tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67505920981924436542024-03-08T11:44:18.400-08:00Carbon Fiber Fiberglass DIY how to GuidesA blog to share ideas about custom Carbon Fiber and fiberglass composite parts. How to's and DIY information regarding custom mold construction, aswell as final pieces. A reader can learn how to make carbon fiber parts for any applications, kayaks, motorcycles, cars, bikes, etc.CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-9421754061592050482012-10-17T22:16:00.003-07:002012-10-17T22:18:50.829-07:00<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/gCY8tLHyeJQ" width="560"></iframe>
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Repair a fractured, crushed or clean broken fishing pole</span></h3>
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<span style="color: white;">Despite the strength and durability of carbon fibre fishing poles and fishing rods, fractures or complete breaks in the pole do happen from time to time.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">We have created this guide to accompany our Fishing Pole Repair Kit product but, providing you have all the neccessary materials mentioned in this guide there is no reason why it cannot be followed by anyone. If you do want to purchase the kit that accompanies this guide then see the link at the end of the article.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">What we will need to make the repair</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Everything listed below is included in the Easy Composites Fishing Pole Repair Kit</span></div>
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<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;">150mm x 1000mm plain weave carbon 90g carbon fibre fabric</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;">166g Epoxy resin</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;">83g Epoxy hardener</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;">3 metre, Hi Shrink composites heat shrink tape</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;">120, 240, 400 and 800 grit abrasive paper</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;">2x laminating brushes, mixing cups and sticks</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;">Polishing Compound</span></li>
<li style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 0px 1em; outline: 0px; padding: 0.2em 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="color: white;">3x Alcohol Wipes</span></li>
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<span style="color: white;">What can be repaired</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Use this process to add strength to a fractured or weakened section of pole or rod, re-join a pole or rod that has been completely broken in two or patch over a hole in a pole.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Before you begin - Using a jig for poles that are broken in two</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Where a pole has been completely broken in two it will probably be necessary to 'jig' the pole or rod to hold the two sections of pole together whilst the repair is made. Supporting the pole in this way, so as to allow access all around the pole whilst the repair is made, is best done using a simple jig which will need to be constructed following the plans at the end of this guide before you start the repair.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Step By Step Practical Guide</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">2. Use abrasive paper to key up repair area</span></div>
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<tr style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" valign="top"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="color: white;"><img src="http://www.easycomposites.co.uk/images/Guides/fishing-pole/guide-1.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></span></td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="color: white;">Use a small piece of the 120grit abrasive paper to roughen up the surface of the rod or pole around the area where the carbon fibre 'bandage' will be wrapped. This provides a good 'key' for the repair to bond to. Typically, you will be applying the bandage in an area of 60mm (2") beyond the edge of any damage. Make sure you do this to both halves of a pole that is broken in two.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: white;">3. De-grease repair area with alcohol wipe</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Use one of the small alcohol wipes to wipe down the whole of the repair area. This ensures that you remove any grease from your fingers that will prevent the resin from bonding properly to the rod or pole.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">4. Align pole (if necessary) using jig</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">If you are repairing a pole that has been broken in two you will need to align and support the two halves of the pole either side of where the repair will be made.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">To do this we suggest constructing a ‘jig’ as shown in the plans at the end of this guide. Having made your simple jig, secure the two halves of the pole and ensure they are correctly aligned.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">5. Mix resin for ‘tack’ layer</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Next we will apply a thin layer of resin to the pole and allow it to cure to a tack. This will give us a sticky surface to apply the carbon too in a later stage.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Using one of the cups provided, accurately mix a very small amount of resin with hardener at a ratio of 2 parts resin to 1 part hardener. It is very important that this ratio is adhered to as closely as possible.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">20g of resin and 10g of hardener should be about right for an average sized repair.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Take your time and mix the resin thoroughly. Any unmixed resin will not cure. It is a good practice to transfer the mixed resin to another container before using it. This avoids the risk of applying unmixed resin from the sides of the mixing cup to the repair.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">6. Apply thin ‘tack’ layer of resin</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Using one of the supplied brushes, paint a thin coat of the mixed resin all over the repair area. Try to apply the resin as thinly as possible ensuring it is worked well into any cracks or fractures.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">After you have done this look carefully at the underside of the repair area. If any ‘runs’ of resin are forming remove them using your brush.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">7. Set aside to cure for around 4hrs</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">You now need to wait for around 4hrs (slightly more or less in warm or cold environments) for the first coat of resin to almost cure. When the resin is firm but still tacky (i.e. you can get a fingernail into it but it’s not wet on your finger) then you’re ready to continue.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">8. Cut carbon fibre for repair bandage</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Use a pair of normal household scissors to cut a section of the carbon fibre fabric to a size that will allow you to extend it about 60mm past either side of the damaged area. You then need to allow sufficient fabric to run approximately 3 times around the tube or rod. This will result in a repair of around 0.75mm in thickness.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">9. Wrap carbon fibre around the pole</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Taking the piece of cut carbon fibre fabric, align the fabric along the pole and press the leading edge of it onto the tacking resin.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Press it down with your fingers so that it grips firmly. Wrap the carbon once around the pole and leave the excess hanging down.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">10. Wet out fabric with a new mix of resin</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Using a new cup accurately mix a slightly larger amount of resin and appropriate amount of hardener at a ratio of 2 parts resin to 1 part hardener. Again, the ratio must be exactly right.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">It is a good practice to transfer the mixed resin to another container before using it. This avoids the risk of applying unmixed resin from the sides of the mixing cup to the repair.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Brush a thin layer of resin onto the dry fabric, just enough to wet it out. Next, wrap the carbon fibre around the pole again and dab the fabric with your brush to wet it out again, applying a little more resin if necessary. Complete the process for the remaining number of wraps around the pole.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">11. Wrap the repair with shrink-tape</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Next you want to spiral wrap the whole repair with the special Hi Shrink heat-shrink tape supplied.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">To do this, stick one end of long length of the tape to the pole (using normal sticky tape) on part of the pole not wet from resin. Spiral wrap the Hi Shrink tape all the way around the repair until past the other end of the repair. Secure the tape using another bit of normal sticky tape.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">12. Heat shrink-tape with a heat gun</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Use a heat gun, or a hair dryer with a very high heat setting to heat the tape so that it starts to contract. This special Hi Shrink tape will contract by up to 20% at 80°C. This will compress the whole area of the repair, squeezing out any excess resin and resulting in a very strong repair.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">13. Leave to fully cure (around 8+hrs)</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Leave the part to cure for a period of around 8-12hrs in an ambient temperature of 20°C.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">14. Remove the Hi Shrink tape</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Once the part has cured, remove the Hi Shrink tape. You now have a full strength repair.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">15. Rub smooth with abrasive paper</span></div>
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<tr style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; vertical-align: top;"><span style="color: white;"><img src="http://www.easycomposites.co.uk/images/Guides/fishing-pole/guide-9.jpg" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" /></span></td><td style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 1em; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.3em; margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 5px; vertical-align: top;"><div style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: 11px; font-style: inherit; line-height: 1.3em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="color: white;">At this stage, you could leave the repair as it is, or, you could choose to use the included abrasive papers to smooth and polish the repair. If you choose to do this, start with the 120 grit, then progress to 240 and so on. You can use the abrasive papers with water to stop them from clogging.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">When sanding the repair, we very careful not to sand the original parts of the tube as this will reduce their wall thickness and make them weak.</span></div>
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<span style="color: white;">Only sand the new repaired area and only remove as little material as you can to leave you with the finish you require.</span></div>
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CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-75421992738173161732012-10-17T22:14:00.001-07:002012-10-17T22:14:32.724-07:00How to do perfect resin infusion on Carbon Fiber Parts<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/VodfQcrXpxc" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-76956748681429934432012-10-17T22:12:00.001-07:002012-10-17T22:13:46.906-07:00How to repair a carbon fiber kayak or canoe<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Xm2Ezo70vFI" width="560"></iframe> <br />
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Tutorial Contents</h2>
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1. Remove and loose or broken resin or fibre</h5>
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The first step is to remove any fractured, cracked or broken gelcoat, fibre or resin from the area to be repaired. We do this by carefully breaking away the damaged material using a knife or chisel.</div>
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2. Rub down area with coarse abrasive paper</h5>
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Before any resin is applied, it is essential to 'key' the area to be repaired using a coarse abrasive paper. We recommend a 120 grit paper. Ensure you rub down the whole area to be repaired; any areas not prepared in this way will be very difficult for the repair to bond to.</div>
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3. Cut reinforcement for repair patches</h5>
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Work out the size of the repair patches required. We recommend patching a composite kayak, canoe or boat with the same type of reinforcement that the boat is made from. Not only will this look neater but it will also be a better match for the performance of the surrounding material; expanding, contracting and flexing in the same way. For carbon fibre boats; repair using carbon fibre patches, for glass fibre boats; repair using glass fibre and so on.</div>
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You will find it difficult to cut carbon/aramid hybrid fabrics (such as carbon/Kevlar® or carbon/Twaron®) using normal scissors and almost impossible to cut exclusively aramid fabrics. Kevlar® shears are recommended particularly if you will be cutting a lot of this type of material.</div>
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4. Thoroughly mix epoxy repair resin with hardener</h5>
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For a repair like this to succeed it is very important to choose the right resin. Epoxy resin will bond far better to any composite boat and make a much stronger repair so should always be chosen over polyester or vinylester resin for repair work. Easy Composites' Rapid Repair™ resin is a modern, high performance epoxy system developed specifically for its high bond and flexural strength. It wets advanced reinforcements (like Kevlar, carbon, diolen, dyneema etc.) very well and cures in just a few hours.</div>
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As with all epoxies, ensure that you mix the resin with its hardener at the correct ratio. Ratios provided by Easy Composites are part-by-weight not parts-by-volume so you should use digital scales to ensure accurate ratios.</div>
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Mix the epoxy very thoroughly before applying to the repair because any unmixed resin will not cure and so will spoil the repair considerably.</div>
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5. Apply a coat of epoxy resin to damaged area</h5>
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Using a laminating brush, apply the mixed epoxy resin directly to the area to be repaired. Use the brush to ensure the epoxy is well worked into any cracked or exposed areas.</div>
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6. Apply reinforcement and wet-out with resin</h5>
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Place the reinforcement onto the wet resin. Use the laminating brush to press it down firmly and then wet-out thoroughly using additional epoxy resin.</div>
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7. Stretch release-film over the repair</h5>
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Once the repair has been laid onto the hull, drape a piece of unperforated release film all the way over the repair. Starting at one side, tape the film down to a dray area of the hull and then, pulling the film tight, tape it down to the opposite side of the repair. Continue the process on alternate sides until the release film has been pulled tight and wrinkle-free all the way over the repair.</div>
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Once the film is firmly in place, look at the repair through the film and identify any air bubbles. Use your finger or a plastic spread to move any such trapped air bubbles out off the edge of the repair.</div>
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8. Leave to cure fully (for 4 – 6 hrs at 20°C)</h5>
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Leave the resin to fully cure. Depending on the resin and hardener speed you are using this could be anywhere from a few hours up to a few days. Using our Rapid Repair Epoxy the repair should take around 4-6hrs to reach a full cure.</div>
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9. Once cured, remove release film</h5>
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To check the cure of the resin, test a small area on the boat where the resin is thinnest. If you check the leftover resin in the pot it will always be more cured than the resin in places on the part (resin massed in one place will exotherm and cure faster than thinner amounts of resin) which is why you should check a thin area of resin on the part.</div>
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Once you're satisfied that the resin has fully cured, remove the peel-ply which will fall away from the cured resin.</div>
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10. Flat any wrinkles prior to final overcoat</h5>
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Any wrinkles in the resin can optionally be 'flatted' using abrasive paper such as a 120 or 240 grit. If you’re not concerned about the wrinkles or you don’t have any (because the release film has left a near perfect finish) then skip this step.</div>
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11. Overcoat with a final layer of resin</h5>
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If you do flat off any wrinkles in your repairs then you must overcoat these areas with another application of the epoxy resin to seal the fibres and leave a glossy, hardwearing surface.</div>
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<br />CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-15238068610916453562012-10-16T00:07:00.002-07:002012-10-16T00:07:59.604-07:00How to make your own carbon fiber prepregMaking your own carbon fiber pre-preg is easy and doesn't have to be messy. Learn how to DIY from Algie Composite Aircraft and Woodward Aerospace. You can also use these same techniques for prepreg fiberglass or any other composite material. Working with prepreg has it's advantages, and many builders prefer it.
