How to Mix Fiberglass Microfibers

Mixing fiberglass microfiber is a means of strengthening your fiberglass composite to a greater degree than it would cure with standard fiberglass cloth. Microfiber is a type of continuous filament fiber that is developed by weaving together polyester and a nylon byproduct on a micro level. The finished result is a cloth whose threads have the capacity to absorb a resin/hardener mixture more efficiently than normal fiberglass cloths made only of polyester. Mixing fiberglass microfibers with resin and hardener will increase the tensile strength of your composite.

Things You'll Need

  • Leather gloves
  • Microfiber cloth
  • Sandpaper
  • Scissors
  • Resin
  • Hardener
  • Stir stick
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Instructions

    • 1

      Put on your leather gloves. The microfiber will stick to rubber gloves or your bare hands. Rasp the microfiber cloth with the sandpaper. Each time you pull a wad of microfiber off the cloth with the sandpaper, set it aside. Since you will be mixing the microfiber with the resin, it is easiest if you can separate the cloth's microfibers. Rasping the cloth will leave you with a ball of microfibers resembling steel wool.

    • 2

      Cut the ball of microfiber with the scissors. The object is to make the individual strands as short as possible. Hold the ball of microfibers in your hand and allow 1/4 inch of strands to peek out from between your thumb and forefinger. Cut the fibers with your scissors and expose another 1/4-inch of strands between your thumb and forefinger for cutting. Continue doing this until you have cut up the entire ball.

    • 3

      Rewad all the strands into a ball and begin cutting them. Cut up the entire wad and rewad the strands again. The idea is to get the microfiber strands as short as possible. Cut the strands until you can no longer wad them up, put them in your hand and cut them. The shorter the strands, the easier they mix with the resin.

    • 4

      Mix the microfibers with the resin prior to adding the hardener. You want time to thoroughly mix the microfibers in with the resin, and if you add the hardener in beforehand, you will be under pressure to move quickly. Once you are satisfied you have evenly mixed the microfibers into the resin, add the hardener.