Fiberglass molding question

[maxwedge]

Ok, so I'm attempting to make some fiberglass truck fenders for an old Nissan 720. Pretty small parts compared to a boat, but I figure the principal is probably similar. It's just a play/sand toy, so it doesn't have to be perfect or anything. I was going to try to make a fiberglass mold from the original parts first. It's my understanding that I need to coat them in wax (will auto paste wax work or is this a bad idea?) and then spray "tooling gel coat", then begin laminating fiberglass over that once it dries? Just trying to get some idea before I begin the project. I figured there are some pretty good fiberglass people on here, so If anybody here can give me some advice on the best way to go about doing the actual layup and what products to use for this...ie type and weight of cloth or mat, kind of resin, why I'm stupid for even trying it, etc., I would appreciate it. :)

[Froggystyle]

Ok, so I'm attempting to make some fiberglass truck fenders for an old Nissan 720. Pretty small parts compared to a boat, but I figure the principal is probably similar. It's just a play/sand toy, so it doesn't have to be perfect or anything. I was going to try to make a fiberglass mold from the original parts first. It's my understanding that I need to coat them in wax (will auto paste wax work or is this a bad idea?) and then spray "tooling gel coat", then begin laminating fiberglass over that once it dries? Just trying to get some idea before I begin the project. I figured there are some pretty good fiberglass people on here, so If anybody here can give me some advice on the best way to go about doing the actual layup and what products to use for this...ie type and weight of cloth or mat, kind of resin, why I'm stupid for even trying it, etc., I would appreciate it. :)
You are certainly on the right path. You will want to get the original fenders as smooth as possible before laying up molds on them, and you also need to consider items like "draft" when making molds. I.E. Will they pop once cured?
Once you have your molds pulled, reinforce them with some wood or metal to keep them from twisting on you. Otherwise, your new parts will be twisted.
Mold release wax is the ticket. Meguiars makes some.
A good source for non-commercial sizes of a lot of fiberglass materials is www.fiberglast.com Check them out for the little things.
Let me know if I can help further.
Wes

[maxwedge]

Thanks for the info. I thought had that site saved to my favorites, but I couldn't find it. I guess the next step is to order up some supplies. :)