Resources:

• West System epoxy products
  Available in most marine shops, this is one of the best epoxy resins offered. Epoxy resins are mechanically superior to polyester resins, but can be more difficult to work with. West System offers several free reference manuals in addition to their inexpensive detail manuals.
• System Three epoxy products
  Slightly cheaper than West System epoxy resin, but still one of the best out there. In addition to basic reference manuals they also offer trial kits as an inexpensive way to become familar with their products.
• Polyester resin
  The workhorse of fiberglassing resin and suitable for all but the most demanding applications. Lower quality grades can be found in local hardware stores and boating supply stores like West Marine. Ideally you want to find a store that sells laminating resin for making surfboards. They will often stock various colors of gelcoat and have other necessary supplies on hand.
• Automotive Glassfibre, Dennis Foy
  A comprehensive tutorial that covers everything you need to know about fibreglassing. The first chapters cover appropriate workplace, safety equipment and tools while the rest of the book goes in-depth regarding materials and how to use them. Published in Great Britian you can sometimes find it at Tap Plastics.

Specialized Tools:

• Respirator
  Polyester resin, gelcoat, acetone and other materials used in fiberglassing are harmful to your health. A respirator with an organic vapor filter should be worn at all times--even when fiberglassing outdoors. The respirator should also have a dust filter to trap fiberglass dust as well.
• Bunny Suits
  Not strictly necessary but a good idea nonetheless, a tyvek full body suit will prevent fiberglass from getting into your clothes and skin. One trick to help prevent fiberglass from embedding in your skin is to coat all exposed areas (hands, arms, neck and face) with talcum powder before donning protective gear. The talc will seal your pores and is easy to wash off afterwards. It's also a good idea to take a cold shower after working with fiberglass. The cold water also closes your skin pores.
• Electronic Scale
  Useful for weighing correct amounts of resin and catalyst. A scale that's accurate to the nearest gram is okay, but one that measures to the nearest tenth of a gram is better for measuring catalyst. I like to use 100g of resin at a time which makes the finer accuracy useful.
• Gelcoat Spray Gun
  Powered by compressed air, this spray gun is designed to lay a uniform layer of gelcoat. Basic versions require premixing with catalyst while more advanced versions mix the two on demand.
• Chop Gun
  Also powered by compressed air a chop gun quickly lays chopped fiberglass strands. Simple versions spray fiberglass only. Better units also spray resin at the same time. Quickly handles lots of work but suffers from two disadvantages: it's messy and the finished product is thicker than what you can get laying up by hand.

Fiberglassing into a female mold can give excellent surface detail and sturdy construction. Unfortunately there are attendant health hazards from uncured resin to fiberglass dust. Proper precautions must be taken at all times to ensure exposure to such hazards are minimized. Here you can see an unfinished Boba Fett and Darth Vader helmet made by Loren Christenson.