Star Wars Or ??? Is it worth the effort ???

[66SIX]

I finished my ARMY bike and slowly but surely getting my Gyro ready .
I was thinking maybe start a new project Has anyone done any custom fiberglass work on the plastics ?
Here is a pic of the bike I bought from a guy riding down the street turns out he also had a parts bike and boxes of spare parts $160.00

[66SIX]

I got some bumper repair stuff and have been using it to get the Darth Vader scoot rolling

[66SIX]

Also why dosn't anyone put pegs on the sides of a scooter instead of just looking like they are sitting in a chair .
How hard can it be ?

[mustangwagz]

YO, Triple 6, Your my kinda guy! Fab that s*** up!! Lets see it!! lol

i LOVE making accesories! WOooT!!

[66SIX]

mustangwagz Thanks Dude OK so I own a Harbor Freight welder / But I use Lincon wire my welds look like s*** but my grinder gets a lot of use . I tried to cover up the crap welds with JB weld just to make it look smooth not for strength .I will see what it looks like after sanding .

[66SIX]

OK my first attempt at making a fiberglass front for a spree (Darth Vader Edition ) maybe ?
I did the mold last night and was kinda surprised it actually came out not 1/2 bad so I guess in the next day or two
I will try to figure out how to apply fiber glass ? (never did that either ) I was thinking try to put in Amber lights behind the eyes and use them for turn signals ... How hard can it be ?
Also does anyone have a R2D2 with a removable top for sale That I could use as a trunk ? Lights and sound would be good but not important and aslo it dosent need wheels but if it could shoot lazer beams that would be great and if it could levitate the Spree ,Im not talking 10 feet maybe 2 or 3 just to get the wheels off the ground so I could go sideways through traffic and of course make the bike spin around and go in the opposiet direction , Thanks please do not call all at the same time I only need one .

[mustangwagz]

Tips: Get some air comin outta your gun..(if ya can) If you cant get a mixture of 75/25 (argon/co2) just run strait co2. it IS cheaper, but not near as nice as runnin mixed.

Also, by looks of things, your runnin wirefeed tooooo fast. Alotta popin and splatter hangin there. Try Turnnin down the speed a bit. Also i see the color of the metal plate your using is blueish looking..Tells me ya got alotta heat runnin, with to much wire? Yes...turning down your wire will lead to blow throughs..BUT, if you can, turn down heat also.

Another note, Weld "Down" if you can at alllll times. (i.e. From the square tube down to plate) Assuming the tube is Thicker than the plate is. This way most of your heat is focused on the tube, and only slightly on the plate. Even if its only for a second.

Ahhh yah, one other thing..iF your welder is turned down low (heat setting that is) and your still havin blow through issues, Go up in wire size. Your welder should tell you what kinda wire to use OR how big to go.. brand of wire (lincoln you stated) is not nearly as important as thickness n such. You said your welding without gas..are you using fluxcore wire? (gas-less wire) If not..that'll also make the mess ya got. lol Fluxcore is weird stuff!!

Preping your metal and checking for a GREAT ground is a big thing too..especially with 120v welders.. 110/120 will weld EXCELLENT, If you got your welder dialed in right and have it grounded properly to your work piece. My little 110 is only rated for 3/8 at the thickest!! I do 1/2 and 9/16th's alllll the time.. It CAN be done, but certain care must be taken when doing that kinda job.

I hope you can get soemthing from all this mumbo jumbo i just typed, To some..i may not even make sense, or may seem like an idiot..but i've been watchin dad since i was 4, and doin it myself since i was 12 so i just figured i'd throw that out there for ya.

Now dig up some scrap, fire up the metal fusing device and practice!! lol

[808BMW]

As much as I wish I had a welder, I don't so I can't give any welding tips But I have played with fiberglass on quite a few occasions, some starter tips:

#1 work in a well ventilated area. The fumes are very strong, and dangerous. I work outside and still use a respirator.

Buy everything disposable. Measuring/mixing cups, brushes, gloves, dropcloths, whatever. Mix small batches of resin so you don't have to rush, and if you mess it up it's only a little bit. You can cleanup with mineral spirits but you'd much rather just toss it all. Watch your plastics, some will melt (styrofoam will for sure ), I buy wax covered paper mixing cups and have had no problems.

Don't buy foam brushes, the foam will break down. Use cheap paint brushes, and cut the bristles down to about 1" so they are stiff. Then you use the brush to "dab" resin onto your piece.

When working with fiberglass cloth/mat, just rip it up. The ragged edges bond better. For something so intricate, you may need to use a thinner cloth like an old tshirt. Lay that as your first layer for the intricate shape, then buildup with real fiberglass.

Fiberglass cures with heat. I hear the resin won't cure if it is too cold/moist. I live in Hawaii so I've never had this problem, but if it's not hardening up, you can leave it under some shop lights (the big yellow ones that get hot) or you can run a heater in your garage. Remember the resin will generate it's own heat, so don't go setting up 2 fire hazards around 1 existing hazard, and then go to bed or out to dinner


I'm sure there is loads more but that's just off the top of my head. Fiberglassing aside, I only have 1 input: If it were me, I'd mold the mask into your headlight plastic, not the front panel. The headlight is the "face" of your bike, so putting the mask on your face (rather than on the front of your tshirt) would make more sense to me. Best of luck either way

[66SIX]

mustangwagz You said your welding without gas..are you using fluxcore wire? (gas-less wire)
Yes .
lol Fluxcore is weird stuff!!
Yes Yes and double Yes...
I hope you can get soemthing from all this mumbo jumbo i just typed, To some..i may not even make sense,
mustangwagz Your mumbo Jumbo was right on and very helpfull I just wish I knew as much as you have forgotten about welding and I would probably be much better at it .
I was actually thinking about exchanging my gas-less welder for one w/ a tank as they told me I could befor the service contract runs out , which is in a couple days and I would just have to pay the difference .... I know I know I should but I would have to pay the difference and just don't know if I can justify it . Still if I give them a year old welder and pay the difference I get a new one w/ a tank ???? hmmmmmmmmmm??? I,m thinking ???