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/9_tDQTgdsCg" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-62396212501641354672012-10-14T08:02:00.001-07:002012-10-14T08:16:38.877-07:00DIY Carbon Fiber hood construction how to video<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/UgKvDw1E60E" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Carbon FIber DIYCompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-79427716732212118702012-10-14T07:49:00.000-07:002012-10-14T07:49:14.346-07:00DIY Carbon Fiber Intake How to<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/bnsPjdJ0dn0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1gMY_JInnrk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/RZGjZO4J2fo" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-80643235361511617692012-10-08T02:40:00.000-07:002012-10-08T02:40:33.692-07:00DIY Carbon Fiber Kiteboard tutorial<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ZxzGSHdUadk" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Another great video showing you how to do a carbon fiber layup with a foam core. They use a vacuum pump in the formation of their carbon fiber kiteboard.CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-69978789701852031852012-03-19T21:58:00.000-07:002012-03-19T22:00:26.340-07:00Composite material construction book<br />
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I've recently come across <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1929133766/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=carfibfibdiyh-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1929133766">this book</a><span style="border-color: initial !important; border-image: initial !important; border-width: initial !important;"><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=carfibfibdiyh-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1929133766" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></span>. <span style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"> While most books on composites approach the subject from a very technical standpoint, beginning composites presents practical, hands-on information about these versatile materials. From explanations of what a composite is, to demonstrations on how to actually utilize them in various projects, this book provides a simple, concise perspective on molding and finishing techniques to empower even the most apprehensive beginner. Topics include: What is a composite, why use composites, general composite types and where composites are typically used. The basics section also includes information on choosing the best resin/fiber system and the different types of both resin and fiber. Health and safety is a major consideration for any composite book. Author John Wanberg covers threats to both breathing and skin contact and how those contacts can be avoided when working with modern composite materials. First-time composite workers will need a work space and this book describes how to setup a shop that is both composite-friendly and safe. Once the shop is established, it’s time to begin using typical wet- layup and molding techniques. Creating useful composite parts starts with a good design, a topic that must be mastered before useful parts can be manufactured. Among the useful parts demonstrated here are both motorcycle and automotive components. The construction of these parts is documented in step-by-step fashion with an abundance of photographs - no step is left out. Any part created in a mold must be first removed from the mold, and second, finished and trimmed. Surface sanding and finishing makes up an entire chapter, ensuring that the composite parts you manufacture are not only light and extremely strong, but good looking as well.</span></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1929133766/ref=as_li_ss_il?ie=UTF8&tag=carfibfibdiyh-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1929133766"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&Format=_SL110_&ASIN=1929133766&MarketPlace=US&ID=AsinImage&WS=1&tag=carfibfibdiyh-20&ServiceVersion=20070822" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=carfibfibdiyh-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1929133766" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></div>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com135tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-38059946195274210252012-03-14T01:31:00.001-07:002012-03-19T19:28:31.511-07:00DIY Carbon Fiber Materials<br />
Part 3: Tools &amp; Equipment for DIY Carbon Fiber Projects<br />
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This section will focus mostly on wet lay-up overlay carbon fiber projects, and not on other vacuum bagging, vacuum infusion or using pre-pregs (dry carbon fiber). For vacuum bagging or vacuum infusion, the same tools will be needed as below, only with the addition of your vacuum bagging/infusion equipment. At this time, DIY Carbon does not sell nor support vacuum bagging/vacuum infusion equipment, and you will need to research &amp; obtain this equipment on your own. If we sense enough demand to expand our offerings to sell vacuum bagging/vacuum infusion equipment, we will also expand this section of our Carbon Fiber Tutorial.<br />
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Your Workspace:<br />
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First and foremost, an appropriate workspace is fundamental to the success of your project. A wet lay-up can be very messy, so do not try this on your dining room table (unless you are prepared to scrape dried resin off of your table). Another key component of your workspace is the fumes that are produced by the resins, as well as the temperature and humidity of the room. Most resin systems work best at around 75 degrees Fahrenheit with low humidity – warmer temperatures will shorten your working time and curing time, and colder temperatures will increase your working time and curing time. If your workspace is too cold, the resin may never cure at all. What works well for many people is to perform the wet lay-up/overlay process in a moderate to slightly cool room, then allow the pieces to cure in a warmer room, or even under hot lamps to accelerate the curing phase.<br />
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If using PER or VER resins, be sure to work in a well ventilated space using the proper safety equipment, fume hoods, fans, or other ventilation procedures to protect yourself from the VOCs being emitted by the reactions of the polyester/vinylester and the MEKP hardener.<br />
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Another key component of your workspace is that you’ll want it to be in a clean, dust-free environment. There is nothing worse than having dust or debris land on a wet part, and having that piece of debris curing into the final product. Maintaining a dust &amp; dirt free environment will minimize any imperfections or foreign materials introduced to the curing piece of CFRP.<br />
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Lastly, a well lit environment will help you avoid mistakes, and notice imperfections. Use plenty of light!<br />
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Tools &amp; Equipment Needed:<br />
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DIYCarbon provides you almost everything you’ll need in our comprehensive kits. Aside from a few simple hand tools which you likely have lying around the house, everything from the carbon fiber fabric to nirtle gloves and a particle mask are all provided in our kits, making them perfect for a complete amateur, or a seasoned carbon fiber veteran looking to create a new part. However, we have provided a comprehensive list of tools &amp; equipment that you should obtain, whether through us or otherwise, if you choose to embark on creating your own carbon fiber parts:<br />
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Carbon Fiber Fabric – in the weave pattern, size &amp; weight of your choice. You should have more than enough to cover the surface of the part plus a little extra.<br />
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Epoxy Resin &amp; Hardener – preferably professional grade epoxy resin that is UV treated.<br />
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Mixing Materials – mixing cups, mixing sticks, and measurement cups will help you achieve the correct ratio of resin to hardener.<br />
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Cutting Equipment – to prepare your fabric to make the proper shape to fit your mold, you’ll want a handy array of (sharp) cutting equipment such as box cutters, utility knifes, scissors, and similar tools.<br />
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Measurement Equipment – simple tools such as pencils, sharpies, rulers and tape measures will help you plan your cuts into the fabric and make sure you are not wasting any extra material. Measure twice, cut once.<br />
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Gloves – resin is messy and potentially dangerous – gloves are strongly recommended. DIYCarbon kits come with nirtle gloves which are thicker than standard latex gloves to keep your hands safe.<br />
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Hand Tools – a standard set of hand tools is recommended, just in tase. Mallets, hammers, flat head screw drivers an pliers can get you out of a pinch depending on the part being overlaid or mold being used. Another extremely useful tool are a set of (or several sets of) clamps to help hold things in place as they cure.<br />
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Brushes – bristled brushes work best for applying the resin, although foam brushes will work fine too for smaller projects.<br />
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Sanding tools – once the resin has cured, you will likely need to sand off imperfections. Have plenty of sandpaper from coarse to very fine as well as wet sand paper that you can sand your parts smooth with are crucial. A dremel or rotary tool can be great for removing drips or large imperfections as well. Sanding blocks and a particle mask are also very good ideas.<br />
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Clean up tools – acetone will go a long way for cleaning up any resin spills or sticky tools. Likewise a strong hand soap is a good idea if you don’t have some, such as <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BPB3E6/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=carfibfibdiyh-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B000BPB3E6"><span style="color: red;">gojo</span></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=carfibfibdiyh-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000BPB3E6" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
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Advanced Tools<br />
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Vacuum Bagging or Vacuum Infusion Equipment – there are many components involved in creating a working vacuum bagging or vacuum infusion setup. This can be costly, but for certain parts that require extreme precision or have irregular or complex shapes, this investment is necessary to achieve the end product.<br />
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Mold Making Equipment – a mold can be made many, many different ways. As long as you have a shapeable, non-porous material that won’t decompose or warp over time, you can likely make a mold out of it. Due to the endless possibilities we won’t even attempt to name them all, but common materials such as wood, metal, or plastic are commonly used to create molds.<br />
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Part 3 Conclusion<br />
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As you’ve probably heard a million times, having the right tools is essential to creating any project. The right tools will save you time, create a better finished project, and are sometimes critical to your safety. Before you start any carbon fiber project, ensure your workspace is clean, your tools are ready to use and easily accessible, and that everything is in order. Due to the limited working time of resin once a hardener/catalyst is introduced, it is essential to have all of your ducks in a row before you begin working on your project.<br />
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<br />CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-24324951306267228352012-03-14T01:30:00.003-07:002012-03-19T19:32:48.357-07:00Production of Carbon FIber Pieces<br />
Part 2: Carbon Fiber Production Basics<br />
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There are several ways to produce finished carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) parts – the most common for hobbyists is a wetlay (or sometime referred to as an overlay), although many other options exist but are generally only used for projects of considerable scale or quantity. In this section we will give a brief overview of each, although if you are planning on using a DIYCarbon kit, you will be using a Wet lay-up/Overlay and skip the rest of this section (unless of course you are interested, then please read on!).<br />
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Wet lay-up or Overlay – A basic Wet-layup or overlay is the most common method for hobbyist or DIYers looking to create carbon fiber parts as it does not require any specialty equipment. In this process you will overlay the carbon fiber over an existing part. You will want to make sure the part you overlay has smooth, non-porous surfaces that the wet carbon fiber fabric can be laid against. In this process you will combine your epoxy resin &amp; hardener, then soak the carbon fiber fabric in the resin/hardener mix. You will then take the soaked carbon fiber fabric and lay it up over the part. You may choose to lay-up several layers of carbon fiber fabric at once, but the resin &amp; layers will only bond to each other if they resin hasn’t cured yet. After allowing the resin to cure, you will need to remove the mold, sand and then finish the carbon fiber reinforced plastic in the method you prefer (be it paint, clear-coat, or any other kind of surface finishing). The downside to this method is that the part you overlay is part of the final product, so it does not save any weight and in fact adds a marginal amount of weight. This method is perfect for aesthetic applications of carbon fiber like automotive interior trim, as you can ensure an OEM-like fit and finish and reuse the OEM mounting points, while only gaining a trivial amount of weight.<br />
