C.I.M.

I'm going to make some carbon fiber interior parts for my fountain. They don't have to be really strong, just want them to hold their shape and be light. Ive done a lot of fiberglass but never really worked with carbon. Do you have to vaccuum bag or do infusion to get a good result or can you just lay them up and brush on the resin or epoxy and have them look good. What should I use, resin or epoxy? What will be the clearest to use. Do I need to spray some clear Gelcoat first (I know you can't do this if epoxy is used). Do I use multiple layers of woven fabric or can I use something else to back it up? Any hints would be appreciated.

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

what is the shape of the pieces you need to make? flat or contoured? What color?


Funny you mentioned this. I just did some very interesting experimenting with some materials for a boat i have in the shop. I will mention more later. Its a pretty easy process for flat panels that anyone with a bit of patience can do with very high end results.

C.I.M.

Mostly flat. Some will have a bend or two in them. I was just going to use some sheet aluminum as a mold. I was going to take the cabinets out of the cabin and make something to sit in its place that a cooler can be set into. For that peice I will have to fabricate some sort of mold. I don't need a sink.

I was just looking for the standard carbon fiber look.

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

I have been trying to perfect that deep carbon fiber look for some time using somewhat conventional methods with marginal success. I was looking to replicate the kind of panels like all the cool custom ones you see at the Miami show and as a laminated piece i just wasnt getting the results so i approached it in a different direction. Instead of laying down a clear gel and trying to build up a thick panel i took a sheet of clear 3/16" acrylic and simply epoxied the CF right to that. Its a real simple process and does not necessarily need to be bagged if you are careful. So far on my first couple of test panels (which unfortunatly i gave away for testing lol) I just applied a brushed out coat of a clear epoxy and carefully layed the CF down then wetted/worked it a bit. The CF takes to resin well and with it being a clear rigid work piece i could look for air bubbles and work them out. I even sprayed a candy red on one of them with the Fountain logo and it cane through great. It cut well with my bandsaw and was easy to finish the edge. You have to be careful working with some of the hybrid fabrics or anything with Kevlar it can be tough to get a nice clean hole in after the fact. I am experimenting with the edges at the moment to see how those finish but that should not be a prob, should be able to clean them up with some fine sandpaper. You might give it a try seeing as you are just doing flat panels and cutting and drilling CF does not have the probs Kevlar has. It was super easy and like i said had great results, way cool look in the sun . . . . . not sure why the heck i did not think of this before

C.I.M.

Thats a cool idea. Did you prep the acrylic in any way like scuffing or sanding? What kind of clear epoxy, or all they all clear? I get most of my stuff from us composits.

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

i did it both prepped and non prepped and both seemed to bond equally well. My test pieces are only a couple days old and have not reached full cure yet so i was gonna wait and do a pull test. Incedentally i could not see a differance in the one scuffed with 400 and the one not scuffed. I used us comps 635thin. Are you just looking for the black carbon fiber look or a color? If i get a chance in the next week or so i will do a thread on the whole process . . . . . soon as i perfect a few things lol. The neat thing is its a pretty simple process really anyone can do and get great results. The trickiest part is taking care with the raw fabric, its very easy to disturb the weave. With a bit of practice its not to hard to get a nice void free laminate.

tcelano

You should use epoxy or vinlyester with carbon laminates. Remember that epoxy is not UV stable normally. I've used West Systems #207 for a top coat, which comes out very clear, and is UV resistant. I did a completely open layup on an engine girder, and it came out pretty good.

Glassdave, that idea sounds pretty cool. Did you do anything for UV resistance under the acrylic? That certainly sounds easier than applying coat after coat of clear.

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

thats actually one of my next things to tackle on this. Havnt really addressed the issue yet it was something i just started messing with. Wonder if they make any uv stable clear epoxies at us comp. I suppose i could probably lay some type of clear down first, when i sprayed the candy down on the one panel it did not seem to affect the bond at all. Gonna hafta see if intercoat clear has inhibitors in it.

tcelano

I re-read the product description on West 207. It has some degree of UV inhibitor, but they still recommend using a UV filtering varnish.

I did some reading. The acrylic offers some UV filtering, but it should be available with additional coatings or additives to make it fully UV blocking, like sun glasses.

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

that thought occured to me as well, will have to check with the plastic supplier i am using. I'm sure they can come up with something, or combination of things.