Making the Fender

The fender is the only part of the build where I didn't make a plug. As a result, poor llama doesn't have a fender (yet).

Since I am glint to use the surface of the MDF as a mold, I decided not to glue the pattern on in my usual way and transfered the layout to the base board using pins instead.

Making the sides for the fender requires lots of precise bevel cuts on the table saw. This was probably a mistake. I could have cut the parts flat and simply filled in the gaps with glass matting.

Test fit.

To make the bevel I cut strips of MDF to size and fitted them into the gap. More bevel cutting. This time compound angles.

The sides are screwed in place using pocket screws on the outside. The inner strips are also screwed in place. Nails would have saved time.

Filler time. At this point I realized that building a mold out of MDF is a blunder. The material is porous and almost anything you try to do to seal it will cause it to swell up.

Sanding in akward corners.

After making the part, winter set in before I could demold. Not having a garage, the fender ended up spending the winter in a shed. The MDF did not hold well.

Top coat of paint is matt black like the fender.

Not my finest effort, this was my first large fiberglass part.

After paint, four small hex cap screws are added to each section of the fender. This only took a few minutes with a drill. It isn't necessary to use nuts on the reverse side, the fender is thick enough for the screws to bite into it. But I did it anyway with the result that I have more parts at risk of falling off when I trundle.