Customer Focus: Christmas 2013

5....4....3...etc...Thunderbirds are go! And their likenesses are being perfectly recreated in Cornwall by Vaughan Herriot. There cannot be many of us who wouldn't recognise the characters of the iconic 60's TV show.

 Yes m'lady, I am accurate in every way.

Vaughans FAB-ulous recreations are partly made using fastcast resin and everything is cast, created, cut and stitched by hand with incredible attention to detail.

So accurate are they that Vaughan has an entire set of puppets, or supermarionettes, commissioned for the London Film Museum in Covent Garden.(below pic).

Do the crew have a plan to escape their unbreakable glass prison?

Visit Vaughan's website for more on these, plus see other Gerry Anderson creations reproduced like Captain Scarlett, Fireball XL5, Stingray and much more.

This Month In Fibreglass: November 2013

We bring you the worldwide web's composite news round-up that no-one else would print. Read below for everything you need to know about sanding robots, turtle aerodynamics and placentas in resin.

North Pole Horror

Santa, no regrets

Police are no closer to finding the elf that went on a north pole rampage this week..........
Only joking kids, Santa is alive and well and his likeness is being diplayed as this wonderfully tasteful 180kg fibreglass statue. Looking over the population of Taunton Green (in the USA, of course), just standing there judging peoples behaviour, like he does.

Apologies to our regular readers, it's another statue. Source article is here.

Mech Arm Makes Dust

Jim was happy he got a promotion from drying paint supervisor

If you are anything like me you will have dreamed of owning a mechanical hand to take care of

This Month In Fibreglass: October 2013

It is statue or bust this month. An effigy special featuring Banksy's Ronald Mcdonald, a statue in the rain, naked and tied dog-humans and a devil horse, a tribute to the late Luis Jimenez.

Is This Clown Bothering You?

"Keep buffing, I'm lovin' it."

It's always nice to see top level artists using GRP, and from the man that has made so many non-fibreglass art works, it's Banksy the graffiti guy and his Ronald McDonald fibreglass statue with real life boot cleaning peasant. It (or more correct to say, they) have toured the McDonalds of New York in a "stick it to the corporation" style street art installation. No word as yet from the lawyers.

Alien Enjoys Cornish Weather

"Oh why didn't I just stay in the caravan?"

I am sure we have all felt like this chap, not only blue from cold but taking one in the face from a cloud

This Month in Fibreglass: September 2013

The lighter side of the international fibreglass news stories from around the world. This month's treats are a fake Bugatti, an old lady and some big balls. Yes, it's been a quiet month, I can't help that.

Hotel Balls Up

Isn't it nice in sphere!

Yes, you can live like Tarzan for only £90 a night according to this news. A Canadian man has invested £100,000 each (whaaa?) in these wood/fibreglass 15ft conkers to rent out to anyone who wants to

Customer Focus: October 2013

Welcome to our first customer corner. A quick look into the outside world, a place to share, and show off your projects. This month I'd like to thank David, Alec and Andrew for their feedback.

Shell Shock

"It is dangerous, but you can get the bird to lay directly into the cup"

Chicken welfare is usually the last thing on our minds when we are enjoying a bacon 'n' egg sarnie, but CFS customer Andrew Noble (ret.) has made this beauty for the Freedom Foods' campaign "Simply Ask". An egg that has now been autographed by many celebrity chefs. So this answers the question of which came first, Andrew hasn't even started on a fibreglass chicken yet.

Defending The Nation

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Yep, it's plane

Many thanks to Alec Cornish-Trestrail who has shared his DeHavilland Sea Vixen FAW2. Amazingly it is 1:8 scale, do my eyes deceive me! Powered by two 54mm diameter turbojets it can reach speeds 

This Month in Fibreglass: August 2013

August has brought us Robots, Ferraris, Big Boats, A Giant Potato and an Aston Martin. All in the news this month and none of it important.

Job-Stealing Robots

Are you winding me up?

Be afraid, according to this report (which includes a short but entrancing video) someone has created a robot that will make GRP furniture. "The custom-built contraption slowly wraps resin-soaked fibreglass thread around a simple mould, working its way up layer by layer until the whole object is covered." My dream job in a nutshell.

Kit Car Crooks Caught

"yeah mate, this is one of them rare 4 cylinder Ferraris, it's very valuable."

Some naughty lads in Spain have been caught making fake supercars. In this report, several dodgy Ferraris and Aston Martins were seized, which they were trying to pass off as the real thing.....

This Month in Fibreglass: July 2013

This month's watery special edition includes breasts, Pride and Prejudice and amphicars. You can't say we don't try to cater for all tastes here.

