Members Hidemechanic Posted February 1, 2008 Author Members Report Posted February 1, 2008 "JUST IN!! THE BIGGEST THING IN EQUINE SAFETY! THE NEW BUCKAROO HELMET, FOR ALL YOU SAFTY CONSCIOUS COWBOYS. WHAT WE LACK IN WESTERN FASION WE MAKE UP IN INSURENCE PREMIUMS. OSHA APPROVED, RHINESONE COWBOY TESTED. GET YOURS TODAY!! Western theme stickers not encluded All rights reserved, no animals were killed or injured in the testing of this product,,,, except for that one." All seriousness aside, I did mean to mention earlier that I think this issue of enginereing strength into trees that we need to take into consideration how the saddle is going to be used. As Dave and Bruce and others have said, arena work and real buckaroo work is way more demanding on a tree then most pleasure riders. So I agree that myself anyway, I do over think the crud out of some issues hoping to find a middle ground. And you notice how most things of this nature usually keep coming back to what has been successful in the past? Good coments all. GH Quote You did What??
Contributing Member barra Posted February 1, 2008 Contributing Member Report Posted February 1, 2008 http://www.tasco-safety.com/hhats/Cowboy-hard-hats.html Quote "If You're not behind the Troops, please feel free to stand in front of them"
Rod and Denise Nikkel Posted February 4, 2008 Report Posted February 4, 2008 Jon, You've obviously done your research. A question just from curiosity: How long does it take you to fiberglass a tree, and how long does it need to sit before you can ship it out? Quote "Every tree maker does things differently." www.rodnikkel.com
Members jonwatsabaugh Posted February 4, 2008 Members Report Posted February 4, 2008 Rod, It takes about 2 1/2 hours to lay up the prepreg I'm using. This is done with no secondary lay-ups, meaning all layers of cloth are layed up before any curing takes place. I believe this provides optimal performance, although most use secondary lay-ups with no problems. Most resin systems take a full 24 hrs for total curing. I'm currently experimenting with a U.V. cured resin that will obtain full cure in less that 5 min. using the proper light source. Jon Quote
Members Yonatan Posted May 14, 2008 Members Report Posted May 14, 2008 Jon, I have no experience with fiberglassing. But I mentioned your post to a friend who did some work with the West system. Are you familiar with the West system? If so is it similar to the method you're working with? Thanks, Yonatan Quote
Members AdamTill Posted May 14, 2008 Members Report Posted May 14, 2008 Jon, I have no experience with fiberglassing. But I mentioned your postto a friend who did some work with the West system. Are you familiar with the West system? If so is it similar to the method you're working with? Thanks, Yonatan If I may...West System is a laminating resin, so different then a pre-preg setup. Pre-preg comes with the epoxy added already, at about the best ratio of resin to fabric available. Laminating resins are added to fabric afterwards, meaning that you end up with more resin for a given mass of fabric, and thus a heavier product. Resin doesn't add strength, and thus the trick is to use enough to bond the fabric, but not so much so as to add excess weight or "float" the fabric. West System resin is decent, and I've personally used it quite a bit on aviation projects, but there are better alternatives (MGS, for example). I tend to use West for plugs or anything not needing much heat resistance. Quote
Members jonwatsabaugh Posted May 14, 2008 Members Report Posted May 14, 2008 Yonatan, West System epoxy is pretty good stuff. I use it as an occasional filler and also to glue my tree parts together but I don't use it exclusively because of the cost and the high viscosity. The reason I mention viscosity is because I've come full circle in my application method and have settled on the vacuum infusion process which requires a very low viscosity resin system. Pre-preg materials are great, but to do it right it takes much more than I'm willing to invest. Jon Quote
Members Yonatan Posted May 14, 2008 Members Report Posted May 14, 2008 Thanks for your replies, Jon and Adam. Jon, when you say you use the West System to glue the tree parts together, are you talking about lamination as well as the fork and cantle mortises? Thanks, Y Quote
Members jonwatsabaugh Posted May 14, 2008 Members Report Posted May 14, 2008 Yonatan, I glue all laminations with Titebond II. All my parts are laminated including the bars. I use epoxy only to join the bars, front, and cantle. Jon Quote
Members Yonatan Posted May 14, 2008 Members Report Posted May 14, 2008 Thanks, Jon. I was wondering, because when I googled the West System I noticed that there are ways to use the stuff to join parts together, like bolts. Years ago I bought a tree covered in "Tuff Cote". My impression was that it was nowhere close to being as strong as traditional rawhide. The tree was light weight and sealed well against moisture. But I wouldn't want to rope off one of them. Again, that's just my impression, completely untested. Y Quote
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.