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Molds &amp; Patterns – This process is much like an overlay, only instead of overlaying an existing part, you create a mold (also known as a plug, a pattern, a master, or a buck) that is used to create the part. The mold is then removed from the final product, requiring no core or base product that gets overlaid. There are several ways to create a mold – commonly materials include wood, metal, or plastic. The materials for the mold should be easily shapeable, resistant to the materials being used, non-porous, and strong enough to uphold their original shape over multiple uses (poorly made molds will warp or become distorted over time, causing the final product to be misshaped). The mold needs to be perfect in cases of creating replica automotive parts like hoods or interior parts, otherwise the final product will not fit correctly or possibly not fit at all.<br />
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Vacuum Bagging – In this process, the wet-laid carbon fiber and its mold are sealed in a plastic bag, of which all air is removed, thus pressing together the wet carbon fiber against the mold to ensure a void-free covering. The advantage is that the fiber is vacuum pressed against the mold, preventing any wrinkles, bubbles, or irregular shaping – the final product will take on the exact shape of the mold. The disadvantage of this method is that it requires extra equipment including the vacuum bagging, a pump to create the vacuum, breather cloth, peel-ply, and many other materials. There are several resources around the internet on how to create a simple vacuum bagging system using a tire pump for a bicycle, although obviously there is more advanced equipment available as well. This system is great for very complicated parts that have lots of uneven contours, odd shapes, or need to be extremely precise.<br />
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Vacuum Infusion – In this process, carbon fiber is laid dry onto the mold, and the vacuum is created before the resin is introduced (in Vacuum Bagging, the resin is applied before the vacuum pressure). Once a complete vacuum is achieved between the carbon fiber and the mold, the resin is then injected into the vacuum where it covers the carbon fiber, then the extra resin is then sucked out of the vacuum sealed mold. There are several advantages to this method over Vacuum Bagging, most notably that less resin is used (minimizing weight) and the procedure is much less messy than vacuum bagging where the carbon fiber still has to be wet-laid. The disadvantages are again cost &amp; equipment – much more specialty equipment is required to create a vacuum infusion system, and maintenance on the equipment is more involved since resin (which will harden &amp; cure) is injected through it.<br />
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Pre-Pregs (Pre-Impregnated Fabrics) – unlike other methods, this method is entirely “dry” and when you hear of “dry carbon fiber” this is how it is created. With Pre-pregs, the fabric is pre-impregnated with a resin system that will cure when heat is applied to it. Generally the pre-preg material is frozen and stored in very cool temperatures until it is ready to be cured, and then baked in an oven at extremely hot temperatures. This process gives you much more control over the process and allows you to use stronger resins than a wet lay-up, and will be 20-30% stiffer and stronger than an equivalent-thickness wet laminate. The disadvantage of this method is again cost, as well as equipment to bake the material. Applications such as (high quality) mass produced carbon fiber hoods, F1 race parts, and airplane/aerospace parts will use pre-pregs to create a highly controlled, extremely high quality end part on a large scale.<br />
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Part 2 Conclusion<br />
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There are several ways to create parts, all of which depend on your budget, the scale of the project, and the complexity of the part being created. For the purposes of the rest of this guide, we will be concentrating on wet-laid carbon fiber projects that use overlays or simple molds which will be ideal for most small projects done by DIYers and hobbyists. Many of the principles throughout this guide can easily be expanded to vacuum bagging and vacuum infusion as well.<br />CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-23031313764255481482012-03-14T01:30:00.001-07:002012-03-19T19:31:54.805-07:00Some Basics of creating carbon fiber parts<br />
What is Carbon Fiber?<br />
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Raw carbon fiber is a composed to extremely thin fibers that are twisted together to form a “yarn”, which to the naked eye looks like one single strand of fiber. These yarns, or strands, are then woven together to form the carbon fiber fabric you will see in the DIYCarbon kits – they are often woven together in a criss-cross over-and-under weave style, which is known as “plain weave” although variations such as the twill weave (over-two, under-two) and basket weave are common as well. This fabric of interwoven fibers is called raw carbon fiber, and can be used to create automotive parts by applying an epoxy resin which hardens the fabric to create a finished piece of carbon fiber reinforced plastic.<br />
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Finished Carbon Fiber is a Composite Material<br />
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Finished Carbon Fiber is a composite – that is, a material made up of two dissimilar materials, that when combined, yield inherent advantages greater than either material individually. In the case of carbon fiber, those materials are the raw carbon fiber fabric itself, and the epoxy resin it is combined with to create the final product, known as Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP). Other composites include fiberglass, Kevlar, and graphite reinforced polymers – these composite materials are used in many applications over plastic, wood or metal due to their ability to be easily molded and advantages in weight savings and strength over those more common materials.<br />
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For the purposes of this overview, we will be focusing solely on carbon fiber, although in many cases the advice and concepts apply to other composites as well. As you likely know, Carbon Fiber is used in many automotive applications for its great strength to weight ratio, yielding a lightweight yet strong material for body &amp; interior panels. For racing purposes, carbon fiber is generally used for larger parts, as the weight savings becomes negligible with smaller parts, and the production of carbon fiber can often become expensive. However, the allure of carbon fiber attracts all sorts of automotive enthusiasts for a variety of purposes, both functional and non-functional, due to both the allure of it being a very advanced material, and the brilliant depth and shine of a carefully finished carbon fiber product.<br />
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Raw Carbon Fiber versus Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics<br />
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Carbon fiber in raw form is a soft, pliable fabric much like any other fabric (think of a blanket), and can be easily draped or wrapped around just about anything (such as interior trim, a body panel, or even a person). Once introduced to a “matrix” such as an epoxy resin, it then becomes a composite material known as Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic. In this state, the carbon fiber is no longer a soft, pliable fabric but it becomes a hardened, strong, and unpliable material, much like the finished carbon fiber products you see on race cars. Simply put, raw carbon fiber (fabric) is the before, and carbon fiber reinforced plastics is the after. For purposes of this website, we’ll use “carbon fiber” and “carbon fiber reinforced plastic” somewhat interchangeably, but it’s important to note that technically speaking, the former is referring to just the raw, unfinished fabric, whereas the latter is referring to the composite material after epoxy resin has been applied and hardened.<br />
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One big advantage of working with raw carbon fiber, especially for DIY projects, is that it is very easy to mold into the shape you want, and can be wrapped over just about anything as an overlay. The disadvantage is that once the epoxy resin has been applied and it becomes a carbon fiber reinforced plastic, there is no flexibility whatsoever, and you’re pretty much stuck with the shape it hardened in. Carbon Fiber is not a flexible material, and there are no “do-overs” once the epoxy has set.<br />
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Types of Carbon Fiber<br />
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There are many types of carbon fiber, which we’ll explore now. Carbon Fiber can vary by the style the yarns are woven together (weave patterns), the weight of the carbon fiber, and the size of each yarn in the carbon fiber fabric.<br />
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Weave Patterns<br />
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Plain Weave (1×1) – the most common style of weave. Each yarn (or strand) is woven in a simple over-and-under weave style creating little squares. It is a simple over one strand, under one strand pattern, as shown in the picture.<br />
Twill Weave (2×2) – With a twill weave, each yarn travels over-two, and then under-two other yarns, as opposed to a over-one, under-one ratio for plain wave. This creates a slightly different texture .<br />
Harness/Satin Weave (Anythingx1) – Each yarn travels over two or more yarns, then under one. For example, if it travels over 3 and then under 1, it would be a 3×1, or 4HS. Harness Satin is commonly abbreviated as HS, and the number is derived by adding the numbers before it. An 8HS weave then, would be a 7×1 weave, where each yarn travels over 7 other yarns, and then under one yarn.<br />
Basket Weave – very similar to the plain weave, but with two yarns under, and then two yarns over, almost like a double plain weave.<br />
There are certain functional advantages to each type of weave, although for most purposes outside of aerospace use, it really comes down to aesthetics and personal preference as to which you weave you should choose.<br />
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Weave Weights<br />
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The weave weight is the actual weight of 1 square yard of raw carbon fiber fabric. The heavier the weight, the more fibers are woven into each individual yarn (known as the size), generally creating thicker strands that will have an effect both visually and to the strength of the finished carbon fiber reinforced plastic.<br />
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The most common weights for automotive applications are:<br />
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8 oz – the vast majority of aftermarket car parts on the market<br />
12 oz – the minimum standard DIYCarbon or oCarbon sells (unless a colored weave…)<br />
20 oz – the rarest of the bunch<br />
Weave Sizes<br />
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The size is referring to how many pieces of fiber are in each yarn (or strand). A size of 3K means that there are 3,000 fibers in each yarn. Obviously, the greater the size, the thicker the yarn, and the greater the weight of 1 square yard of fabric as well. The greater the size, the greater the weight.<br />
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It is more common to purchase carbon fiber by weight than size, although they pretty much go hand in hand, and by knowing the weight you can often deduce the size. For instance, an 8oz weave generally has a yarn size of 6k, meaning 6,000 fibers per yarn (or strand). A 20oz weight is often around a 12k size, or 12,000 fibers per yarn.<br />
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Colors (Carbon-Kevlar Hybrids)<br />
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A common misconception is that carbon fiber comes in different colors – it doesn’t. Each yarn of carbon fiber is black – although it may look silver to the naked eye based on how the light reflects on the weave, it isn’t – there is no silver yarn, carbon fiber only comes in black.<br />
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Often you will see different colors available such as red, blue, or yellow. This colored carbon fiber isn’t really carbon fiber, it is a Carbon-Kevlar hybrid. The Kevlar can come in different colors and is woven together with the (black) carbon fiber yarns to create the multi-colored look.<br />
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What is (Epoxy) Resin?<br />
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To turn raw carbon fiber into a finished piece of carbon fiber reinforced plastic, you must add the magical ingredient of resin to harden the fiber. If you’ve never worked with epoxy resin before, it is a gel-like substance that you will brush over the fiber, and once it hardens the fiber and resin will become a finished piece of carbon fiber reinforced plastic. It can be very messy &amp; sticky, especially if you’ve never worked with it before, which is why mixing sticks, gloves, and special mixing containers are recommended, as well as a clean &amp; adequate work-space that you are okay with getting dirty (do not try this in your living room).<br />