Charity Boobs

Water- melons

Let us raise our glasses or jugs or even cups to these bra-ve kite surfers who (at the time of writing) are going to tow these pink fibreglass breasts across the Torres Straits near Papua New Guinea. This up-lifting story isn't just all about fun either, the McGrath Foundation breast cancer charity will be benefiting from the excursion. I hope they have plenty of support and the water isn't too nippy.

One For The Ladies

Emerging from the serpentine, a 12ft tall fibreglass Colin Firth starts destroying London in a period

Customer Focus: Jamie Sims

One thing I can say about working at CFS is the variety of products made by our customers is outstanding and Jamie's work output is no different. Armour for a Swedish power metal band? Oh, that's not unusual, really. Fortunately metal-band armour doesn't [probably] have to protect the wearer from small-arms fire but it has to meet 2 specifications, looking cool & looking quality, the perfect solution is cold casting.


Ammo. Not just spare crates, but just square plates

Made using cold cast aluminium and worn by Sabaton front-man Joakim Broden, I think Jamie's

This Month in Fibreglass: June 2013

This month, a special on big things in fibreglass. Are there any limits to size? Apparently there aren't. Check out this month for huge international GRP news and puns-a-plenty.

Fibreglass Eyeball Pops Out

I'd say things are looking up

The eye is called "SPARTA", it's 30 foot across and is being moved to Dallas for a 2 year art display according to this report.

These moulds are an eyesore, and the jokes are getting cornea too.

The impressive eye is only one of the huge fibreglass creations of FAST corp who make promotional

Shaper Tables

Fibreglass is such a versatile material - it's not all surfboards & boats you know! Why not create some designer furniture pieces too and make the most of its colours, shine and durability.

"The Shaper Dining Table"

 Mark Product offer "shaper" (named after the craftsmen who shape surfboards) coffee and dining tables in

This Month in Fibreglass: May 2013

Welcome to our new feature comprising of everything that has made the news in fibreglass this month and I managed to think of a pun for. It may inspire you, it may not. It could make you smile, although that's not guaranteed.

Hot Cross Done!

CFS customer Gateguards have completed the 20m high Celtic Cross Monument. Located at the border of Devon & Cornwall near Saltash at a cost of £500,000.
The finish is cold cast resin copper with details of gold leaf, with carbon fibre also used in the construction.
Find out more about the cross here.

Amazing Busts

 

Winter: "Why does my face feel sticky?"

The New York Botanical Gardens have just installed four 15 foot tall fibreglass busts.

 American artist Philip Haas was inspired by Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s ‘Four Seasons’ portraits.
Find more about the busts here

Fibreglass Tanks 0 - Concrete Bridge 1

Soon it will be all just water [tanks] under the bridge

No surprise, the bridge won this round, but an epic fail to the truck driver who decided on a detour and ended up getting in some bother with the police.....

Big Blue Cock Ruffles Feathers

Cock-a-doodle-don't

A conservation group has objected to a 15ft tall fibreglass cockerel being planned for the fourth plinth at Trafalgar Square.
One objector said "I do wonder what Nelson’s reaction would have been after returning home from battle only to be greeted by the French emblem standing proudly in the centre of London."
Although the artist claims that "the cockerel is a symbol for regeneration, awakening and strength".
You can read the full story here.

Head Found In River

We shall name him "Bob"

A rowing team found a fibreglass head floating down the Hudson River. "No-body" has come forward to claim it as yet.

Read More

Wasting Fibreglass: The ugliest cars ever!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, they say. Beauty is opinion too, this I know. However, what was going through the minds of the people who designed these cars, I will never know. To celebrate the best of the worst in wanton wastes of fibreglass, I have searched the internet for the ugliest fibreglass cars and displayed them here for your amusement. Personally, I cried a bit putting this list together.

To ease us into this uncomfortable list, a Laser 917. The seventies were brilliant, weren't they?

The Jetstream SC250. A great car, just weird looking.

Inspired by a ride-on mower, this one.

Designed from a photo of Miss Piggy.

So, manufacturers can produce some wacky stuff but I tend to think the enthusiastic amateur can do better.

Waste of fibreglass? Oh yes.

Just, wow. Credit where it's due though.



I think it's fibreglass but it could be papier mache or even icing.

But my personal favourite...........

Words escape me.

Of course this is just the tip of the iceberg. If you know of a four wheeled waste of fibreglass that needs to be added, please comment.

Customer Focus: Audiosport

The VW Campervan of my childhood holidays had a number of nicknames: the Hippie Bus, Breadloaf, Bumblebus, Veedub, Splitty and Piece of C**p (that was my dads' favourite). Unreliable, noisy and full of rust, yes, but with bags of charm & personality.

Skip to the 21st century and the T4 and T5 transporters, the evolution of those old vans, are now so refined that people buy them instead of a car, but don't they lack the charm of their 50's & 60's forerunners. There is hope though.....

