Open Roads Forum

Print  |  Close

Topic: Using hemp fabric instead of fiberglass

Posted By: free radical on 07/24/17 06:34pm

Have you ever heard of using Hemp fabric instead of fiberglass in laminating?
alegedly hemp fabric is stronger and easier to work with,not itchy on skin like fglass..

https://youtu.be/Kgg0zpckGRU


https://youtu.be/L6lgsPNBtqQ


Posted By: Lwiddis on 07/24/17 06:45pm

Since I don't rub up against my TT side that much, itchy skin isn't an issue. "Allegedly" stronger and easier to work with? So your opinion is only....ah....claimed although unproven? Thanks for sharing.


Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad



Posted By: GordonThree on 07/24/17 06:53pm

Why would anyone want to replace an inorganic substrate like glass with an organic substrate like hemp fiber?


2013 KZ Sportsmen Classic 200, 20 ft TT
2020 RAM 1500, 5.7 4x4, 8 speed


Posted By: darsben1 on 07/24/17 06:56pm

I wonder what the drug sniffing dogs would do?


Traveling with my best friend, my wife in a 1990 Southwind


Posted By: Lwiddis on 07/24/17 08:12pm

Gordon, so they can rub up against their RV....for heaven's sake!


Posted By: agesilaus on 07/24/17 08:18pm

From the engineering standpoint you would need to satisfy yourself that Hemp cloth is not only as good but much better than fiberglass cloth. That is because fiberglass+epoxy has many decades of proven performance behind it. It lasts for many years when used properly. It is UV and weather resistant.....the list goes on and on.

What does hemp cloth have going for it? Just that it satisfies someone's sense of political correctness. Will it rot in 3 years? Who knows.


Arctic Fox 25Y Travel Trailer
2018 RAM 2500 6.7L 4WD shortbed
Straightline dual cam hitch
400W Solar with Victron controller
Superbumper



Posted By: free radical on 07/24/17 08:35pm

agesilaus wrote:

From the engineering standpoint you would need to satisfy yourself that Hemp cloth is not only as good but much better than fiberglass cloth. That is because fiberglass+epoxy has many decades of proven performance behind it. It lasts for many years when used properly. It is UV and weather resistant.....the list goes on and on.

What does hemp cloth have going for it? Just that it satisfies someone's sense of political correctness. Will it rot in 3 years? Who knows.

Thats what Im trying to find out,,
So far I havent heard anything negative,on the contrary,people use hemp to even build houses from and car panels as its lighter,stronger..

https://youtu.be/xCoVFOc1iVM

https://youtu.be/srgE6Tzi3Lg


Posted By: Lwiddis on 07/24/17 08:55pm

First you said..."alegedly hemp fabric is stronger"

Now you say..."as its lighter,stronger"

What changed your opinion from that of 5:34 pm to the 7:35 pm post? Fuzzy thinking doesn't convince me.


Posted By: free radical on 07/24/17 09:09pm

darsben1 wrote:

I wonder what the drug sniffing dogs would do?

Probably nothing,,hemp does not contain intoxicating chemicals like marijuana,,
hemp was used to make rope and fabric many years ago..

Its similar in name only to canabis aka canabis cativa..two different plants,,one a drug the other hemp a type of weed..
smoking hemp wouldnt get you high..


Posted By: Bmach on 07/24/17 10:54pm

You must have just watched Jay Leno's garage. Right?






Posted By: aguablanco on 07/25/17 12:00am

It's already been done by Cheech & Chong in Up In Smoke.
RichH


2017 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel
8 Speed Transmission
2010 Dutchmen 24 FB-SL
Curt 10,000# WDH
Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.


Posted By: Ralph Cramden on 07/25/17 12:34am

free radical wrote:

darsben1 wrote:

I wonder what the drug sniffing dogs would do?

Probably nothing,,hemp does not contain intoxicating chemicals like marijuana,,
hemp was used to make rope and fabric many years ago..

