wood to fiberglass glue? - Fiberglass RV
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Old 03-20-2012, 08:47 PM   #1
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wood to fiberglass glue?

I am trying to install some curtains in my casita. I am thinking to attach the brackets for the rods on a long piece of wood (stretching horizontally over the top of the windows) that I will glue to the fiberglass shell. I have a carpet interior so I will probably cut that back and then glue it back over the wood. Anybody familiar with a good adhesive for the wood to fiberglass? thanks
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Old 03-20-2012, 08:53 PM   #2
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One option would be to fiberglass the wood to the fiberglass shell. OR simply 'glass 2 small square block pieces that you could screw the brackets into - wouldn't need to do a long piece, and it'd be easier to pull back carpet in small areas (regardless of how you fasten it, really... fiberglass or an adhesive)
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Old 03-20-2012, 09:17 PM   #3
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On my trailer where I needed wood attached to the fibreglass sometimes I used bondo. It might work for you also, it is made from resin anyways. It is very strong and not as messy as glass ,just ruff up the area first so the bondo has something to bite into. Use lots of harder and it set in 5 min

Hope this helps
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Old 03-20-2012, 09:42 PM   #4
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For Wood to Fiberglass attachment

I used PL Premium Polyurethane Construction adhesive. You can get it at Home Depot, Lowes, probably a local hardware store. Comes in a tube. Use a 'better' quality caulking gun, not the basic caulking gun, because this stuff is thick. Don't use too much; it expands somewhat when drying. Read the instructions. It's a very good ahdesive.

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Old 03-21-2012, 05:16 AM   #5
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I've used 3M 4200 Fast Cure to adhere wooden blocks to fiberglass. I used it on the rough interior surface (no gelcoat) of the fiberglass inside a closet. It's been holding fast for 3 years.

I've also attached aluminum angle irons to the roof (gelcoat) using 3M VHB tape for my solar panel installation. I'm sure that it would also work for wood/fiberglass, but it is pricey.

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Old 03-21-2012, 08:01 AM   #6
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I'll second the 3M VHB tape. There are many different versions; their web site suggests which to use for different applications.
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Old 03-21-2012, 08:15 AM   #7
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On my Hunter Compact-II, rather than cutting away the wall covering and making a permanent change, the original owner installed strips of aluminum along the top edge of the window frames to support curtain rods. They are 2" wide strips, about 4" longer than the width of the window, and are attached to the top edge of the frame with pop-rivets. Mine are still plain metal, but could easily be covered with wood veneer (found in auto supply stores for interior customizing or at Lowe's for cabinet fronts) or even sticky paper stuff.



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Old 03-21-2012, 10:04 AM   #8
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I use fiberglass resin. Very stinky (use lots of ventilation). Very strong and definitely compatible with the existing fiberglass. Bondo is basically resin + filler, so if you have that around anyway, it will work as well.

One key advantage, you can coat all sides of the wood for anti-rotting protection.

Here's an example from my trailer. Note I'm glassing wood to the inside of the cabinet, which is "raw" fiberglass. In this photo you can see wood backing around the edges of the revised cutout. This is the middle of the modification; I have temporary screws holding the wood to the fiberglass while the resin sets. You could also use a clamp (but be careful about glassing in your clamp!
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Old 03-21-2012, 10:31 AM   #9
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I'm a wooden boat builder and we oftern use fiberglass cloth as a protective layer over the wood.

Epoxy is the gold standard for this application. Note the 5 min stuff is not nearly as strong as glue that cures slower. I use a product that requires 8 hours at 70 defrees F to cure. Be sure to mix the resin and hardener acurately and thouroughly. If the epoxy is too runny, you can mix sanding dust or talcum powder to thicken it. Mix the resin + hardener first, then mix in the thickener.

I've used PL Premuim to bond wood to wood and that works very well also. It cures in about four hours and is less messy than the epoxy because no mixing is required.

Whatever you do be sure to sand the mating surfaces (both wood and fiberglass) with coarse sandpaper - I'd use 80 grit. Also clean the sanding dust off thoroughly with water if using PL Premium or alcohol if using epoxy.

Both adhesives need to be over about 60 F to cure in a reasonable time period..

If it were me, I'd use the PL Premium.

You will have to figure out how to hold the wood piece in position against the shell while the glue dries.

The VHB tape would work well and I believe it sticks on contact so no clamps are required. Downsides would be the high cost ($20?) and the chance to make a mistake sticking it up and have it stuck there permanently.

Any of these adhesives will be stronger than the wood if used correctly.
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Old 03-21-2012, 06:52 PM   #10
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Gardner, you are receiving a lot of really good ideas for bonding wood to the shell to anchor the curtain rods. But, if you find this is way more information than what you want to do... consider anchoring the curtain rod to the window frame. See the picture for another idea.
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Old 03-21-2012, 10:51 PM   #11
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That works!
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Old 03-24-2012, 07:24 PM   #12
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+1 for bondo for general use mounting shelf cleats and nailers to clean glass with no gelcoat (both are polyester resin). However, in my Burro the el cheapo Wallyworld type curtain rod brkts are installed on the window frames as illustrated by Donna.

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Old 03-24-2012, 09:15 PM   #13
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Smile Mounting

Donna, that looks like an excellent method. One caveat. How far does the glass extend into the frame. One wouldn't want to hit that with a drill.

I epoxied a small, brass handle to the inside of the hatch on my boat using just the standard household epoxy in the two tubes. Just get an old piece of cardboard or an index card and lay out a strip of the epoxy and a strip of the hardener, mix them together with a small stick like a toothpick, and smear on the surface. That lasted from about 1972 until 2005 when I sold the boat. Of course that was to the backside of the FG where the weave showed.
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Old 03-24-2012, 11:43 PM   #14
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On the AUTOBODY collision industry there is a two part urathane glue that can bond almost anything
I use it daily
Proform makes it
#pf7770,7771.ect number depends on dry times
I think it goes 1.5 min,3.5,10,or 30 min
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Old 03-25-2012, 05:55 AM   #15
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Originally Posted by Roger C H View Post
Donna, that looks like an excellent method. One caveat. How far does the glass extend into the frame. One wouldn't want to hit that with a drill.
The clamp ring was removed Roger, then the bracket added. Clamp ring reapplied.
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Old 04-26-2012, 10:44 PM   #16
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Smile Question

Donna,
Was that mod on your rig? Pop rivets have a "head" on the back side.Was there clearance for the heads of the rivets?
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