Re: Toroid building

["Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Original poster: Jim Lux <jimlux@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>

At 08:06 PM 8/19/2005, Tesla list wrote:
> Original poster: "Scott Hanson" <huil888@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
>
> Jared wrote:
>
> " Ez to do ...."
>
> May I ask if you have ever actually attempted this yourself?
>
> If so, could you post photos of the results?
>
> Regards,
> Scott Hanson
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Tesla list" <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> To: <tesla@xxxxxxxxxx>
> Sent: Friday, August 19, 2005 4:00 PM
> Subject: Re: Toroid building
>
>
> > Original poster: Jared E Dwarshuis <jdwarshui@xxxxxxxxx>
> >
> > Fiberglass cloth and polyester resin for the first layer then smooth
> > with body filler and sand before second layer of cloth.
> (snip)
> > Ez to do but sticky and tedious.
> >
> > good luck from Jared



This technique fits in the "easy for some, difficult for others" 
class: like making oil paintings, doing body work on auto sheet 
metal, carving marble sculptures, cutting topiary, etc.

IF you have the right tools
AND
IF you have the experience or talent

it goes real fast and the product is great.

If not, it's tedious, horrible, the product is ugly.

I used to work with people building sets and props; foam, plaster of 
paris, and bondo (which is just a mixture of resin and chopped 
fiberglass) were their main tools.  Truly amazing products (very 
realistic, good looking copies of famous statues, for instance) in 
remarkably fast time from skilled practitioners.  For myself, though, 
I tried making a simple parabolic reflector using the same basic 
materials and techniques, and it was a gruesome failure.  Main 
difference: they are artists, I am an engineer.