Its similar in name only to canabis aka canabis cativa..two different plants,,one a drug the other hemp a type of weed..
smoking hemp wouldnt get you high..



How do you know? Have ya ever twisted up a fat hemp Scooby snack and taken a few good tokes? Personally I'd be willing to give it a try. Cheech and Chong once built an ice cream truck out of it so why not a 5th wheel lol.


Posted By: Steve 83406 on 07/25/17 08:03am

I would want to use vinylester resin or epoxy resin rather than polyester resin as the the first two are more water resistant than the last. As others have said, using an organic is a bit riskier in terms of failure due to water intrusion or UV damage. However, people have been building cold-molded sailboats for years using wood strips laminated with epoxy resin. You do buy resin with or add a UV protectant to the resin or paint it/varnish it to ensure it lasts. Lots of old wood sailboats boats used canvas, stretched over a deck and held with staples or tacks, then painted with oil-base paints to create a non-slip, waterproof deck. So why not give hemp a try?


Posted By: Gjac on 07/25/17 09:16am

What are the mechanical properties of the fiber and how does or compare with graphite, Kevlar, or FG? The fibers by them selves have no strength except in tension. Resin stabilizes fibers to give them strength, for most repair applications one would do on a FG RV just about any fiber will work. I have used old bed sheets and epoxy resin for repairs. Repairs usually fail in the bond line not in the fiber matix. Where would you commerially buy woven hemp?


Posted By: rexlion on 07/25/17 12:59pm

agesilaus wrote:

From the engineering standpoint you would need to satisfy yourself that Hemp cloth is not only as good but much better than fiberglass cloth. That is because fiberglass+epoxy has many decades of proven performance behind it. It lasts for many years when used properly. It is UV and weather resistant.....the list goes on and on.

What does hemp cloth have going for it? Just that it satisfies someone's sense of political correctness. Will it rot in 3 years? Who knows.

A minor correction: fiberglass is not very UV resistant. So they apply a UV resistant gelcoat overtop it. Gelcoat would be advised no matter the cloth type.


Mike G.
Liberty is meaningless where the right to utter one's thoughts and opinions has ceased to exist. That, of all rights, is the dread of tyrants. --Frederick Douglass
photo: Yosemite Valley view from Taft Point



Posted By: free radical on 07/25/17 04:25pm

Gjac wrote:

What are the mechanical properties of the fiber and how does or compare with graphite, Kevlar, or FG? The fibers by them selves have no strength except in tension. Resin stabilizes fibers to give them strength, for most repair applications one would do on a FG RV just about any fiber will work. I have used old bed sheets and epoxy resin for repairs. Repairs usually fail in the bond line not in the fiber matix. Where would you commerially buy woven hemp?

Bit of googling got this

https://envirotextile.com/hemp-fabrics/wholesale-hemp-fabric/


Posted By: Lwiddis on 07/25/17 09:44pm

"hemp does not contain intoxicating chemicals"

Free, hemp "contains" whatever the grower sprayed on it OR put in the soil while growing it. Me thinks you are too hemped up to discuss this.


Posted By: Gjac on 07/26/17 06:01am

free radical wrote:

Gjac wrote:

What are the mechanical properties of the fiber and how does or compare with graphite, Kevlar, or FG? The fibers by them selves have no strength except in tension. Resin stabilizes fibers to give them strength, for most repair applications one would do on a FG RV just about any fiber will work. I have used old bed sheets and epoxy resin for repairs. Repairs usually fail in the bond line not in the fiber matix. Where would you commerially buy woven hemp?

Bit of googling got this

https://envirotextile.com/hemp-fabrics/wholesale-hemp-fabric/
. I could not find any mechcanical properties for the fiber. What I did find is a lot of pro marijuana sites saying it is 10 times stronger that steel. The use of cellulose and other renewable fibers have been looked at for years and are light and impact resistant but never had the strength of FG epoxy or graphite epoxy for structural use.


Print  |  Close