05 - Repairing Cracked Fiberglass - the Yoke is Broke!

November 15, 2019



I had a slight crack in the left arm hole of the yoke.  I discovered it after we'd been "filling and sanding" for a day or two.

Initially I tried to fix it with Jet Glue and Bondo.  (Jet Glue is "like" Super Glue, and it dries super fast.  The women in my house use it on their pointe shoes.)





Sanding the Bondo down the next day and my repair didn't hold.  In fact, it looked worse.










So off to the First Order Stormtroopers Facebook page to ask for help.

Got some great advice.

Here's what I did:

1.  Sand things down.

2.  Use Super Glue inside and out.

3.  Once dry, apply a coat (or 2 or 3) of Fiberglass Resin.  (Bondo Brand makes the one I used.)
*Notes: 
- The amount of hardener the container said to use wasn't nearly enough
- Most Fiberglass Resins stay sticky so you can add more layers
- DO NOT apply heat to try to get the Resin to dry . . . the risk of fire is real!

4.  I applied Resin (as recommended) to other areas of the Yoke where I thought stress fractures were likely.

5.  I applied a layer of Bondo putty on top of the Resin at the cracked area.

6.  I re-sanded.

*Note:  For the areas where the Resin was not going to be topped by anything I applied talcum powder to take away the "stickiness residue".