[66SIX]

808BMW Thanks great tips But where were you the other night when I was doing this ???
as soon as I read your cut the bristles down , I said to myself that makes sense and thought that would have made things go so much eaiser and the firmness would have pushed the fiberglass deeper into the mold ... I have to admit I was really getting frustrated as I was pushing down trying to get it into the cracks and intricate
areas and it would stick to the brush .

. Use cheap paint brushes, and cut the bristles down to about 1" so they are stiff. Then you use the brush to "dab" resin onto your piece.
OK so I went all out and got the .25 cent brushes Im a real Rockafeller .

When working with fiberglass cloth/mat, just rip it up. The ragged edges bond better.
Again Now you tell me .... I was cutting them into 3 and 4 in. peices Your way makes too much sense and too easy ..... Live and listen to 808BMW
I really feel like kicking myself "just rip them up " Brilliant .
I'm sure there is loads more but that's just off the top of my head. Fiberglassing aside, I only have 1 input: If it were me, I'd mold the mask into your headlight plastic, not the front panel. The headlight is the "face" of your bike, so putting the mask on your face (rather than on the front of your tshirt) would make more sense to me. Best of luck either way
Sorry this is where I disagree ... Molding around a headlight is a great idea If it wern't for the shape I think it would take away from the Darth Vader look but I was planning on putting amber lenses in the eyes and mount the turn signals behind them ... Big talk but if the fiberglass looks like * I might have to come up with plan B also I googled R2D2 toy boxes $500.00 bucks are people out of their brains ? I thought a R2D2 would make a cool trunk but at $500.00 bucks that is not going to happen .
Back to putting the mask on your face rather than T shirt you got me thinking ??????? Super brite halagon lamps in the eye sockets might be very cool $$$$$ then again maybe not ?
OK help me out I made the mold used pam came off easy ... then I started doing the fiberglass for the first time I just put the fiberglass in the plaster of paris will I have to break the mold to get it out ??? Remember I didnt put anything under it ???? will the fiber stick to the plaster ???
808BMW Thanks for all your input ... now lets look at some photos ....

[808BMW]

Haha everyone learns the hard way, hindsight is always 20/20
Make sure if you are going to rip up the fiberglass mat, do it BEFORE your hands are covered in resin. Trying to rip as you go just covers you with small useless strands

The fiberglass will most likely stick to your mold and you'll have to break it off.

Yeah I figured the mask is a bit large and would need to be cut down to really fit on the headlight, then it would be hard to pull off the "look" with an incomplete vader mask. I'm just used to streetfighter'd sportbikes and they have a lot of options that all looks like "faces"

[mustangwagz]

mustangwagz You said your welding without gas..are you using fluxcore wire? (gas-less wire)
Yes .
lol Fluxcore is weird stuff!!
Yes Yes and double Yes...
I hope you can get soemthing from all this mumbo jumbo i just typed, To some..i may not even make sense,
mustangwagz Your mumbo Jumbo was right on and very helpfull I just wish I knew as much as you have forgotten about welding and I would probably be much better at it .
I was actually thinking about exchanging my gas-less welder for one w/ a tank as they told me I could befor the service contract runs out , which is in a couple days and I would just have to pay the difference .... I know I know I should but I would have to pay the difference and just don't know if I can justify it . Still if I give them a year old welder and pay the difference I get a new one w/ a tank ???? hmmmmmmmmmm??? I,m thinking ???

Depends how much welding you do or plan on doing..not only that though..you want strong welds for reliability and strength. The gas welder is gonna give you WAY better welds, hands down! lol It'll also cut back on your useage of JB weld for hiding the bird *. hahha, so you may save more $$$$ on that stuff by spending a couple extra on the gas one. How much is the difference between the two of them? I got a miller welder, which costs WAY more than those ones, but still, gas will help you out sooooooo much!! If i t hink of it, ill take a picture of some of the stuff i do with my lil 110 welder.

As for should you do it..(the swap on welders)..thats something you have to decide. Can you afford it..and...do you want strong, more reliable welds (with time, and tinkering that is..each machine is different and will require gettin used to) I would swap em..Safety, and durability is a big thing when i'm welding usually. (frames, bumpers, roll cages, Winch mounts, Trailers, star ship enterprise, "spree Racks" lol)

[66SIX]

808BMW The pics you posted wow now that is one great looking front...... I added some more fiber glass and you are right again . it stuck to the plaster I have been busting it off and it is not looking too good I will try a bit more tomorrow and hopefully some sanding might make it a little better .

[Trafficjamz]

Why make a mold at all?

Why not just use the original mask piece on the scooter ?



It looks better on the headlight.

[veedubh20]

the bird * weld need more heat...

Just need to play wire feed and heat range, , just get any metal weld and take your time and relax.