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Epoxy resin works in a pretty simple way – you have a resin and a hardener. The hardener (or sometimes referred to as a catalyst) is added to the resin in a pre-set ratio, such as two parts resin to one part hardener. Separately, both the resin &amp; hardener are gel-like liquids, but once the resin &amp; hardener have been mixed together, a chemical reaction will occur and the liquids will become a solid. Sometimes, particularly with fast-drying resins, a noticeable amount of heat will be generated during this exothermic reaction, so be sure to read the safety &amp; warning labels of all of the products you are using before mixing the resin &amp; hardener. You generally have a certain window of time before the chemical reaction completes and the resin becomes too solid to work with (known as the “working time” of a resin), which means that once you have mixed the resin &amp; hardener together you need to work efficiently, and only mix small batches of resin at a time that you can fully use up within the resin’s stated working time.<br />
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Generally the working time of a resin, and the time for it to fully cure are vastly different. You may only have 20 minutes of working time before the resin is too hard to work with anymore, but it may take a few days for the resin to fully cure and the chemical reactions to fully complete before you can begin working with the piece again – this would be called the “curing time.” You can accelerate the curing time applying moderate heat to the resin, but it’s important to allow the resin to fully cure before moving to the next stage. Another important note is that once the resin has fully cured, no more resin should be added to the part – the cured resin and the uncured resin will be unable to bond correctly, and the second layer of resin will be limited in its performance and may peel off or decompose rather quickly. Any and all resin you intend to add to a part should be done before the resin has been able to cure completely.<br />
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Choosing a Resin<br />
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There are several commonly used resins you can choose from – all of which have their pros and cons. At oCarbon and DIYCarbon all kits &amp; parts we sell use professional grade UV treated epoxy resins as we have found this to be the best for automotive applications in terms of strength and minimizing yellowing &amp; fading to producing a high quality finished product that will last a very long time.<br />
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One common misconception that is perpetuated by those who make low-cost carbon fiber parts is that certain resins will “never yellow or fade.” This is 100% false – all resins will fade or yellow when exposed to ultra-violet (UV) light, as the UV light breaks the chemical bonds in the resin’s molecules. The speed &amp; severity of yellowing/fading can be minimized substantially by which resin you choose, as well as introducing UV inhibiting chemicals into the resin to help minimize UV damage. Even OEM carbon fiber parts from manufacturers such as Lamborghini, Pagani, Ferrari or Audi will yellow or fade over time, especially parts exposed to extreme heat such as engine covers, or parts exposed to a lot of sunlight such as roofs and hoods in hot climates such as deserts.<br />
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Resin choice is just as important as your choice in raw carbon fiber – it takes both pieces to make a finished part after all. There are three categories of commonly used resins – Polyester Resin (PER), Vinylester Resin (VER), and Epoxy Resin. Within each category there are also varying levels of quality at corresponding levels of price, but for now we’ll focus purely on the types of resin to choose from.<br />
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Polyester Resin (PER)<br />
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Inexpensive, but the lowest in strength &amp; performance – Polyester Resin (PER) is the most commonly used resin in mass-production due to its low cost and adjustable cure time. Polyester is very resistant to UV light and can be used in applications that are subjected to prolonged exposure to direct sunlight. PER is mixed with a catalyst/hardner called MEKP (methyl ethyl keytone peroxide), and you can adjust the ratio of polyester resin to MEKP to alter the working &amp; cure times, depending on your needs.<br />
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The main drawback of PER is its low strength – as PER cures, it shrinks considerably, compromising the strength of the finished product. It is generally not recommended to use it with high-performance fabrics such as carbon fiber. It is also very sticky &amp; tacky when working with it, which can make it unusually messy for novices. A final drawback is that PER releases higher levels of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) which can be harmful to your health &amp; respitory system, so be sure to work in a well ventilated area wearing a mask if you choose to use PER as your resin.<br />
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Vinylester Resin (VER)<br />
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Middle of the pack – VER is a little more expensive than Polyester Resin with improvements in strength &amp; chemical properties, but not as strong as Epoxy Resin. VER is best described as an “upgraded version of PER” as you will achieve slight increases in strength &amp; performance but otherwise many of the properties are the same (they both use MEKP as a hardener, for instance). Because of this, it is used in projects where PER would otherwise be used, but the builder once a slightly more strong product, such as boat hulls and storage tanks. Like PER, Vinylester also shrinks considerably during curing, causing decreases in strength, and VER also emits VOCs which may be harmful to your health.<br />
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Epoxy Resin<br />
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The highest cost &amp; the highest quality – unlike PER and VER, the hardener used with epoxy resin actually bonds the resin &amp; hardener together. This creates superior strength although it requires very precise measuring of resin to hardener, unlike PER and VER where you can mix resin to hardener in different ratios. Epoxy resin has much lower amounts of shrinkage while curing, creating superior strength over PER and VER. Because of its superior strength, Epoxy Resin is generally recommended for any high performance application such as aircraft, automotive, or structural uses. Because carbon fiber is a high performance (and exotic) fabric, it is generally recommended that you use epoxy resin with carbon fiber – using PER or VER with carbon fiber is like filling up your “premium fuel only” car with 87 or 89 octane – it can be done, but if you care about performance, it isn’t recommended.<br />
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Epoxy Resins tend to have very low VOC emissions, making them more safe to work with, especially for the hobbyist who may not have the proper safety equipment for PER or VER otherwise. The one disadvantage of epoxy resins that is worth mentioning is that they are more vulnerable to UV light damage relative to PER or VER, and require additional protection methods such as mixing in UV treatments to help prevent premature yellowing or fading. All kits &amp; parts sold through DIYCarbon &amp; oCarbon have UV inhibitors mixed in.<br />
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Part 1 Conclusion<br />
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In part 1 of our guide we have given you an overview of what makes carbon fiber unique, the basics of how a finished piece of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) is produced, and the various choices in carbon fiber fabric and resins that exist. Both DIYCarbon &amp; oCarbon allow you to pick the carbon fiber fabric of your choice according to weave pattern, weight, and other choices, although for all carbon fiber applications we recommend using epoxy resin for its superior strength and quality. Now that we have given you the necessary information to pick the right materials, it is time to discuss the basics of how to produce carbon fiber.<br />
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Part 1 Definitions/Glossary:<br />
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· Raw Carbon Fiber – carbon fiber fabric before an epoxy resin is applied<br />
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· Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics – carbon fiber after epoxy resin has been applied &amp; hardened<br />
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· Composite Materials – any product made of two or more different materials, such as raw carbon fiber and epoxy resin<br />
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· Yarn – to the naked eye, the yarn looks like one single strand of fiber, although it is really several thousand fibers all twisted together to form one yarn. Also known as a pic, or bundle.<br />
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· Weave weight – how much 1 square yard of carbon fiber fabric weighs, in ounces.<br />
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· Weave size – how many fibers are in one yarn.<br />
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· Weave pattern – the pattern in which yarns are woven together, such as a plain weave (1×1), a twill weave (2×2), or a harness satin (HS) weave (anythingx1).<br />CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-82662183962401670342012-03-06T02:25:00.001-08:002012-03-06T02:25:46.722-08:00Another review of how to vacuum bag carbon fiber, fiberglass, or kevlar<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5jSwx_EkJgM" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br />
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A lot of people ask us how do you make carbon fiber parts.<br />
Here is a great video showing the process to vacuum bagging carbon fiber hoods, trunks, or anything else. This process is also useful for other composite materials such as fiber glass, kevlar, or others. Vacuum bagging produces a light product, as the breather material soaks up excess resin. The result is not only a light part, but one that is stronger as well. This technique also prevents air bubbles from forming in the finished product. Most professional construction of carbon fiber components use a vacuum bagging method.CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-86477054162413204682012-02-24T12:07:00.002-08:002012-02-24T12:07:57.616-08:00New updates coming soonDead pictures will be fixed and new content will be available soon.CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-18578912531417634592010-12-01T16:26:00.001-08:002012-10-02T20:05:12.695-07:00DIY How to Carbon Fiber Tubes & piping for Intakes how to<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This second part covers a lot of ground but the techniques can be used for complex </div>
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projects. To demonstrate how to make a two part mold I’ve decided to mold a tube which </div>
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could be use to make charge pipes, etc. </div>
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All the usual disclaimers_the chemicals are hazardous so use adequate protection. This </div>
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tutorial is how I do it. There are other methods which may be superior. If you choose to </div>
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try these procedures its at your own risk. </div>
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First I wax the part thoroughly will mold release wax. I put on at least six coats. Wait till </div>
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each coat dries and buff. I use clay to form my parting lines along with foam </div>
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board.<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
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I cut the clay into long strips which will be applied to the </div>
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This is followed by the foam board which is pressed firmly against the clay and the back </div>
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size is hot glued to the part. Important is the parting line is placed on each center line of the tube.</div>
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This is repeated on both sides. I also use plastic half rounds as registration aids. I bought </div>
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these from a sewing fabric store.</div>
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I also add extra pieces of foam board to the glue side and glue these on to further support the flanges</div>
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The flanges are waxed on the side to be molded and also sprayed with PVA. Once its all dry its time to apply the gel coat.</div>
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I use an orange tooling gel coat for my molds.</div>
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I apply this in two coats to about 1/16 inch thick and allow to dry to fingerprint dry </div>
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state. Its then time to start laying on the fiberglass. I use chopped fiber for the tight places </div>
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and around the plastic buttons.</div>
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The part after six layers of 6oz. Cloth and allowed to dry. The next step is to flip it over </div>
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and remove the foam board support and flanges and clay. Pop out the plastic </div>
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buttons.</div>
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Don’t loosen the metal tube. Now wax the tube and flanges with six coates of wax and </div>
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PVA. Repeat laying on two coats of gel coat followed by the fiberglass.</div>
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Let everything harden overnight and use wedges(Bondo spreaders work great) to separate.</div>
