Hand Lay Up Using Fiberglass Matting - For best results, use ¾ oz. or 1 oz. Chopped Strand Mat or Continuous Strand Mat. Mix Forton® MG at the “standard” mix design and brush a face coat into a mold. Let set until the appearance starts to turn from shiny to dull, or until you can no longer see your fingerprint if touched. Mix another batch and brush a layer over initial face coat. Lay matting over fresh material and let material penetrate matting. Brush with a clean paint brush, applying light pressure over surface to minimize entrapped air. After a uniform coating is attained, apply another layer of matting and brush again. Apply a minimal amount of Forton® MG - just enough to wet out the surface. Repeat as necessary until 3/8” (10 mm) thickness is attained.
Hand Lay Up Technique Using Chopped Glass - Another technique for making strong, lightweight elements is to mix chopped fiber directly into the Forton® MG standard mix. Adding chopped fiber takes much less time than layering chopped matte. The chopped fiber will be added to the mix as a percentage of the total weight. Fiber can be added in concentrations of 5% to 12%.
Adding Pigments And Fillers - Because Forton® MG blends easily with different materials, realistic effects can be achieved with the addition of various pigments and/or fillers. Liquid or dry pigments can be added during mixing. Other metal powders can be added to attain specific metal finishes (copper, pewter, silver). A marble finish can be attained by adding marble dust (calcium carbonate), 150 parts by weight to original mix formula. Quarry Tone® fillers from Smooth-On can be added to give a granite look. Adding malachite will give a realistic porcelain finish. Wood grain finishes can be attained by adding powdered pecan shells or similar fillers. Metal powders and fillers are pre-mixed with dry components by weight. Amount of filler to be added depends on desired effect. Some experimentation may be necessary.