Some old carbon fiber work

[awdrst]

So you want to overlay the tail section? If so the way I always do it is scuff up the part after cleaning it. Put on a light coat of resin(on overlays since there is no need for strength I suggest a vinylester resin since it's cheaper than epoxy, both will work just if price is a factor) and let the resin get tacky to the point where you leave a fingerprint but no resin comes off on your finger. Now take the carbon and lay it on and lightly press it down on the resin which will hold the cabon in place. The way I get the sides of the part to stay down is to wrap the carbon slightly around the part and put a piece of tape to hold the sides nice and tight. Now apply a few coats of resin and the last coat you put on you should add 1% sanding wax agent. This will allow the resin to fully cure and make sanding the resin 100000 times easier.

The vacuum bag idea would work fine but it really is a waste of material and in the end probably more work for you. The nice thing about using the vinylester resin or any ester based resin is the fact that it won't fully cure when exposed to air so if you don't have time to put on a few coats no big deal just don't add the sanding wax and you can come back to it in a day or in a week and just add more on top of it without having to scuff it back up.

Another good tip about using the wax is to wax the part 10 times. You can never over wax a part or mold just make sure you don't leave any clumps or anything like that since it will transfer to the part you are making. I have done molds in the past no pva and when I make parts from molds I never use pva since surface finish is important to alot of people.

 

[bpestilence]

Okay, thanks. I will try that and post my results.

-edit-

Thanks for the advice! I have started on the piece, and it is definately coming out a lot better than I expected. I will post some pics when I get a few more layers on. The overlay went on, and it took a LOT of stipling to get the CF to form into the complex shape. I am using an epoxy resin designed for making surfboards (it is widely available here in Hawaii, not very expensive, and already has UV protectants in it). The resin is great because it doesn't stink like a ester resin. In fact, I am making the part inside! It has a long gel time, too. An hour. So I have to be patient with it. After the CF went on, and I was satisfied with the fit (the T A L O N letters were really hard to get to form), I poured a layer over like you suggested. I am going to let that gel then I am going to stipple some more to make sure those letters stand out sharp.

It looks like it will take 3 or so layers to get the surface even enough that I can start to sand. That sound about right?

 

[awdrst]

Yeah I forgot that the talon center had letters. That will make it very tough to do. Even though the epoxy has a uv protectant in it I would suggest when sanding the epoxy to go to 600 grit and than put a auto clear coat paint on it since I have seen every type of epoxy and ester resin with uv protectant still brake down and look poor after long exposure to the sun.

 

[kris_stewart10]

how much would it be for you to make fenders or bumpers???

 

[spydermanX98X]

well Status beat you two the carbon guitar. At least basses, but I'm sure you could build one for a heck of a lot cheaper. Warmoth for hardware is the best.

 

[awdrst]

how much would it be for you to make fenders or bumpers???

Well we are just finishing up a bumper for a guy and the bill for the one off will be in the 2000 dollar range. Cost is high because of the mold that is needed. Fenders would probably be 1500 for the very first set.

 

[link16]

I might have to drive up your way perhaps later in spring, I would love to see all this carbon fiber goin on. Plus if I could pick up on a few tricks that would work too.

 

[2GEffect6]

I have been doing this for about 5 years or so now and there are a ton of little tips and tricks that help out. I would say it's not hard but does take some trial and error if you are just going to figure it out on your own. First thing you would want to decide is if you want it for looks or for weight. If it's for looks you would do what is called a overlay. It's a very simple process where you lay carbon fiber on a already made part and apply resin onto the carbon. When it's all done you sand it flat and buff it to a shine. If you want to make somthing like a hood you would make a mold, which will give you a negative of the part, and you lay your carbon fiber into the mold and apply resin. After that depending on how light you want the part you can vacuum bag the part which will suck out the excess resin. There are a few basic steps inbetween but it's stuff like applying wax so the part doesn't stick and making the mold. If you do this right you can make a hood be very very light. I have done some race hoods that have weighed under 5lbs with core. If you want to try it let me know I have access to plenty of carbon fiber and gallons of resin and pretty much anything else you would ever need to make molds or parts.

can i get some carbon fiber resin and cloth from you?

 

[____Kurt____]

I am interested ad well, I think it would be cool to make my ouw gauge pods for the vent or radio bezel.

 

[agarc023]

can i get some carbon fiber resin and cloth from you?

I am interested ad well, I think it would be cool to make my ouw gauge pods for the vent or radio bezel.

You two realize that the last response was in 2009?

Not to mention that awdrst hasn't been on since 2010

 

[debbie]

Note to self. Look at the dates before reading the whole thread

 

[Lofty]

I hate when noobies bump threads where I was a noobie.

 

[debbie]

Yep from day one I've never put a foot wrong.