I can't resist building things. I was doing some fiberglassing so It seemed a good idea to buiild a guard to protect my new Gnarly from getting mashed. I had some of the materials and traded a 6-pack for the kevlar scraps. I complete one step each night after work to give the resin time to fully cure. This was actually very easy to build. Total weight with clamps is 1lb-4oz. The final product is so strong I can't even flex it. I posted more photos in my gallery. Cam.
Materials:
1 Liter polyester resin
scraps of fiberglass mat or cloth
fiberglass or kevlar Roving (heavy weave cloth)
plastic kitchen wrap
Paint
2 large hose clamps
Step1:
Wrap the area of your pipe to be glassed in kitchen wrap. Cover the remainder with plastic bags. The narrow stuff they use at home depot to strap wood trim would work better than the stuff I used. With a black marker, mark on the pipe aprox where the guard edges will be. You will glass a larger area then trim it smaller.
Step2:
Using 1.5" wide strips of fiberglass mat, build a 1-layer shell over the pipe and let it cure. Before it is fully cured, pop the shell off the pipe and pull any kitchen wrap out of the inner part of the shell. Let it cure for a day, rough sand it then carefully trim it close to it's final size (but not too close, that comes later).
Step3: The fiberglass or Kevlar roving (you can use either) fits nicely over the curve without cutting darts or slits. Put 2 layers on and work it with your hands until it the roving takes the shape. Glass this in place and let cure a day.
Step4: Trim to final shape with a saber saw. Apply a coat of resin inside, outside and the cut edges (for sanding) and let cure a day. Sand with 60gr. Drill/file mounting holes and drain holes, paint and install heat sheild (tinfoil).
