Making Fiberglass Molds

"Making fiberglass molds" chronicles development of a beautiful six piece, molded fiberglass aircraft cargo pod to show each simple design and fabrication technique used to produce a set of low cost, professional quality, production molds. From first sketches, through master patterns, to finished parts.

[@JamesSmith-op7yc]

Thank you Mike Arnold, I wish I could have met you. The man was/ is still such a great artisan, and teacher. His contribution to our world is excellent. I try my best to carry on the legacy that he and people like him put in our hands. James Smith.

[@user-ny2bx8ez1c]

My brother and myself did fiberglass mold making for years back in the mid 1970s. Wish we had seen these videos (there were none back then). It would have drastically reduced our learning curve. To this date, I have seen no other instructional anything that compares to what I have just watched. I truly think these videos will go down in history as the best ever.

[@saraarnold571]

That’s heartwarming to hear. I’m sure Michael is smiling in heaven, listening to those words.

[@tjkirkpatrick9451]

Thankyou Mike a wonderful insight into how these complex parts are made .. very inspiring indeed.... Cheers TJ

[@johnbravo7542]

This man is a genius ,incredible amount of work for a one off part,I don't think the pod can be used on another wing,I have learned so much,thanks for the video.

[@craftsmancollaborative]

True master of his trade. Thanks for the insight Mike, your legacy will continue.

[@adrianperez3375]

These videos really help me get through tough times. Thanks for posting them.

[@EstablishedLowriders]

You are a master! I love watching your work!Thanks for sharing your talent and techniques!

[@emrage]

Honestly my head is about to explode from all the detail..

[@JOEGGGJOE]

Damn my computer froze at 23 minutes. I am glues to this video. So far, if not the best, one of the best videos i have ever seen on fiberglass. from the step by step to the techniques. Kinda cool to see where all these techniques came from. Love the strengthening bead he put around the mold.

[@Erik-rp1hi]

A lot of great info packed in your videos. Vacuum bagging is now very prevalent. Resin infusion if done right is a time saver. I'm going to make a carbon fiber wing off a plug of a Cirrus Gen 6 wing. Not for sale. Lots of work to make those molds. Not sure if it will get it done but it is a dream I have. Thanks for your posts.

[@TRabbit1970]

Master craftsman and an outstanding teacher.

[@gordon6029]

Thank you so much for posting all these videos.

[@ianjones4071]

Hi thank you, your video has inspired me, 🎉

[@darrowfortheprosecution1404]

This is a great presentation and I am sure that with volume production you will get the per piece part price down to a svelte $99.50. WHAD a country. Seriously this is a heavy duty lift and you have done a great service to all of us who are wrestling with our own projects. Thanks.

[@dorothyjones1537]

With all the work you've put into this you better sell a bunch of them

[@earlwhite8717]

I was contentedly watching this video, soaking up the knowledge put forth...with no real humor until 55:34 It was funny enough to make me chuckle and like the video. If you didn't laugh it's clear you live a dull life!

[@TheBubagrunt]

So cool I love the knowledge you demonstrate here. This is definitely artistic in nature and demonstrates we’re created after Gods image with abilities and desire to make creative expressions. I just love this😊 Thank you so much for this content. What a gift!

[@AndreaRoccoMatta]

What an outstanding channel! Absolutely inspiring!

[@doncleasby3087]

Thank you for information on molds, fantastic workmanship

[@Boscovius]

At 11:00 Mike introduces the "dam" that he is going to use to make a mold from the plug. How on Earth did he get the profile of the dam to fit so perfectly?

[@Fishy1764]

fantastic videos very informative I've learnt so much from them.thankyou.

[@THOMASTHESAILOR]

That was a Great Video. Very thorough. It's obvious why Aircraft are expensive.. It's gotta be done properly, every time.. I'm a Machinist and make Aircraft components.. They gotta perfect or You start all over.. No excuses ! Not one ! Ever ! It's Perfect or, go home ! I wanna build my own car, over a VW chassis, It's gonna be fiberglass. This Video was a huge help in the details .. There's many videos on mold making, but, none are as detailed.. Thank You !

