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Most of the canoe builds that you see around are based on the old reliable 6oz. and 4oz. plain weave e-glass fabrics. Has anyone experimented with other glass options?
We sometimes see various twill fabrics listed, usually in heavier weights.
Browsing the Raka site, I found something called "style 120," which has a rather intriguing description. It is a tight weave fabric. On further research, I've found that this fabric is what is known as a "4 harness satin" and is supposed to maintain much higher strength for E-glass, as the fibers are not bent back and forth as often as they are in plain weave fabrics. The smoother surface also creates a weave pattern that does not take nearly as much resin to fill, and the tight weave will result in a higher glass to resin ratio. Its actually supposed to be mil-spec for aerospace applications.
The fabric is variously listed as anywhere from 3 to 3.5 oz weight, depending on who weighed it, and Raka is one of the few retailers that try to stock it in something wider than 38" They are currently out of stock, but state that they are trying to bring it back soon.
This sort of sounds ideal for a light strip build, if one is willing to use double layers as appropriate.
Has anyone tried this stuff out, and if so, what is it like? Raka claims that it is harder to wet out and to lay into complex shapes than a 6oz plain. Other sources repeat the note about the wet-out, due to the tight weave, but claim that it drapes more easily than standard cloths. They claim that it tends to fray along cut edges, but that could be dealt with by taping before one cuts.
Any other unusual e-glass fabrics that you have used? What strengths and weakness have you found?
We sometimes see various twill fabrics listed, usually in heavier weights.
Browsing the Raka site, I found something called "style 120," which has a rather intriguing description. It is a tight weave fabric. On further research, I've found that this fabric is what is known as a "4 harness satin" and is supposed to maintain much higher strength for E-glass, as the fibers are not bent back and forth as often as they are in plain weave fabrics. The smoother surface also creates a weave pattern that does not take nearly as much resin to fill, and the tight weave will result in a higher glass to resin ratio. Its actually supposed to be mil-spec for aerospace applications.
The fabric is variously listed as anywhere from 3 to 3.5 oz weight, depending on who weighed it, and Raka is one of the few retailers that try to stock it in something wider than 38" They are currently out of stock, but state that they are trying to bring it back soon.
This sort of sounds ideal for a light strip build, if one is willing to use double layers as appropriate.
Has anyone tried this stuff out, and if so, what is it like? Raka claims that it is harder to wet out and to lay into complex shapes than a 6oz plain. Other sources repeat the note about the wet-out, due to the tight weave, but claim that it drapes more easily than standard cloths. They claim that it tends to fray along cut edges, but that could be dealt with by taping before one cuts.
Any other unusual e-glass fabrics that you have used? What strengths and weakness have you found?