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Remove the tube, wash off the PVA with water and then wax the mold. Note how the </div>
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plastic rounds allow perfect alignment. This step is only necessary for tube. You need to </div>
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form an inner flange to allow the final tube halves to be bonded. </div>
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Take one half and replace the tube and wax everything again. Lay fiberglass over the </div>
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flange and about 1” over the tube. You only nee two layers of cloth here. Note –I’ve drilled ¼” holes through the flange.</div>
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Once dry, remove the tube and trim the raw edges to about ¾” wide.</div>
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This is the tricky part. You need to decide how many layers of CF you will be using to </div>
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lay up the tube. I usually use three.Cut three strips just as wide as the lip ~ ¾” and use resin to bond these to the lip.<span style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 12px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></div>
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Now use the same process to make another lip for the other side of the mold.</div>
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Bolt the lip to the mold half. Again wax and buff. Begin laying down a layer of resin </div>
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followed by a layer of CF. I used fiberglass to backup the CF just to save materials for this demo.</div>
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Be sure the resin and material fits well where the mold and lip come together. Once dry </div>
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trim. If you time it before everything completely drys you can trim with a razor blade.</div>
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You can now sand the lips on each finished piece and bond together with resin or use an </div>
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epoxy glue for strength. A better way which everything in perfect alignment is to </div>
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unscrew the lips from the flanges. Wax the mold and replace the CF half tubes. Run a </div>
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small amount of resin along the lips and then clamp the two mold halves together. I then </div>
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saturate fiberglass tape and place the tape over the inside lips to strengthen.</div>
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This is what it looks like after drying. A few coats of urethane and you have a perfectly round, extremely strong tube. Actually we tested this tube with an 180 lb. onlooker standing on it and it didn’t deform or separate. I used this same technique to make a charge pipe for a Honda we were turboing. </div>
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I’m also using a bit different technique to make seamless tubes using CF sleeves and an </div>
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inflatable blader. </div>
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I hope this helps with your future project. </div>
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CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-31449226414549161822010-11-30T18:37:00.001-08:002012-03-06T02:04:30.637-08:00DIY How to make Carbon fiber Xbox 360 Case layup<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #363636; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 20px;"></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1902/dsc0865w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1902/dsc0865w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div><h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 20px;">Introduction</span></h3><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 1.5em;">Today we’re going to show you how we took a standard white Xbox 360 and skinned it into a sexy real carbon fiber Xbox 360. In our upcoming second part, we’ll show you how we did the actual Xbox 360 controller, so be sure to stay tuned for that. You can keep up with Carbon Fiber G</span>ear on our Facebook page for the latest updates. If you are interested in making your own carbon fiber parts and products, be sure to check out the carbon fiber starter kit in our store. It gives you everything you need in one box to start dabbling in carbon fi<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 1.5em;">ber yourself.</span></span><br />
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</span></div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;">CLICK READ MORE TO VIEW THE REST</span></b></div><div style="font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span></div></div><h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 20px; font-weight: bold; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Building the Carbon Fiber Xbox 360</span></h3><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">First, we prepped the surface for ideal bonding by sanding with 220-grit sandpaper, taking particular care on the areas that have lower surface areas, such as the edges and around vent holes, to ensure good cohesion</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWxhObRJPI/AAAAAAAAACQ/ZHKhkB5Eg_U/s1600/Picture+34.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWxhObRJPI/AAAAAAAAACQ/ZHKhkB5Eg_U/s400/Picture+34.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Next, I taped off all of the areas that I didn’t want any resin getting onto, mainly edges where pieces must fit together.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWxxi0r3YI/AAAAAAAAACU/Bb05S0P1GoI/s1600/Picture+36.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWxxi0r3YI/AAAAAAAAACU/Bb05S0P1GoI/s400/Picture+36.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;">Next, I mixed the resin, I have a 3:1 resin system, with three parts of resin to one part hardener which gives us dry times of 12-14 hours, with a “tack” reached in 1.5-3 hours</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWx-a5ttjI/AAAAAAAAACY/KCXyw2bLz4w/s1600/Picture+37.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="232" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWx-a5ttjI/AAAAAAAAACY/KCXyw2bLz4w/s400/Picture+37.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Then I evenly applied the resin over the Xbox, ensuring even coverage, but not too thick where the resin will run over into crevices, as this will only create a hassle for later.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">After the halves have been evenly coated with resin, we allowed the resin to come to a “tack” for about 2 hours, before applying the carbon fiber. I measured out and cut the carbon fiber in the meantime. Allowing the base layer to come to a tack first allows great adhesion to the carbon fiber, which prevents the fabric from moving or separating after application.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A neat trick for cutting straight lines, you can pull out a single fiber from the cloth, which will create a visible line you may cut from, as seen in this picture in the middle</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWyLCXZ-9I/AAAAAAAAACc/EsrKByaKro4/s1600/Picture+38.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWyLCXZ-9I/AAAAAAAAACc/EsrKByaKro4/s400/Picture+38.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;">Here are our two squares</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWyfrh2iwI/AAAAAAAAACg/sTlwRP4Jw0I/s1600/Picture+39.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWyfrh2iwI/AAAAAAAAACg/sTlwRP4Jw0I/s400/Picture+39.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;">Now, one half applied with the fiber taped back to keep light tension as it cures, and allows it to adhere to the upper edges</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWytY2IfPI/AAAAAAAAACk/KYxq3wBiq1s/s1600/Picture+40.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWytY2IfPI/AAAAAAAAACk/KYxq3wBiq1s/s400/Picture+40.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;">After curing overnight, we trimmed off most of the excess, leaving a small bit of excess around the sides until a top coat is applied to ensure that the fibers stay together until then</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWy-nrsZ_I/AAAAAAAAACo/3GNHkEd_2FI/s1600/Picture+41.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWy-nrsZ_I/AAAAAAAAACo/3GNHkEd_2FI/s400/Picture+41.png" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">At this point, we apply a clear epoxy layer over the top of the carbon fiber. After that layer has cured, we scuff over the entire surface very evenly with a low grit (we used 220-grit), as there is still a large amount of texture after the first resin layer. Once again, don’t apply the resin too thick, or it will run and cause headaches later.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Note: It may be best to leave plenty of excess carbon fiber, and not trim after the initial carbon fiber application, since working with your brush near the loose fiber edges may pick up small pieces of carbon fiber which will brush onto your surface, and you often do not notice it until after it cures, and will disrupt the visual appearance of the carbon fiber, or create physical ridges or roughness.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Once you have scuffed over the surface very evenly, knocking down the high spots, rinse off any of the residue from sanding, and you are ready to apply a second layer.</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here we have sanded down the first layer in the same fashion as before and have now applied a second layer. Then I sanded the second layer and applied a thin third layer before final sanding/finishing.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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</span><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWzK_6fjZI/AAAAAAAAACs/JHd2vZ5TI20/s1600/Picture+42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPWzK_6fjZI/AAAAAAAAACs/JHd2vZ5TI20/s400/Picture+42.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 24px;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 24px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 20px;"></span></span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Final sanding and finishing includes multi-grit sanding, working up from 200-grit up to 1200-grit in 200-grit increments. So we went 200,400,600….1200. Once you have done that, there are two options for the final finishing of the piece. One is to use a clear coat, which we opted to do, and we used an automotive clear coat to finish ours. The other option is to use a polishing compound to polish the surface to a gorgeous shine, and since we didn’t have a buffer (which helps a lot) or a lot of patience to hand buff the piece, we went with the clear coat instead. Polishing is a great solution for those who don’t have access to paint/clear coating equipment, or a proper area to use it.</span></div><div style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; font-size: 16px; line-height: 1.5em; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 20px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Let it cure, and get something like this!</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1902/dsc0865w.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/1902/dsc0865w.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
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<h3 style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-color: initial; border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-top-width: 0px; line-height: normal; list-style-image: initial; list-style-position: initial; list-style-type: none; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; margin-top: 0px; outline-color: initial; outline-style: none; outline-width: initial; padding-bottom: 10px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: x-small;">Courtesy of Evan Hiner @ tech-kings.net</span></span></h3><br />
