fiberglass cymbal

[peeves24]

im making a 14" fiberglass cymbal. i used an an old entry level cymbal as a mold. i'll be making 4 of these: 1 pair of hihats and 2 crashes





i dont have an 18" or larger cymbal yet so its going to take a while for me to make a ride

[Guest]

im making a 14" fiberglass cymbal. i used an an old entry level cymbal as a mold. i'll be making 4 of these: 1 pair of hihats and 2 crashes. i dont have an 18" or larger cymbal yet so its going to take a while for me to make a ride

Wow, your cymbal look good so far! I like that yellow color. How many layers of fiberglass mat are you using per cymbal?

[Michael Render]

Very cool. I didn't know you could color fiberglass. You learn something new every day!

[peeves24]

5 layers and then i added more strands on the bell part just for reinforcement. i dont know how many i should use so i was thinking of doing the first one in 5, the 2nd in 7 and so on. try each weight which will feel good.

im not sure what happened but the fiberglass got stuck on the cymbal. i did use a generous amount of release wax before applying the resin but it didnt work

its a good thing though that the top part of the cymbal is still ok. i'll just have to get some rubber mold materials and try again next weekend

[RAJ]

5 layers and then i added more strands on the bell part just for reinforcement. i dont know how many i should use so i was thinking of doing the first one in 5, the 2nd in 7 and so on. try each weight which will feel good.

im not sure what happened but the fiberglass got stuck on the cymbal. i did use a generous amount of release wax before applying the resin but it didnt work

its a good thing though that the top part of the cymbal is still ok. i'll just have to get some rubber mold materials and try again next weekend

Might wanna try drilling a hole at the top, that might help release

[peeves24]

thanks for the advise, i tried it but the FG still wont come off

[t_henson]

try laying down aluminum foil over the cymbal and then lay down the fiberglass. not sure if it will work, but i have seen it done for other things.

[Sabre]

i'll just have to get some rubber mold materials and try again next weekend

I was thinking that it might be cool to lay down a very thin layer of rubber first and then apply the fiberglass. If the fibreglass would bond with the rubber layer the way it has with the cymbal, you'd have a perfectly shaped cymbal with a nice silent rubber playing surface.

I did a little fiberglass work back in high school and I'm concerned about how the edges will stand up to regular use. It seems to me the edge would be the weakest point, and could easily begin to crumble if not reinforced sufficiently. In any case, I'm very interested to see how this project turns out.

[badnomad]

I seem to recall reading somewhere that petroleum jelly is a good release agent......I think it was in an article involving canoe moulding. They then clean, sand, and gelcoat the surface.

Myke C.

[cheapthrill]

Fiberglass degrades over time and eventually make tiny annoying slivers...I have sat in an old chair made of that stuff before and got slivers in my arms every time I sat in it (it sucked!). Just be careful if you are going to use a choke switch or you may get slivers in your hand when muting the cymbal. I strongly recommend applying some kind of protective coating on the cymbals before using them.

[Michael Render]

I use carnuba wax as a fiberglass release. Works well except for that one time I cast a cardboard mold. Bad idea.

Will gel coat take the repeated beatings of sticks?

[badnomad]

Gelcoat is really just the same resin used to bond the fibers, but with a more resilient, finishable surface. It also provides some degree of isolation from the fibers.

Myke C.

[peeves24]

Fiberglass degrades over time and eventually make tiny annoying slivers...I have sat in an old chair made of that stuff before and got slivers in my arms every time I sat in it (it sucked!). Just be careful if you are going to use a choke switch or you may get slivers in your hand when muting the cymbal. I strongly recommend applying some kind of protective coating on the cymbals before using them.

fiberglass alone still generates a lot of stick noise. i already bought truck bed liner in a spray can (which is more expensive than all the FG materials to make 4 cymbals )

i didnt think of using the rubber mold as a top coat but i hope the bed liner will be more durable

I use carnuba wax as a fiberglass release. Works well except for that one time I cast a cardboard mold. Bad idea.

Will gel coat take the repeated beatings of sticks?

cardboard is porous and the release wax will just get absorbed

[badnomad]

The truck bed liner is really durable......Where are you buying yours?...I was picking it up for about $8.99/can, which was easily enough to double-coat 2 22" cymbals on both sides. Another, more resilient, but equally bulletproof solution, is a product generally referred to as 'rockerguard'. It is an autobody undercoat, and is available in spray cans, (in either clear, or black), for about the same price as bed liner......Just make sure you don't buy the asphalt/tar-based product....get the synthetic-based one.

Myke C.

[peeves24]

update...

i found a store that sells really cheap entry level cymbals. cheaper to buy 5 cymbals than to make my rubber mold. this is a lost cause for me.

i do have to say though, the fiberglass treatment dampens the cymbal really well and its really tough. i'll save the truck bed liner can for something else and apply fiberglass on the other cymbals as well