Big month for fibreglass statues

If you are over 20 feet tall and made of plastic, the worlds eyes are probably focused squarely on you. 2013 looks to be dubbed "The Year of the Fibreglass Statue!" or not, but everyone wants one, it seems. I am sure there's a lady statue out there for these three handsome chaps.

Starting in the good 'ol US of A, lucky lumberjack Big Mike has been restored & moved to Hayward California. Mike is 20ft tall, keeping shy of his weight but has a GSOH and dazzling green eyes.

"Ladies, this is how I hold my axe"

Full story on Big Mikes' erection click here.

Next on the list of eligible man statues is Zuverman or He-Man or simply The Giant, whatever his name is this gent was born in the '60's, also 20ft tall and is one ton of pure plastic muscle.....

Customer Focus: The future of personal protection.

Yes, we have all seen the future, films like Robocop, Terminator and the like. Post-apocalyptic gangs are ruling the burning remains of what we used to call England, how are we going to pop down the shops without being shot, laser'd or blown apart. I always imagined "Mech-suits" are the future and CFS customer Jo Betteley gives us a preview of what it means to look cool and be deadly when picking up 2 pints of blue top and a lottery ticket in the year 2052.

"Just nipping to Costcutters, dear"

"Shattered Man" is 10ft tall, equipped with 'working' rocket pods and mini gun.......

GRP thefts on the up?

Looks like Australian police had their work load increased after a fibreglass Utahraptor was stolen from a Dinosaur Museum (a REAL Dinosaur Museum and not CFS admin dept.) according to this report.

At 1.6 metres tall and worth $2400, the museum's Ben Wardle said, "we'd left a couple of the life-like fibreglass dinosaurs unsecured overnight, and in the morning we discovered that one was missing."
Mr Wardle says the museum would love the dinosaur statue to be returned.

He added, "we've got a couple of large ones by the road and they definitely bring people into the museum."

I am sure they do.

Superintendent Brett Kidner says anyone who spots the life-like dinosaur statue should call Crimestoppers.
"It's brown in colour with dark stripes across the back," he said.
"It would probably stick out fairly obviously on a trailer or possibly someone may have put it into the back of a truck."

I suspect the thief also has a hangover and a bad back.

This fibreglass Utahraptor declined to comment.

Rumours of a Fibreglass iPhone?

There have been rumours floating around the web for a while now that Apple is intending to create a lower cost version of the iPhone featuring a plastic and fibreglass casing.

Current colour options for iPod may be made available for iPhone

Tips for Restoring Faded Gelcoat

Time takes its toll - sun, salt and sea water will oxidise gelcoat, stealing the shine and leaving a rough, dull surface. The question is, if GRP is so good, why does this happen? It's simply that Gelcoat suffers from both oxidation and UV attack. Now, oxidation and UV damage are not the same thing. They don't have the same effect on a boat's finish and it's important to know the differences between them. Oxidation, caused by exposure to oxygen, results in the chalking you see on the palm of your hand when you touch an unprotected boat. This process is slowed by good maintenance and this means regular waxing, protecting the gelcoat from the elements.
UV damage is increased if you don't maintain the shine of your gelcoat. Shiny surfaces reflect UV rays better than dull surfaces and UV rays not only cause discolourations but can mechanically degrade the Gelcoat.
While oxidation only affects the surface, UV damage penetrates the full thickness of the gelcoat and can even damage the fibreglass beneath it. So, keeping oxidation under control will also keep UV damage at bay.
However, despite your best efforts, you will, eventually, find yourself losing the shine. Surfaces may look dull and tired and also feel rough to the touch. It may be time to consider some plastic surgery.

Blue turning white. This neglected gelcoat requires more than a quick wax!

Phase 2 of NCC Approved

Phase 2 of the development of the National Composites Centre in Bristol, announced in December, has officially received planning approval.

Customer Focus: The Twins FX

For the third Customer Focus, we spoke to The Twins FX, one of the leading companies operating in the field of theatrical, visual special effects, illusions and animatronics.  

We had a chat with Gary and Paul Hardy-Brown, Directors of the company, and asked them exactly what they do and the process involved in creating such weird and wonderful effects.

Animatronic Dragon with 10m wingspan

Resin Jewellery: Daimblond

We stumbled across this lovely resin jewellery by Russian designer, Elena Gueno. 

Read an interview with the artist here.

Fibreglass fabric could strengthen walls against effects of earthquakes

Old buildings could be protected from earthquakes using fibreglass fabric developed by researchers in Germany.

Developed by research partners, Moritz Urban and Lothar Stempniewski at the KIT (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), the fabric is intended to perform two levels of protection: preventing cracks from forming; and preventing walls from collapsing if damage should occur.

Happy New Year from CFS!

We'd like to welcome all our customers into the brand new year the right way - with a fantastic offer on Protective Equipment throughout January!