Vacuum Bagging Basics

Step 11 Peel Ply, Breather Cloth, Setup

OK, I've got a very simple female mold that's going to be the layup for this instructable in the first picture. It's just a lid from a special tea cannister, treated with PVA mold release that I brushed on and let air dry. A female mold is also known as a negative mold: The interior surface of the mold becomes the exterior surface of your final part.

I then cut the glass and peel ply for this layup in a loose approximation of the required amount to fully coat the interior of the mold. Notice the axial relief cuts made so that the material can lay up smoothly.

I then set aside an a generous amount of breather cloth to soak up the excess resin and allow the pressure to be applied uniformly. Looks like about two layers of breather cloth for this layup should be okay.

I then collected all the pieces onto my work table so that they'd be handy. You want everything in place before mixing the resin!