[@MrSamurailanx]

Thanks for this vid. 2021 still watching

[@tombeasley1943]

In Memoriam Michael S. Arnold April 1, 1940 - October 6, 2015

[@shenanigans8apeach]

I don't know what I would do to be a fly on the wall at his shop... true artisan.

[@JJBrew12]

Just found your site thank you for information on starting to make molds

[@paddlefaster]

One of the most informative videos on mold making I have seen. Why did you need to use PVA over the wax mold release?

[@psneves]

An artist.

[@Pushyhog]

Would a been nice to have watched mike grow with technology. l attended sun n fun 92’ thru 2011. I always listened when he was talking.

[@earlwhite8717]

Did he pass away?

[@flyinwalenda]

Mike had stated that he had no desire to learn CAD when it came out so I believe he still would be doing things the traditional way even in the 3-D print age if he was still alive.

[@bhanusharma15113]

Great video.....Great person.....Many Thanks.

[@walkertongdee]

pleasure to watch a pro

[@BobBob-cq1bm]

Absolutely some of the finest videos on KZbin. Excellent. Thanks

[@4u2cJoeD]

i've tried to do a male cast. Gave up and did a horizontals 4 oz base coate female with with over cote of shreaded mate to carve my engine cover on a RC air plane. Did not achieve the glass coat Finnish. But was lite and looked fantastic,

[@fredblair4307]

Mr roach you have just called your self a master not good where I come from self praise is no praise at all this man was not a master but a bloody genius

[@Bowtie41]

Need to make sure the polyester resin has NO WAX in it if you are going to do layers without sanding between each.

[@markrutlidge5427]

Always amazes me that nowadays people think that you have to a cnc mill to achieve complex molds. This is the old fashioned way, needs more time and possibility experience to achieve the same result.

[@flyifri]

You should have been a Doctor. Rare to find such an Artist. Thanks bro....

[@robertbolding4182]

it's crazy, why wasn't it mounted above the wing?

[@andymckee53]

Mike Arnold = The God of Glass.

[@mordantly]

You sir are an artist! How many man hours were spent making all the molds? Over 1000 hours?

[@jefffish3537]

I don't understand the dam on the plug .if you make two half's on a plug with a dam your mold will more narrow than the plug ?

[@erikwallin6314]

The dam is removed after the first half has cured, leaving the flange on the first half as the new "dam" - the surface to mold the flange of the second half on.

[@pjwlk]

Very informative. Thanks!

[@jetblastjim]

Is that a BodPod mold?

[@electoplater]

is he not the chap who held a world record for speed with a homebuild

[@TheJustinJ]

Same guy, yes. Mike Arnolds' AR-5 held the FAI speed record in it's weight class (sub 300kg) for many years. - It's since been beaten, but not by much. He also designs the AR-6 now named "Endeavor" and it's won many Reno IF1 Gold championships and still holds the track record at 267.3mph.

[@thomasaltruda]

Wonder what ever happened to these molds, and why the cargo pod never took off? Seems there would be a market for it...

[@prestonthomas9406]

Ques: Why not design and build the pod as a lifting body with the same airfoil as the wing, wouldn't that help lift that extra weight you'd be carrying? Is that possible? Just an observation. Very nicely done though.

[@ArnoldsDesign]

It's best to keep smaller surfaces neutral in lift, because any lifting surface that is significantly smaller in relation to the main wings, introduces induced drag and lifting vortices at each end of the surface, and also increased turbulence. This is because those smaller surfaces have lower Reynold's numbers, so at the speeds the aircraft's wings need to fly, airflow over the smaller lifting surfaces will likely result in excess turbulence, effectively canceling out what little lift they produce. Between those factors, you get a net loss in performance. When aircraft design was relatively new, they were doing what you just said, and made every protrusion, handles, strut, etc, as lifting surfaces, but soon found out that it was hindering performance. I hope that helps clarify things. Btw, I'm not affiliated with The Arnold Company. I'm just another armchair expert on youtube, lol.