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</div>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-27662523372299831822010-11-30T09:40:00.000-08:002012-09-29T23:46:57.013-07:00Very detailed DIY for a Vacuum Bagged Carbon Fiber Car Door<div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; font-family: verdana; font-size: 12px;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Let me begin this how-to by laying out two things upfront. First and foremost I am not a professional composite person nor am I an engineer. Second, I can’t begin to answer all of the design and engineering questions many of you have already had and will continue to have. This write-up is focused purely on the PROCESS, My process of making molds and parts and NOT how to attach them. I will not address how to handle various load situations either - i.e. will the roof I made work on a 200+ mph Pro 5.0 car. With that disclaimer, let’s jump in.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I will be breaking the process how-to down in multiple steps or phases. These steps are both long and involved. I personally prefer it when I am provided too much information over too little. For those that would prefer a shorter version, sorry. Also, like my one year old son and three year old daughter, I like pictures and as you will soon find out use them extensively.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">***Please follow product safety information provided by all material suppliers** Some of this stuff is pretty noxious and I am sure can cause all sorts problems with prolonged exposure. Some of this stuff may be flammable as well and I can guarantee you that fiberglass and carbon fiber bits are not good to breathe so wear a respirator.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Materials:</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Below is the stuff I use. I have used more products that are not listed here but have settled in on a these materials. They work well for ME. That doesn’t mean that you can’t accomplish the same thing with other stuff. If you find something that I am not using that works well, let me know as I am always open to try new products and procedures to improve the process.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Tools and Non-consumables:</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Gel Coat Cup Gun</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Paint spray gun with 2mm tip (Obviously you will need a compressor and my 4 hp Craftsman works fine)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Mold release wedges (I have four which is a minimum for big parts)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Scale (.1 oz resolution)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Large table with a stick resistant top. I use a 3/4 in. thick 4x8 sheet of melamine covered fiberboard on top of saw horses. You can get one for $25 at Home Depot or Lowes. This works extremely well as it is cheap, large and very resistant to stick. It is also pretty durable and double sided which is great as the table will take a serious beating.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Tarp to cover the ground as it will be covered in resin</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Scissors</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Tin Snips</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Circular Material Cutter w/extra blades</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Squeeze dispenser for polyester resin catalyst</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Composite rollers</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Body filler spreaders</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Rivet gun</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Hot melt glue gun</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Vacuum attachment for bagging</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Vacuum pump (lots more on this later)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Consumables:</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Kleen Clay modeling clay</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Fiberglass Chop Strand Mat (CSM) (I use 1.5 oz. I originally bough 75 yards of this which has made a lot of molds. Most of my molds are 3 to 4 layers thick and a yard is 50” wide. So for the door the outer skin mold required 4 yards of CSM).</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Polyester Resin (I use ‘tooling resin’ from US Composites which has worked great for me as it is super tough and is not tacky after cure)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Polyester Gel Coat (I use black also from US Composites because it is easy to see blemishes and easy to see where the fiberglass has been wetted out)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Tongue depressors (you will want lots and lots of these)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Cup gun cups (I use a ton of these too as I use them not only for spraying gel coat but mixing resins as well)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Sand paper (wet 240 and 400 grit)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Sanding block</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Masking tape (3/4” and 2”)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-4.5” Grinder with thin cutting disk</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Acetone (cleanup)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Aluminum flanging materials (I like the 50 foot .016x6” roll I get from McMaster-Car and also use .040 sheet and cut with pneumatic sheers for places that require stiffer flanges)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Aluminum angle stock (I like to use the 1/16” thick 1x1” and 2x2” 90 deg angles because I can cut it with snips)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Rivets 1/8” aluminum 1/2” long (I love rivets as you will soon see)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Hot Melt glue gun sticks (the best of these I have found are the ‘High Strength long cure” variety sold at Home Depot)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Part-All #2 Release wax</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-PVA (poly vinyl alcohol)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-PTFE Release agent</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Nitrile rubber gloves</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Carbon Fiber fabric (I use 5.7 oz 2x2 twill for 95% of my parts. 50” widths are common, 60” are not which stinks as 60” saves lots of material for doors and trunk and is a requirement for a seamless hood on a SN95 Mustang.)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Nomex Honeycomb Core (1/8” - 1/2” thick 3.0 lb./sq ft. depending on part - AVT is my source for honeycomb)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Perforated release film (US Composites)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Breather Ply (US Composites)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-High elongation bagging film (US Composites)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Bag sealing tape (US Composites)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">-Epoxy Resin (I use the medium cure thin from US Composites for most of my parts and I have been happy with it)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Phase 1: Planning </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You will soon learn that everything you do now will affect not only what you are working on but everything that you will make from that point forward. If the original part has a problem that is not addressed, the mold will also have that problem as will the finished part. Planning can prevent these problems from moving forward. Often you will not realize that you are going to have a problem until the lay-up stage and then it is too late and the mold has to be redone. BTW, this phase of the process will get easier with each part you make. There is nothing like learning from your own mistakes. I am the master of this. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Let’s talk about why a concave part requires a multi-part mold.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">These diagrams above are obviously simplistic but illustrate what to watch out for. The first illustration will be fine to use a one part mold; the second is marginal but will probably work ok as a one part mold if the part or mold has any flex to it. The third illustration will definitely require a multi-part mold. Again, this is simplistic and in the real world the part shape will be much more complex. All it takes is one little concave ridge or spot to ruin a mold. The good news is that we have options to deal with these small areas which we will address later. Another piece of good news is that most production parts are stamped which also requires that a part not be concave. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">BTW, when I made my first roof mold I did not think that the concavity of the window ledge flanges relative to each other would be a problem. They were and it cost me a carbon/honeycomb part and a complete mold to learn this lesson. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This is a good time to address physical mold release. Another problem I ran into with the roof was that the shape did not allow me to insert release wedges up into the main central area of the roof. So there will be situations where even though the part is not concave, you may want to make a multi-part mold. This is exactly the case with the interior door structure for this part. The shape would not allow me to get wedges into to large flat section so I split the mold down the middle of the roof. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">For my door there were several issues that I had to get my arms around up front: How much door did I want to make and if I was going to make an interior structure, how much to make? How was I going to attach the door? Do I want to use the stock latch? How strong does the door need to be in flex and in impact? At what point do I sacrifice the above for weight? </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">From here I came away with two options. One, make as light a door as possible - i.e. just an outer skin - and two, make one with a stock matching interior structure but with a smooth interior panel that would create a completely enclosed structure. Ultimately I chose to make the molds such that I would not have to make this decision now. This would require a single mold of the exterior panel and a separate mold of the interior structure. If I wanted a part with an interior structure I would simply lay-up carbon parts in both molds and bond them together (more on this later). </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The first challenge that jumped out at me was the shape of the stock door’s interior structure. As you can see in the picture above, it is quite complex with lots of tight curves and angle changes. I wanted a large flat panel on the inside so I had to create a shelf for a panel to sit on. You can clearly see in the picture how I was trimming the inner structure to accomplish this. I also have to work out how the inner carbon fiber structure was going to bond to the top outer carbon skin. More on this later.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The next item to address was the door handle and lock areas on the outer skin. As the doors I am making are going to be in the 5-6 lbs. weight range I decided to eliminate these parts and to make the door smooth completely smooth. To do this I will filled these areas with clay on the stock part which keeps them from being transferred to the mold. More on this in the next phase. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">After studying the door for literally hours I finally came to the conclusion that the inner structure would require a multi-part mold to guarantee release and that the seam between the molds should bisect the large flat section of the middle of the door. I chose to seam it vertically to make the mold halves square instead of long rectangles. That way the seam would be smaller and the mold halves would have more structural integrity. Also, I could have chosen to seam it along the edge of the inner panel but that would have been much more difficult and as this was not an exterior panel I chose the faster route. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Phase 2 - Part Preparation </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Now that I had a plan it was time to make the initial mold. The first step in this process is to completely clean the part inside and out. By completely clean I mean 100% free of grit and completely smooth. For this I love to use one of the clay bar cleaning bars. If your stock part has any major defects then this is a good time to address them using common body repair methods - welding, body filler, hammer, etc. Just get the surface perfectly smooth with a minimum of porosity as that will prevent the mold from sticking to the part. Remember any imperfections in the part will be in the mold and any imperfections in the mold will be in the finished part. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">BTW, my original door was in pretty good shape except for an ‘outward ding’ that came from the removal of the side impact door bar. This I chose to address on the mold as it would be an inward depression. More on this later. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">One thing I haven’t discussed yet is flanging. When vacuum bagging it is, in my opinion, highly desirable to have a flanged mold. This does two things, principally it gives you a smooth surface that surrounds the part to enable you to bag up the part (this will make more since later) and it also makes the finished part oversized which makes it easier to release from the mold and allows you to trim the part back to match the original parts dimensions. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">For flanges I shoot for a minimum of 2” and prefer 4”. Much bigger than this and you are wasting fiberglass and gel coat. To make the flange I like to use strips of 6” wide x .016” aluminum and glue them to the underside of the edges of the part. Often this will require trimming and radiusing of the aluminum to insure that the flange is continuous and has good adhesion to the part. I will then trim the excess flange of to give me my desired 2-4” size. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Above you will see a great example of the beginning of the flanging process. I held the aluminum under the part and trace the profile with a marker. I then trimmed along the line which resulted in a part that was ready to apply to the inside door flange. BTW, you must make sure the aluminum follows the contour of the part in every plane by pressing the aluminum up to meet the stock part continuously. You absolutely must make sure that there is no floating gap between the flange and the part. If there is then resin will seep into the seam and cause all sorts of problems. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Once this piece is trimmed I then glued it down to the flange which in this case was the inside of the door as I am molding the exterior. You can see in the above photo the flange on the opposite end of the door that has been glued down. Notice that I have riveted short pieces of aluminum angles to wedge the flange down. While the thin aluminum flanging was glued down with a continuous stream of hot melt, this glue did not have a ton of adhesion to the stock part or flange and needed the additional support to prevent the flange from peeling off. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Where the various aluminum flanges overlapped they had to be completely glued together to prevent gel coat from filling the crack. I want the transitions to be smooth as they serve as the vacuum seal later. You might want to also note that in the picture above I had begun to fill/cover the holes in the internal structure. I finished all the filling, trimming and covering of the interior structure before I laid up the exterior mold. Why? Because once the outside mold was laid up I didn’t want it to move, shift, or release from the stock part in any way. It needed to stay locked tight because I was going to lay-up the interior mold directly to it. