Glasfaserverstärkter Kunststoff

What is a Three-Knuckle, Fixed-Pin, Portal Mechanism?

I have been tormented the past week by a hinge or, more to the point, the lack of one. In trying to track down the correct hinge with which to attach the back door of TheSuperCamp I have had to learn a lot about hinge terminology which, as subjects go, is pretty high on my ListOfShittestThingsToLearnAbout.

I now know what a ContinuousHinge is, a ButtHinge, a StrapHinge, a SpringHinge. If you were to ask me about a BackFlap hinge I would even have to ask you whether you meant a CrankedBackFlap or UncrankedBackFlap hinge and indeed if you were looking for a Loose or a FixedPin. I know what the Knuckle is and what an ANSI hole pattern looks like...and once again I refer you to my ListOfShittestThingsToLearnAbout.

A Three Knuckled Butt Hinge with 5mm Leaf.

You may be thinking to yourself "But a hinge is just a hinge" and I would have agreed with you this time last week. But since then I have had the odd experience of discovering a world of hinge enthusiasts and experts out there that would scoff at such a naive statement. In fact, such naivety led me to HingePurchaseNumberOne

The hinge to replace... and the replacement

What can I say? It looked much bigger in the eBay picture. Having been burned once I am now a much more savvy player in the hinge world and have tracked down this beast- HingePurchaseNumberTwo

The eBay listing reads-

These 4" Hinges with 6mm Leafs are the strongest available in this size. Don't settle for cheaper, thinner hinges if you have a heavy duty job to do. As the saying goes: "You get what you pay for" & you won't be disappointed with these babies.

This "baby" isn't for the faint hearted. It's not for the hinge tourist, this is 567kg of double-pressed pure portal-mechanism power.


What is Glasfaserverstärkter Kunststoff?

LeftRearCorner exterior

RightRearCorner Interior

The rear corners of TheSuperCamp, where the body meets the fibreglass roof, are rotten through. I don't even know quite how they could have gotten to this state. Whoever owned her before JennyPreviousOwner must have had a pretty serious leakage problem for a very long time. I can only imagine some kind of BuryYourHeadInGaffaSolution where CoveringUp is hand in hand with Hope.

My options to fix these gaping, vehicular travesties where-


1. Weld in patches...and hope

Welding would be a horrendous experience given the state and thickness of the existing metal and the fact the area bends across three planes. I can't take another WeldingDentInMyPride just yet.

2. Take out the whole corner and try to replace with one from a different vehicle...and hope

This would still need welding in and there would be no room for adjustment to fit into the roof

3. Fibreglass...and hope

This involves learning a new skill and doing a neat job in the process

4. Gaffa tape...and really hope.
After a morning of option 3, I was very close to going with this one


And so I began my fibreglass adventure

Research, Do, Make Mistakes, Research More, Redo 

Research

Fibreglass is made by the combination of polyester resin, hardener and glass fibre matting (ChoppedStrandMatting) The resin is about the same consistency and colour as hot syrup, though not nearly as delicious. Once combined with the hardener- the same hardener I have been using with the filler (also polyester based)- it starts to go off and you have a small timeframe to coat the matting and apply it. For the correct mix of resin to hardener, the manufacturer's instructions do away with conventional measuring terminology and instead opt for talk of peas and golf balls. As someone who has never been into gardening or golf, this is just one more hurdle. 

Do

The instructions on the packet are arrogantly brief and nowhere on the sterile diagrams do I see any swearing, sticky fingers or desperate weeping. I have provided an alternative

1. Make sure all surfaces are clean, dry and free from dirt and grease.

Try as best you can to get an angle grinder into all impossible corners, whilst not panicking at the amount of metal that is crumbling before your eyes.

2. Cut the correct sized piece of matting to cover the desired area

We're not going to tell you that it's much easier to work in small strips, so go ahead, cut one massive piece. Hey, maybe you will be the first ever person to do it.

3. Mix a pea sized amount of hardener to a golf ball sized amount of resin

Add a Smidgen of hardener to a Bit of resin..I think.

4. Brush the mixture onto the matting, making sure you work it right through.

Dip that brush in liquid plastic that's going to go off any minute now. You have got more brushes?

5. Place the coated matting on the area you wish to cover and wait to dry.

Put it in place and let it fall off onto your unsuspecting head. Now try again but this time holding it in place with your fingers. Don't worry, you've got all evening to pick plastic shards from underneath your fingernails....and out of your hair.

6. Drying time is 20mins

Drying time will be what ever is most inconvenient to you.

Make Mistakes

My plan was to fix aluminium mesh across the hole to give some strength and a surface to adhere to. I would then add the strips on the inside and use filler on the exterior.

I very nearly gave up after my first attempt. It was a miserable experience during which I learned three things

1. A paintbrush- despite being expressly recommended in the instructions -is the worst tool you can use as it is rendered useless as soon as the resin dries.

2. When on the underside of a roof, gravity and the push of aluminium mesh is a far greater force than that of the resin's stickiness

3. I will be covered in resin for the rest of my life

Research More

1. Use a flexible plastic spatula

2. Use small strips and hold in place until the resin hardens enough to hold itself

3. Wear gloves

Redo

LeftRearCorner exterior

RightRearCorner Interior

The fibreglass is essentially a rigid plastic when dry. It can then be sanded and filled. A downpour will be the true test, but aesthetically I am very pleased with the outcome.

First layer of filler