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On 10-Nov-2004, (Melanie) wrote:

Firstly, onto
which material could I place the fiberglass (with resin mixture) to
dry without it bonding to it?

You can use plastic sheets, but have to be careful which plastic you
choose. Polypropylene and polyethylene will be good, polyester (Mylar)
will stick. Alternatively, you could use a smooth surface that is
coated with a release material like PVA - polyvinyl alcohol (not
polyvinyl acetate).

Secondly, how can I manipulate the
translucency of the material without changing the thickness of the
individual sheets?

You can use additives to change the degree of translucency or opacity.
Colloidial silica will make the resin change from clear to white depending
on how much you add. You can also experiment with gel coat pigments. They
add colour as well but the degree of opacity varies. Ditto artist's
pigments. I'm sure there are a lot of other materials you could experiment
with.

These kinds of materials (except the artist's pigments) should be available
from a good supplier of fiberglassing products.

Mike