How to Make a Fiberglass Mold From a Plug – Part 1

In this video series, we have called on composite expert, Stephan Vaast to show us a clever way to create a plug for a mold. Making a plug is the first step in the process of making a fiberglass mold to build any number of parts and pieces. Typically, a plug is a mock-up of the finished part, and you can even decide to use the actual part as the plug for the mold.

There are many important steps in the mold making process, and getting the first step of plug fabrication right is paramount to the ultimate success of your project. Stephan shows us a few tricks for making a plug, and considering the many angles and surfaces that must be perfectly executed, he offers a great idea for building a part using insulation foam and an ingenious home built hot wire cutter to get perfect edges and angles off the template.  Follow along in this 5-part video series and learn from an expert.

In the end, you should be able to use these skills to make any number of parts that can be replicated over and over on top of the plug. This method is used for tooling lots of marine parts, and can be done with fiberglass or carbon fiber, making it a versatile and very handy trick to have in your bag of tricks.

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