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The picture above shows the beginning of the solution to one of the more difficult challenges of this mold. I wanted the interior structure to be boxed with a smooth interior panel. This required a 90 deg. angle to be tied back into the upper edge of the door. To have something for the 90 deg. to attach to I had to rivet small pieces of angle to the interior of the door. These can be seen clearly in the picture. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Also notice how I have flanged around the side view mirror support. I debated about cutting this piece off but decided to leave it as it weighs almost nothing and will give me a surface to mount my racing mirrors and my lap timer pickup. Note the various pieces of flange materials that overlap. These are all hot glued to each other and clay will be applied to the seam to prevent gel coat from entering the seam. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Once the flanging was finished the interior aluminum panel was installed and clay was applied to all of the gaps and holes. This includes the face of the part. A thin, smooth layer of clay must be run around the edge of the stock panel to smooth the transition to the flange and prevent gel coat from seeping into this seam. Think caulking around a window or bathtub and you will have a good idea of the process and the desired result. I also filled in the door handle area and contoured it to the face of the door. This took a lot of clay and was a very time consuming step of the process that consumed several hours of time. It was now time to flip the part over and start the fiberglassing stage. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Part III - Mold Lay-up </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The first step here was to apply mold release to the perfectly clean and smooth surface. This was the moment of truth so I paid special attention to keep the part clean and free of any lint, grit or grease. Mold release is much more of an art than a science. Unfortunately there is very little published on mold release and what is published is full of holes. I think that the people that do this stuff for a living would just as soon keep it a mystery. I am sharing here what works for ME and do not in any way imply that this is the best, fastest, or only guaranteed way to get the part released. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Applying Mold Release: </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This is really the most important part of the process. The great news is that everything you do here will be repeated when you lay up your carbon part. I have broken the process down into the three steps that I follow. If you ask 10 people you will get 10 answers on how to do this so keep in mind that this is what I do and you may experiment and find better ways and products to accomplish the same task. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Step 1: Part-All #2 wax. I apply one coat and remove. Key here is to remove QUICKLY. Once this stuff dries it is really hard to remove. I then give this about 20-30 minutes to fully dry. The wax does a good job in filling a lot of the small textures and scratches. This is the only reason I use it. I should also caution that this wax breaks down at over 120 deg. When it does it is a problem. This was a lesson learned the hard way for me. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Step 2: PTFE Release Agent. This stuff actually dries kind of sticky. The key to applying it is to keep the coats VERY thin and as even as possible. As shown in the picture above, my preferred method of application is to use a huge cotton ball wetted with a little PTFE. I then sweep it across the surface leaving a thin film. I have found that if I put my head down almost to the surface I can easily see what has been coated. Overlap your stokes as little as possible as wiping over dried or semi-dried PTFE will cause it to smear. This isn’t as much of an issue when coating the black gel coat because it is so easy to see where you have already been but it is a challenge when coating my stock white parts. While this stuff dries to a tack very quickly, I do let it dry for a full 30 minutes prior to spraying PVA. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Step 3: PVA. I spray this as following the directions that come with the PVA. The first coat is pretty light and will dry in under 10 minutes on a 70 deg. day. The next coat is much thicker. Make 100% sure that the entire piece is 100% covered. You do NOT want to get runs in the PVA and DON’T TOUCH IT after you have sprayed it. PVA creates a thin vinyl coating on the part that is super easy to peal off. If something gets on the PVA that you can’t blow off - leave it and address the imperfection on the mold. Don’t attempt to remove unless you are ready to wash the entire part down and start over. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Tip: I originally tried to use my HVLP spray gun with 1.3 mm tip. This didn’t work well as the finely atomized PVA dried in the air. A $40 Harbor Freight gun with 2.0 mm tip did the trick and is excellent at spraying PVA. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Now I was ready to spray the gel coat. For this stage I like to have all of my gel coat stuff ready to go prior to application. By stuff I mean cup gun with plenty of cups, stirs, and gel coat and MEKT (catalyst) ready. I like to get all of the cup gun cups full of gel coat prior the spraying. This makes the application go faster and smoother as you don’t have to keep pouring cups full of gel coat while spraying.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> I also like having plenty of nitrile disposable gloves ready.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> Above is a picture of my lay-up table with supplies and cup gun. As you can see, this is a messy process.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> No matter how much effort you put into being neat and organized, you will make a mess. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Spraying on the gel coat is pretty darned easy. There are only a few things to watch out for. One, you’ve got a limited amount of time after you mix the catalyst with the gel coat. You don’t want it to setup in the cup gun. I like to mix it and spray it. I never stop spraying until the cup is empty. That pretty much guarantees that it won’t setup. The second thing to watch out for is that you don’t want to release the cup gun trigger without the gun pointing strait up or gel coat will simply run out of the gun on the piece or ground making a pretty big mess. Third, keep the gun at least 12” from the piece and keep it moving. If you concentrate the spray too much the air pressure the blow the gel coat away from the area you are trying to coat. This is particularly the case when you are spraying an edge. If the piece you are spraying has a lot of edges then you will want to let the gel coat setup a little between coats the will prevent the first coat from being blown around by the second. Fourth, spray your part where you will lay on the fiberglass. DON’T attempt to move the part with only gel coat on it. The gel coat doesn’t have enough rigidity to take the bending if you flex a flange. I learned this the hard way. And last, be careful what you get gel coat on. This stuff is nasty and what it gets on, it stays on. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The only other consideration is, “How much gel coat is enough.” My personal take on it is that you can’t have too much but you can definitely have to little. If you have too thin a gel coat layer and have an air pocket behind it (this will happen) then the surface gel coat can crack exposing the hole. No huge deal as you can fill the mold hole later with body filler but you can also prevent it by using plenty of gel coat. Back to how much is enough. For the exterior door mold I used three cup gun cups full (almost full, say 24-28 oz. each). For the roof I used 5. The hood will probably take 6.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/8.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Above is the door exterior with three cups full of gel coat on it. After application I immediately start getting my polyester resin and fiberglass chop strand mat (CSM) ready to apply. I also get my composite rollers ready. Once the gel coat dries to the point that I can just leave a fingerprint on it I am ready to lay-up. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Let me say that the door skin mold was borderline for size of what one person should lay up at 80 deg. Any hotter or bigger and it would have require two people. The problem here is that the resin started curing as I was laying out the fiberglass. This made it difficult to get all of the air bubbles out. With two people I would have been able to move twice as fast and resin cure would not have been an issue. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/9.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Above is a shot of me laying up this part. Notice how the fiberglass that has resin on it appears black. I covered the door with glass to illustrate the difference between the wetted and un-wetted areas. The reason for this is that wetted fiberglass becomes almost completely clear showing through the black gel coat. This makes it very easy to see what has been wetted out and what hasn’t. You can also easily see the bubbles in the resin/glass. These you need to work out as much as possible. Note: Normally I do not cover the entire part with glass. Rather, I work from one end to the other. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">This is a good time to mention that the same time constraints apply to this polyester resin as the gel coat. You can’t keep it in the cup very long as it will setup very fast. Get the resin out of the cup. There is no reason to even try to be neat with this step. Slop it on and roll it out. BTW, don’t attempt to do this without the composite rollers (which I am using in the picture) that all of the composite suppliers sell. These things are indispensable. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Now for a complicated question, how many layers of glass do I use? I have read that you want to make sure that the mold is three times as thick as the part you want to make. I can’t really buy into this as a cored part changes this equation. I can’t tell you for sure how thick to make your mold but I can say that there are three factors that play into this. Size, shape, and use of the mold. For me, if the mold is big, flat, (think hood or roof) and I want to make a bunch of parts then I make it 4-5 layer. If it is small and contoured then 2-3. For the outer door skin I used three layers and the same for the interior structure. These molds turned out plenty strong and appear to be suitable or production duty. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">8 hours later (depending on temperature) and I was ready to trim the excess glass and resin off the edge of the mold. To do this I first flipped the door over exposing the flanges. I am extra careful with the part as I don’t want it to separate from the mold. I then trimmed the excess fiberglass and resin that extend beyond the flange line with my 4.5” grinder and cutting disk. Cutting into the flange a little isn’t a problem as hopefully I have made it plenty big. The trim line doesn’t have to be perfectly strait or even follow the flange line perfectly. All I am after with trimming is a good clean edge. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Once the flange was trimmed I flipped the part back over, removed the aluminum flange and all of the riveted supports. If you have difficulty with this you can use a heat gun to re-melt the hot melt glue and it will easily release. After the flanges are off I removed all of the excess glue from the part and went back over the clayed areas to make sure that there were no holes or concave areas. I also smoothed out the clay in the areas that were under the aluminum flanges as removing the flanges will pull up some of the clay. At this point the exterior skin mold was finished and it was time to proceed to the interior molds. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/10.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">For the door I now had to put a separator flange on the part as the internal cavity was to be a two part mold. For this flange I used a 2” angled aluminum piece that ran from the top to the bottom of the inside of the door. Above is a picture of this flange installed (with rivets to the internal panel btw). Note that pieces of aluminum (.040 sheet) were used to seal off the contoured edges of the piece. </span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The above picture is important as not only can you see the separator flange but also the exposed flange left from the exterior surface mold. You can also see how I have smoothed and filled all of the seams and holes with clay. This half of the internal structure is now ready to treat with mold release(s) and lay up. You will notice that the other half of the interior is covered as I don’t want any polyester gel coat or tooling resin over there until I get this side finished. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/11.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Above is this section under gel coat prior to lay-up. After the gel coat got tacky (remember fingerprint) I laid up three layers of CSM and polyester tooling resin just as I did on the exterior mold. Now it was time to move to the other half of the interior structure.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/12.