold Pan Shock Tower Material. How can I tell if its good enough for some Replica Parts? How expensive is it usually? I went after Closing time, so dont know what they might charge yet.

[Brandon G]

I bought a sheet of the opaque white fiberglass sheet from Kamtec the other day... I believe it was around $8 for a 12X8 sheet???

Get all the pieces you can, I can't see them being all that expensive, seeing that they HAVE labelled them as "scraps" I'd be surprised if they even charge you for them....

[klavy69]

Definitely get all you can...LHS here sells g10 12 X 8 X 1/8" thick for around $30 a sheet I believe so its worth it.

[LowClassCC]

im getting orange g10 at $20 plus shipping for a 12" x 12" x 1/8" sheet.

[gula]

go to www.mcmaster.com they sell it in different thickness, color, G's etc. They also have a explanation of what's best suited for a particular application. The G stands for Garolite the number, I dont know. I use the G10 FR4 a lot and it's tough as nails (I used to make my brake pads or disks for all my nitros out of this stuff)

http://www.mcmaster.com/#garolite/=1m5se9

[MONSTER]

Ok, so the stuff is .125 (1/8?), and only took 2 tries to get a result I liked. The first "try" was just to see what the stuff was like to work with (guess what, its HELL, HELL I TELL YOU, on plain ole Scroll Saw Blades, but thats a horse with a different collar on, for later, hehe)), so I knocked out a Batt Strap (got a couple feet worth of material thats already the right width) and GT Tower, using Original Pieces as Templates, in about 30-45 minutes. They came out "ok", but I knew I could do better.
Did another one today that came out AWESOME (at least for a Runner), and I already have some ideas on how I can do better STILL. The first one was "good enough" to go onto my GT, and the second was plenty good enough to go on a Trade GT Im putting to gether for a Buddy, and I'll save the Oringinal for a Template, until I make a Copy Im "happy" with. I was so excited about them, that I Installed them without taking Pics first. I'll do Pics of whatever I do next.

I also have some of what I think is the same stuff, but more of an Orange, just havent looked at it yet. He said they also have "some black stuff sometime", and he'd let me know when they have it again.

What kind of Blades can I get/should I be looking for to cut this stuff with? I'd like to use my Scroll Saw, but at 2 Blades per Tower, I think I can rough it out with my Trusty Old Hacksaw, before I go to the Dremel. Anybody got a Link, or a "lead" to something I can use in my Scroll Saw??

[klavy69]

This might work if you have a scroll saw like mine....I got some heavier coping saw blades and modified them to work in my scroll saw. They were thicker and wider with 'heavier' teeth so they hold up a little longer but it still wears them out.
Todd

[gula]

make sure you wear a respirator to cut this stuff. Vary dangerous little dust. I'd use a dremmel for finishing it with one of the carbide tips, Other than that for your scroll saw use one that has more TPI and a low speed

[jwscab]

I always use a hack saw and drill bits for the straight cuts, and radiused edges, respectively. Makes it much easier. Then cut to final shape with very sharp flat/half round/round files. Shock towers are about the hardest things, due to the odd shape, so I'll hack a rough outline with the saw and drills( in some cases, it make sense to make a row of drilled holes, snap the piece out, then follow up with a file. If you are just duping a tower, I scribe the outline with an xacto or sharp instrument, clamp them together, and drill the mouting holes. Once the holes are drilled, as long as you follow your scribe lines, the parts will come out sweet. A new hacksaw blade will chew through it like butter. I think part of your issue with the scroll saw is the blade is moving too fast and overheats. There is also a dremel cutoff wheel for intricate sections.

don't think you have to make the least amounts of cuts, either, I'll trim the big sections, then get left with little time nubs that are barely as wide as the saw blade when sawing them off, following the cut lines.

also, a mask is a good idea, especially with power tool dust.

[mikedealer]

this is what i use on the straight sections of fiberglass/carbon fiber
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAndAccessories/Pages/AttachmentsDetail.aspx?pid=EZ545
its like a $20 attachments, but works amazing, its expensive but lasts a pretty long time, and cuts through fiberglass like a warm knife through butter.

ill also use this attachment which is like $10
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAndAccessories/Pages/AttachmentsDetail.aspx?pid=115
works great at high high speeds, good for cornering and shaping.

[LowClassCC]

for the scroll saw i currently using cheep blades. 15tpi. i would rather have 11 or 12 tpi but this is what the local hardware store had. set the scroll saw to the slowest speed and take your time. let the blade do the cutting. use the blade until nothing is left. i only use the scroll saw to do rough cuts. i finish things up with a sanding drum on the dremel.

i have used cutting disks on the dremel and though it goes quicker i like doing it on the scroll saw better for some reason.

they do make diamond scroll saw blades. i have not tried them though. but for the cost compared to cheep scroll saw blades i don't know if it would be worth it or not. depends on how much you can get cut with a single blade.

[Brandon G]

this is what i use on the straight sections of fiberglass/carbon fiber
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAndAccessories/Pages/AttachmentsDetail.aspx?pid=EZ545
its like a $20 attachments, but works amazing, its expensive but lasts a pretty long time, and cuts through fiberglass like a warm knife through butter.

ill also use this attachment which is like $10
http://www.dremel.com/en-us/AttachmentsAndAccessories/Pages/AttachmentsDetail.aspx?pid=115
works great at high high speeds, good for cornering and shaping.

+1

The diamond cutting wheel will go through everything.