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!

See you next year!

We'll see you in 2013! 

Chinese Escape Pods

Remember the Japanese escape pod, named 'Noah' we told you about in October last year? Well now there is a Chinese version, intended to combat the Mayan apocalypse due to be happening this Friday...

Customer Focus: David Imrie's Christmas Sleigh

For this festive edition of Customer Focus, we spoke to David Imrie, a customer who has been using our products to revamp and remodel Santa’s sleigh!

A nice festive red!

Having no previous experience of using fibreglass at all, he decided to give it a whirl with some technical help from us – in his own words, “How hard can it be?!”

Phase II of NCC Development Receives Government Funding

The National Composites Centre in Bristol is to receive a £28 million investment from the Government to fund further developments, bringing the total funding to over £40 million.

Christmas Holiday Closing

Dont Miss Out!

CFS offices are open until Friday 21st December 2012.

We will be closed for Christmas on the following dates:
From Monday 24th December 2012 to Tuesday 1st January 2013.

We will re-open 08:30 Wednesday 2nd January 2013.

To ensure deliveries arrive to you BEFORE Christmas please note the following:

NEXT DAY orders must be placed by 1pm on Thursday 20th December

THREE DAY orders must be placed by 1pm on Tuesday 18th December

Orders placed over the holidays will be processed and despatched on Wednesday 2nd January.

We would like to wish all our customers a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Stuck for a Christmas present?

There's always someone on the list that has a big fat '?' next to their name.

We have found the solution!!

BUY THEM A BATMOBILE...

Ancient mouldings...

We know how GRP moulds are used these days, whether they be for cars, boats, sculptures or any number of other applications.

The process of moulding is by no means a new one, however, as shown by this ancient Mayan terracotta mould.

Right hand image has been generated to show how the castings may have looked.

Gromit Unleashed in Bristol!

60 giant fibreglass Gromit sculptures are to be 'Unleashed' on Bristol in July next year.

Customer Focus: Names In Lights

For the very first Customer Focus, we spoke to Names In Lights. Based in Wirral, they make custom decorative lights – mainly in the shape of words, although they have been known to dabble in something a little different. The lights are made using our clear cast resin, strengthening and UV additives, and occasionally our gelcoats and topcoats on bespoke projects.

We spoke to Jill Bonner, one of the partners there, about how they came to create their lights and how they do it.

Shipping Container Supplies

Do you have a shipping container that’s in need of some TLC?
Why not visit CFS’s new website – www.shippingcontainersupplies.com. We’ve got everything you need to keep your container looking its best, including rust treatment, industrial paints and primers, traffic film remover and much more.

We aim to be the one-stop-shop for all your shipping container maintenance needs. If there's anything you need that we don't currently supply, drop us a line at sales@cfsnet.co.uk and we'll see what we can do!

Life Casting with Grotesque FX Studio

Just in time for Halloween, we went down to see Steve Hollins at the spooky Grotesque FX Studio in Camborne, and watched him work his magic on Alex, our very own Technical Advisor. Alex wanted a mould of his head taken, and Steve is just the man for the job. 


Steve's workshop appears very unassuming as you approach, but when you open the door you're greeted by a sea of disembodied heads, hands and feet, as well as some creatures that have never been seen before...

The whole process of life casting is very involved, and Alex went through various stages - from bald cap, right through to mummification!

*NEW* Water Clear Fast Cast Resin

This two component, hand-casting polyurethane system is easy to use and ideal for rapid prototyping, embedding or any type of clear casting, with or without vacuum. The resin is optically clear and UV stable, with a low odour.

Floating hot tub...

Two Dutch chaps, Frank de Bruijn and Jochem Karstanje, have invented and built a floating, wood-fired hot tub, which they have named, the HotTug.

The HotTug in action

Try out Mold Magic for only £6.95 (ex VAT)!

We're so confident you're going to love this stuff, we're giving you a massive £4.00 off per tin - just to get you to try it!

Grignard Mold Magic - proven to out last the competition

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW!

Stedelijk Museum Complete!

Way back in July last year, we told you about the very first panels being put in place on the new façade of the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam.

The project is now complete!

CFS Advertising at the Southampton Boat Show 2012

If you're heading down to the Southampton Boat Show this year like a lot of our customers, look out for our shiny new ad in the show brochure!

