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Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
By:Jack
Date: 2/18/2000, 10:40 am

Here’s one for you aerospace guys.

Can someone explain to me the vacuum bagging process. I know that the home built airplane guys use it a lot to get maximum strength/weight ratios out of a given thickness of cloth.

As I understand it you apply the glass and epoxy in a normal way cover it in a “peel/ply” and/or “breather” layer, put the whole thing in a vacuum bag and then by evacuating the air, you get uniform pressure over the surface. My assumption is that less epoxy can be used and still get complete wet out and bonding to the surface.

My questions are:

1. how do you peel off the layers after the epoxy cures? I remember trying to get my hatch covers off after building the lip for flush hatches. Even after liberal doses of past wax the epoxy was holding on pretty good.

2. I have this vision of the vacuum pressure squeezing out the excess epoxy from your layup but where does it go. At best it would come to the surface to be sanded down but I don’t think that is right. If it squeezed into the peel/ply then I assume you would never be able to “peel” it off

I have never heard of anyone on this board using it so I assume that it is either very expensive or provides only marginal strength / weight improvements.

Jack

Messages In This Thread

Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Jack -- 2/18/2000, 10:40 am
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Eric Schade (shearwater Boats) -- 2/25/2000, 7:57 pm
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 2/19/2000, 12:58 pm
How about shrink wrap
Jack -- 2/23/2000, 11:39 am
Re: How about shrink wrap
Kelly Trehearne -- 2/24/2000, 9:49 am
Re: How about shrink wrap
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 2/23/2000, 5:47 pm
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Matthew Bastian -- 2/21/2000, 9:41 am
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Matthew Bastian -- 2/23/2000, 8:33 am
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 2/23/2000, 9:22 am
avoid the voids
Brian T. Cunningham -- 2/18/2000, 5:28 pm
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Paul G. Jacobson -- 2/18/2000, 4:42 pm
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
James Neely -- 2/19/2000, 4:08 pm
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Chris Casazza -- 2/18/2000, 4:53 pm
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Chris Casazza -- 2/18/2000, 1:43 pm
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Brian Conklin -- 2/18/2000, 8:32 pm
Attn: Pete Czerpak!
Shawn Baker -- 2/18/2000, 3:56 pm
Re: Attn: Pete Czerpak!
pete czerpak -- 2/22/2000, 9:01 am
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Lance Alldrin -- 2/18/2000, 1:21 pm
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Shawn Baker -- 2/18/2000, 11:19 am
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Jack -- 2/18/2000, 11:26 am
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Will Brockman -- 2/18/2000, 12:28 pm
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
James Neely -- 2/18/2000, 12:48 pm
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Bill -- 2/18/2000, 12:01 pm
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Shawn Baker -- 2/18/2000, 12:01 pm
Re: Vacuum Bagging: Has anyone tried it?
Will Brockman -- 2/18/2000, 12:34 pm