Hardpoint Layup Part II

After trimming the edges, I noticed I had some white areas around the outside of the layup. Not sure I'm going to get 4 hardpoints out of this layup after all. It wasn't completely flat, but I'm hoping it wont be noticeable when I cut the smaller pieces out.

I bought a new wood/metal blade for the Multimax to replace the wood/drywall blade I had been using before, since the old blade was staerting to wear down. I gave it a test cut and saw that the sliver that I cut off the LG bulkhead hardpoint layup was still pretty flexible, even though the whole piece seems ridgid. Not sure what this means yet (if anything).

Since the layup was just shy of the thickness I needed, I decided to just add a couple more layers to get to the right thickness. With just two plies, the layup went pretty fast, but I noticed some darkening of the layup while I was working. After the layup was cured and I had pulled the plastic and peel ply up, I discovered the culprit. I had thought that I had a layer of plastic under the layup, when I actually still has the paper template underneath. The wet epoxy had wicked into the paper, leaving several fairly large areas with the paper imbedded in the cured epoxy.

I first tried using the chisel to prt the paper loose, then switched to sandpaper, and then to the Multimaz flexible scraper. The scraper seemed to be doing a good job of removing the paper, but it also removed the roughness of the layup from the peel ply.

I went out and bought a new rigid scraper blade and abrasion attachment. I went straight to garage to try out the new scraper. It seemed to be peeling up the paper okay, but I couldn't tell if I was digging into the core layup as well, so I switched to 50 grit sandpaper on a palm sander. The sandpaper seemed to be giving it a smooth finish, which I didn't want, so I switched to the abrasion attachment. This gave a much rougher finish, but I started to see tufts of glass and quickly backed off. I decided to stop until I could figure out what grit I should be using.

It wasn't till I took a break that I noticed that I has gotten fiberglass dust everywhere, including myself. I hadn't even put a shop apron on, so the painful fiberglass itching started as soon as I got back into rhe house.

After another trip to the hardware store, I came home with a Tyvek painter's jumpsuit and some 40 grit sandpaper. It's amazing how hard 36-grit is to find theae days. I got a much rougher surface with the 40 grit, so I was then ready for cutting out each hardpoint.
I squared up some of the edges first and started cutting. I expected that I would have to switch to a jig saw for some of the cutting, but I was able to use the Multimax and then follow up with some sanding. I wasn't really keen on the sharp inside corner of the hardpoint, so I rounded it out by drilling a hole there and then cutting straight lines to the hole. I thought I was done with that piece, but I wanted to match it up to the bulkhead just to be sure. I saw a few areas where things didn't line up too well. I sanded some of the edges down till I got them too match. I was afraid I might end up sanding the piece until it was too small to use but I think it turned out ok.