We've got everything you need to keep your boat looking its best!

Colourful Resin Jewellery Blog

We stumbled across this interesting and colourful blog from Mill Lane Studio, written by Australian artist and designer, Myléne Hillam. She shares her creations, and also gives handy tips and tricks for how to solve problems and work effectively with resin.

Here's a post about cleaning up bubbly resin!

Cure It Roofing System now available from CFS!

We are pleased to announce that we now stock the Cure It Roofing System!

Take a look at this video to see it in action:

5% off Chopped Strand Mat this September!

Ferrari California for £5000?...Sort of...

If you're a fan of the Ferrari California - but not a fan of the hefty price tag - you could have your very own for a mere £5000! (Plus the price of a Nissan 350Z)

Converted Nissan 350Z

Low Price on GRP Acetone!

Get 25L kegs of GRP Acetone for only 

£27.50 +VAT!

(normal price £35.98 +VAT)

• 98% purity
• Ideal for cleaning tools and brushes
• Economic alternative to pure Acetone
• Recycled product
• While stocks last!

CLICK HERE TO BUY NOW

2012 Olympics and Paralympics - Delivery Information

From 27th July - 9th September, deliveries to some parts of London and many other Olympic venues across the country will be severely restricted.
Next day deliveries to some areas cannot be guaranteed and surcharges may also apply.
Some of our products are classed as hazardous, and our couriers may not be permitted to deliver these to certain areas due to Olympic security restrictions.

We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause, and thank you in advance for your cooperation.
If you require delivery to any affected area or need more information please call the CFS sales team on 01209 821028 or email us.

Big savings - while stocks last!

We have a great deal on 888X General Purpose Polyester Resin...

5kg pack - £14.75

20kg pack - £47.00

supplied with catalyst

This Lloyds Approved resin is on sale while stocks last. 

Click here to buy now!

"Psychedelic crystal cave" resin jewellery!

Australian visual artist, Kate Rohde, has created a collection of resin jewellery "reminiscent of a psychedelic crystal cave".

'Mega Crystal Cuff' (Citrus)

Iconic Red Phone Boxes Get Revamped for Charity

Remember The Big Egg Hunt from earlier this year? Well this time it's the turn of the traditional red phone box to get the fibreglass treatment.

10% off Power Tools

Throughout June, we are giving you a fantastic 10% off all of our power tools.

Click below to shop now!

Jubilee Weekend Opening Hours

Our office will close today at 5pm and reopen on Wednesday 6th June at 8.30am.

Any orders placed over the bank holiday weekend will be processed on Wednesday.

We hope you have an enjoyable weekend!

Star Wars Climbing Wall Holds

UK company, Hang Fast Adventure Structures has created holds for climbing walls that resemble iconic Star Wars characters such as R2-D2.

Fibreglass Flower Art at Saatchi Gallery

To coincide with the Chelsea Flower Show this year, the Saatchi Gallery will be unveiling a giant fibreglass flower sculpture by Croatian artist, Ana Tzarev.

The Avengers Hero Car - Before and After

The team working on Avengers Assemble had to make some pretty drastic changes to their donor vehicle to create the car that Iron Man would drive away in at the end of the film.

The original car used

Super fan builds Stormtrooper Bike!

Max Denislov, a Russian Star Wars fan, has built a custom bicycle with a Stormtrooper design!

May Special Offer!

This month, we're treating you to 5% off everything in our Marine Paints, Antifouling and Boatcare section.

Carbon Fibre Swimsuits

Brazilian Olympic champion swimmer Cesar Cielo showed off the latest creation from Arena - a skin tight swimsuit made with carbon fibre!

Full story here.

National Composites Centre in Bristol has new partnership

The NCC has announced a partnership with AIC Group meaning that the centre in Bristol will receive equipment and support to aid its research and development in the composites sector.

National Composites Centre, Bristol

Bank Holiday Weekend

Our office will be closed from 5pm today, reopening on Tuesday 10th April at 8.30am.

Any orders placed over the bank holiday weekend will be processed on Tuesday.

We hope you have a great Easter!

5% off G4 Pond/Damp Sealer!

Until the end of April, get a fantastic 5% off any size pack of Bonda G4 Standard Pond Seal or G4 Standard Damp Seal!