: A few frustrations so far: 1. How the heck does anyone do epoxy work without
: gumming up their hands beyond all hope? I haven't figured out how to
: handle and place saturated tapes without using my gloved fingers, which
: means it then gets transferred to everything else I touch. AAUUUGGHHH!
: Maybe there's an assortment of wet-fiberglass-handling tools I haven't
: figured out yet. Maybe I can make a big pair of tweezers from a couple of
: tongue depressors. Have to work on that.

: 2. Is there a way to keep all the loose strands of glass threads from
: unraveling off the ends of the tapes? They come off when I place the tape
: and try to smooth it down so I have to dig them out of the wet epoxy with
: a little stick, and transfer more wet epoxy to my shears when I pick them
: up to trim the wet threads off the tape. DOUBLE AAUUGGHH!!

: Anyone have any advice?

Paul,

If you don't want to lay the glass dry, try wetting it out on platic sheet (2 mil poly drop cloth) at the work bench. Cut out the desired shape, such as bias strips, with scissors or a circular cutter (sometimes laying a second sheet on top of the wet glass helps). If a second layer of plastic was used, peel it off and carry the plastic-backed glass to where you want it, and work it into place. Peel the plastic off and touch things up by poking with a trimmed brush, or careful roller work. In some cases, the plastic can be left in place until after cure.

The gloves still get a little sticky, but a wipe rag will keep most of it under control, the wet glass is easier to handle, and there will be fewer strings to deal with.

Sam