Heat treated fiberglass mat

[mjkkemper]

I purchased a roll of 18oz 60"x150' woven mat for a pretty good price for an upcoming project. I am planning building a swim platform extension of a 3207 carver.
Out of curiosity I ran the product number on the box. This mat turned out to be 18 oz fire blanket for welding. The material looks identical to woven mat. In calling the manufacture they indicated the cloth is heat treated to burn of any containment and that no coating have been applied to it. They couldn’t tell me if this fiberglass mat could be used in fabrication.
If anyone knows a little bit more about this please reply. What I am wondering if this would be same at 18oz woven mat?

[gonzo]

Cloth for use with polyester and vinylester have a bonding agent that dissolves with styrene. It makes it a bit more stiff and easier to use. There are two basic types of fiberglass E and S. The strength characteristics are a bit different, but for a swim platform extension, there shouldn't be a problem. My only concern with fire blankets, is that the weave is very tight and may be hard to wet.

[TeddyDiver]

Originally Posted by gonzo

Cloth for use with polyester and vinylester have a bonding agent that dissolves with styrene.

Woven mat he said.. not chop strand..

[gonzo]

Chop strand is what comes off a chop gun or is loosely packaged as a filler. Mat is a material made of short fibers with generally random orientation and held by a binder. Woven mat is what is commonly called a combination of woven fabric and mat.
mjkkemper: Do you have a photo of the material?

[mjkkemper]

attached are photo and below is a link to the cloth

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/too...0345_200390345

[War Whoop]

The Glass is usually treated with Volan A for the most common polyester resins ,the glass manufactures apply a Silane containing size when it is first pulled from the melt,The chemical makeup of these is proprietary and designed to be computable with specific resins,in other words they are targeted and have maximum reactivity with a particular thermosetting resin during cure.

Mjk the problem will come from moisture and your laminate without a sizing there could be a problem.

[mjkkemper]

Thank you for your insight. I am able to return the cloth for a refund and will most likely purchase from a reputable supplier

[Submarine Tom]

I have to mention this: the only boat I ever saw sink was a Carver 42 with a swim grid. It was at the fuel dock and the wake from a ferry going by lifted the stern. No big deal ACCEPT the corner of the swim grid was under the dock and when the stern lifted in the swell, the SG supports punched through the transom about a foot below the water line. She went down in less than three minutes (largely due to poor emergency management).

Be aware.

-Tom