BOOT RELEASE CABLE PROBLEM

[alan.barker]

On the Door side/smooth side finish with "Tissue" and NOT lots of resin.
The strength is the fibres NOT the resin.
Finishing with Tissue gives a nearly smooth surface. If you finish with lots of resin it will crack
Alan

[TonyT]

On the Door side/smooth side finish with "Tissue" and NOT lots of resin.
The strength is the fibres NOT the resin.
Finishing with Tissue gives a nearly smooth surface. If you finish with lots of resin it will crack
Alan

Hello Alan,

Thanks for this useful tip.
However, I have already decided to get this done by my local Lotus Dealer rather than buying all the materials to do it myself.
I will printout all the tips and procedures I have been given by all the helpful people who took the trouble to reply to my request for information for future reference - Many Thanks to you all.
Tony T.

[jono]

On the Door side/smooth side finish with "Tissue" and NOT lots of resin.
The strength is the fibres NOT the resin.
Finishing with Tissue gives a nearly smooth surface. If you finish with lots of resin it will crack
Alan

I'm not sure if that was a thinly veiled pop at my repair description Alan - if it was not then apologies for being overly sensitive

Either way though I differ with you view in this particular case - in my experience you won't get the tissue to lie flat in the small concave aperture where the boot pull sits hence my suggestion of a couple of coats of resin to blind off the CSM then flat back, and filler as required. Clearly and fule nose that the matt provides the strength and not the resin which is why I mentioned several layers of CSM laminated in decreasing circles on the rear where the pull force will act (just like a bell hanging from a dome). This will be a strong repair and, in my opinion, the resin would not crack and would be acting purely as a surfacing treatment.

On a larger, flatter, surface then clearly tissue is the correct way for the final finish to the glass repair al la Mr Wilkins

[alan.barker]

Hi Jono,
i was not digging at you at all, why would i do that. I was just saying my method that's all.
It's nice to have different ways that you can choose from.
Like with building up the layers over a repair i always start with the smallest piece of matt and finish with the largest.
That leaves only the outline of the largest piece to be seen and not the outline of each layer.
Personal choice of course.
Sometimes i use what i call a wetting out board to impregnate several layers together. Then put in place like a sandwich. If it's a flat surface i finish by going over with a metal roller to chase out air bubbles. Or stipple with a brush that i have cut down the bristles short to force out air bubbles.
So many different techniques that are all good.
Working with grp is all good fun
Alan

[jono]

Hi Alan - no worries

Yeah, I would do exactly what you described on a panel repaired from the outside face - the analogy I use is like contours on a map but in reverse if that makes sense. But on the boot pull indent I would go the opposite way on the reverse side in order to spread the point load from the boot pull outwards - I recall on my last car it did need a bit of effort to pull the boot open but I had stengthened it in the manner described and it never cracked. Not an issue on my current project as it's an early car with external boot release.

What I have found with the tissue is the fibres don't 'flow' when wetted like the CSM hence I have found it tricky to get it to lie flat when going over tight compound shapes.

It is good fun though as you say and quite a creative process, certainly more enjoyable than chopping out metal and welding new stuff in!