[@TheJustinJ]

@@ArnoldsDesign excellent observations. I've made the same about some newfangled "efficient" passenger jet design concepts that use lifting fuselages, combined with skinny, tiny spar, comical high aspect ratio wings. People, even (especially) aerodynamisists have a lot of whacky ideas. There is also quite a bit of missed opportunities for Aerodynamic "rules" that ended up totally wrong and get repeated all over. (E.g. NACA reports and even Horner are wrong about wing placement on fuselages, it has nothing to do with high/low or front/mid/rear. The fact that a front nose mounted wing is the lowest drag is because the lifting body it's mounted to has such a favorable pressure gradient, it maintains laminar flow in the wing root. See Piaggio Avanti). And my mind was blown when I discovered that thin Airfoils on wingtips are not the end of the world regarding stalls, like everyone, NASA, even laypeople think is true. But it's not... ;)

[@ronwasser4852]

👍👍

[@jaywinters2483]

What is it?...a bathysphere for a National Geographic trans national solo trip? 😀

[@user-yu3xz3ug6y]

What book will recommend for working with fiberglass? Give me a link, please.

[@johnbrowning741]

I'm curious, would this material be good to do a ultralite aircraft?? , Or would it be too heavy to meet the weight limit??

[@TheJustinJ]

Depends on which country you plan to fly in, each one has different specifications. "Ultralight" in the USA means it has to be under 260lbs and 5gal gasoline, to avoid needing a pilots licence. This method is far too heavy to reach that low of weight and still carry a person. (Models can be made of composite and fly great). The USA also has "Light Sport" which is limited to two seats and 1320lb maximum takeoff weight. Those are excellent in Composite. Ultralight in Europe is much larger and heavier, faster, etc. They might even have retractable landing gear, I think. Nearly all of those types are made of composites. Including Fiberglass and Carbon Fiber.

[@chrisstanford3652]

🥵🤗🤗

[@PatHaskell]

It’s a tongue depressor.

[@saraarnold571]

Why do you ask?

[@benjaminlenz3482]

That's engineering... (this is designed to take 25lbs, but we put 200 on there just for fun

[@Wirenutcream]

Lol just one of those guys are over 140lbs easy... this is engineering and craftsmanship at its finest!!!

[@owntor1]

55:29 :D

[@prrcpor]

oh this guys good. he needs to meet that other guy on youtube who claims to be the best at fiberglass

[@MrRoach-yo3mz]

It hurt me to watch this layup, as a long time fiberglass master tech, this layup took forever and not as strong as described in this video, there are tricks of the trade that make any filler obsoletes in this layup....or maybe this is a 30 year old video? ....Mike needs to come back Composites 101 at Penn State

[@matthewmartin2287]

Are you talking about the polyester mold layup? could you explain how you can do this faster than one layer per day? I am needing to make molds for a project and I dont have enough time to do one layer per day. What would be the correct way to do this faster, and still avoid shrinkage.

[@Wirenutcream]

Prove it...

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

Mr. Roach... this IS old.. If you took the time to actually learn about that which you are making critical comments, you would know that Mike was working on projects like these in the late 1980s and the very early 1990s. He passed away from Cancer in 1995.

[@TheJustinJ]

@@jenniferwhitewolf3784 I think he passed much more recently than that. These videos were mostly made in the '90s. A few earlier ones.

[@TheJustinJ]

O.p. Please elaborate. The Composite homebuilt aircraft community is stuck in 1985 when Burt Rutan closed up kit-plans shop and started circumnavigating the globe. His designs, and there Canard derivatives are the only plans built Composite aircraft available. And most high end kit companies are gone too. Lancair, O.g. Glasair, etc. There needs to be a revolution in that market but it starts with methods that are fast and efficient and hopefully easy for a DIY type to accomplish. (E.g. carbon fiber is nice, except you can't expect people to lay up a critical spar cap and not get air bubbles, and carbon is black and it hides then, leading to potential deaths due to the method used).