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Above you will see the first finished half of the internal mold with the separator flange removed. I first trimmed (with scissors) the loose fiberglass off the top of the vertical flange to make a nice neat smooth surface to lay-up the other half to. I then went along the seems at the bottom edge of the separator surface to repair the clay to prevent gel coat seepage under the flange. The same process as above is followed to lay-up the other half of the inside of the door. Continue to take every precaution to not disturb the other molds that are still stuck to the original part. It is imperative that they not move. BTW, you will notice that I used masking tape along some of the edges of this part to seal them. This I regret doing and don’t recommend. Use clay and clay only. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">After the last section had setup I drilled 1/4” diameter locator holes (8) through the vertical separator flange. This absolutely must be done prior to any release of any of the three molds. The bolts are used to join these halves back together for part lay-up. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Now that the molds were cured and locator holes drilled I was able to pop them off the part. This was, as always, THE moment of truth. I always like to start by using a hammer to tap the outside of the mold. I then go around the flanges with the wedges to release them. Once they are released I keep moving them further out into the piece. At some point the mold will literally ‘pop’ off the part. Knock on wood; I have never had a part stick when using PVA. Before I used PVA I did and it wasn’t pretty. From my experience and from everything I have read using PVA is simply the most foolproof product on the market for release. Most people I have spoken with will tell you that a seasoned mold (one that has been used a number of times) will release easier than a new one and may only require wax or PTFE to release. As I have only made a limited number of parts from my molds I have not attempted to eliminate PVA from my process. Given the amount of time and effort involved in making the molds I don’t like the thought of destroying one. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">After the molds were released from the part it was time post finish. I have yet to have a mold come off a part ready to lay-up. I always have a blemish, pit, dimple, high spot, surface irregularity, etc. to fix and this part was no exception. The majority of the work on the door surrounded the surface irregularity at the door handle and lock areas. While these spots were both filled with clay and smoothed prior to molding, my experience is that a smoothed clay surface will always have to be sanded to match the surrounding area.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="265" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/13.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">For sanding I like to wet sand with blocks and sponge pads as shown above. The surface finish left by 400 grit is plenty smooth. There will be no discernable difference between 400 and 2000 grit on the finished part if PVA is used so I find no reason to go to the trouble. This is a good time to address the downside of using PVA. PVA does not go on perfectly smooth or perfectly uniform regardless of how much effort is put into the its application. Therefore these irregularities will transfer to your parts and molds. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/14.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You may remember the outward dimple on the stock part that I mentioned earlier. In the above picture you can easily see it as an inward dimple on the mold. At this point I simply filled this depression with body filler and sand smooth. The difference in surface texture of this small area will be every so slightly noticeable on the finished part but light sanding of the will eliminate most or all of this variance. Note: My experience is that it is easier to address surface depressions than high spots. Therefore I chose to always address depressions. If there is a depression on a part I will fill it prior to making the mold. Also, I should mention that hardened polyester resin is very tough and takes a long time to sand. If you have a high spot of gel coat that you need to sand down it will take 10 times more effort and time than sanding of body filler.</span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/15.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Above you can see the sanded mold with filled dimple. You can also see that I filled a depression on the mirror extension that will not be needed or wanted on the finished part. Notice that the door handle and lock area are no longer noticeable as they have been completely sanded smooth with the surrounding profile. This part was now ready for mold release and carbon/honeycomb/carbon vacuum bag lay-up. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Part IV: Preparation of Carbon Fiber Lay-up </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Alright, I have completed the long, messy task of making the mold(s) and I was now ready to churn out a 3 lbs. race part. This is the fun part. It is also 1/100th the mess that mold making is. The first step of this process was to organize and pre-cut all of my materials. As I mentioned in the opening of this write-up, I will not go into excess detail on how many layers of material are or how much if any core is required to make a part. I will only address the part I am making. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">For this part I chose to make the outer skin from three layers of 5.7 oz. 60” wide 2x2 twill carbon fiber and a single 1/8” 3.0 sq. foot Nomex honeycomb core. The topology for the outer door skin was 2x1 or two layers on the outside (mold side) with a core and one layer on the inside. Obviously a single layer carbon was required on both sides of the core. The lightest possible cored parts are 1x1 but I wanted more impact protection for the doors. I know, I know, I can here it now, “What is a single layer of carbon going to protect.” The answer is itself. A single layer is pretty darned easy to damage with a slight impact. I can just see the door swinging open into a jack handle and cracking. 2 layers on the outer skin of the doors will definitely make them more resilient. With this said, I have made a bunch of 1x1 parts (my roof, C pillar covers, etc) and they are very structurally strong, just a little fragile. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Ok, on to pre-cutting. I have found that it is much easier to cut the fabrics, core and vacuum bagging materials on a flat table. This keeps the fabric nice and clean and keeps the edges of the mold from making runs in your carbon fiber. I will say that one of the great frustrations in dealing with carbon is keeping it from snagging on stuff. Think of it as a panty hose from hell. You must be VERY careful at all times when measuring, cutting, moving, and wetting out carbon or you will get a run, pull, or tear. A simple hangnail will pull a carbon piece apart. For this reason and to keep any oils off the fiber, I always wear nitrile/latex gloves when handling the fabric. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/16.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Since I was cutting the fabrics on a table I made a template of the part. For this I used the white breather ply material as shown in the picture above. I just made sure that the template followed the curves of the parts and that it was NOT UNDERSIZED as this was the size that $150 worth of carbon and a $75 core was going to cut to.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/17.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/17.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">After the template was made I then laid it out on the table on top of the carefully unrolled carbon fiber. I then took the 3/4” masking tape and traced the outline of the part. This had to be done very carefully as well as it would pull the carbon weave apart if I attempted to remove or relocate. Once the template outline had been transferred to the carbon fiber I then cut out the template by cutting the tape in half. This left both sides of the cut with have of the width of the tape. Above you can see a picture of the “Peel Ply” being trimmed to fit the taped and trimmed section of carbon fiber. BTW, only the carbon fiber needs to be traced with tape. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Right now you are asking, “Why use tape?” The reason I used tape was that the carbon loves to fray. Much like a woven basket, if it starts to unravel it will become a HUGE MESS. The tape ‘helps’ keep this from happening. As you can see in the picture below, it doesn’t totally prevent it. Now that the first layer of carbon fiber was cut I repeated the process for the other two layers and the peel ply (slightly oversized).</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/18.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/18.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Cutting of the core was only slightly more difficult. My preferred method of doing this is to lay the core on the mold (this is why we haven’t applied mold release yet, btw) and mark it. Again I must make sure that the core follows the profile of the part before marking. I often put something on the core to insure that this is the case. For marking I made dots with a black Sharpie marker to show me where to cut. I should mention that the core must stop prior to the edge of the part. I like it to stop no closer than 3/4" from the edge. This give the inner carbon layer a good chance to bond to the outer layers. It also makes it easier when bagging - more on this later. For this outer door skin I have stopped the core well away from the edges as that is where I am going to bond the inner structure. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">After the core was marked I then moved it to the layout table. To cut the core I used a pizza cutter like circular fabric cutter and simply followed the dots. This worked extremely well as the core cut very easily. If I am using a core thicker than 3/16” I bevel the edge by angling the cutter 45 deg. Cutting the core was not difficult to do as the markings were correct. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Now I apply mold release:</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/19.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/19.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Now that the carbon, core, peel ply, and breather ply were cut, it was time to apply mold release to the mold. For this I followed the exact same process as before. The only addition to this process was that I ran 2” wide blue painters tape completely around the outer edge of the flange as show in the above picture where I am spraying PVA to the mold. I did this so that this area received no mold release. Why? Because this was where the bagging seal tape is going to go. I have made the mistake of trying to get this tape to stick to the release agents and it is a challenge. I am much better off with it sticking to the bare mold. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Finished Part Lay-up: </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/20.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">As with the mold lay-up, I like to get all of my supplies out and ready. Above is a picture of them. In addition to the two parts of the epoxy, I have my .1 oz resolution scale, nitrile gloves, cups to mix the epoxy, tongue depressors to stir the epoxy, composite rollers, and spreaders. I also have the bagging sealing tape rolls ready.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Now it was time to start wetting out the part. Once I began this phase I was back into a time sensitive area. The epoxy resin I used starts to cure in the cup in about 20 minutes and on the mold in 3-4 hours. Obviously this is quite a bit longer than the polyester resin used in the mold lay-up. I still proceeded with diligence as the vacuum bagging process requires the resin to flow from the part to the breather ply. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/21.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Above is a picture of the first layer of the carbon on the mold. A couple of notes, here you can see the tape along the trimmed edges of the carbon and the outer edges of the mold. They are still there for a reason. DON’T CUT OR REMOVE THEM YET. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Once the carbon was in place it was then time to mix and add the epoxy. The epoxy I used requires a 3:1 mix ratio. For accuracy I always recommend using the scale. Most composite shops sell ‘ratio’ pumps. I have several and don’t like them. They are messy and inaccurate. I definitely would not use them without a scale to confirm the ratio. For this part I began by mixing 12 oz. of epoxy. BTW, I usually don’t mix up more than that even if the part needs it as it prevents it from sitting in the cup. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/22.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">In the above picture I was adding the epoxy to the mold. I began by using the soft spreader (make sure it is clean and free of anything that could snag the fabric) and working the epoxy around. I have no problem seeing what was wet and what wasn’t. The beauty of the vacuum bagging process is that it will remove almost all of the excess resin from the part. Knowing this I usually will error on the side of too much epoxy as too little will ruin the part. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I continued spreading the epoxy mixing and adding more as necessary. Once I got the part wetted out I lifted the carbon exposing the interior of the mold. I did this one corner at a time to prevent movement of the fabric. If I ever notice an area that is dry I add a little epoxy. This is usually not needed but this was the time to check.</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"> After this I went over the fabric with the composite roller. This roller does a great job of two things. One, it gets rid of any air bubbles/pockets under the fabric, and two, it fixes cosmetic blemishes to the orientation of the fibers. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Once this layer is fully wetted with epoxy I preceded with the second layer. As this second layer was not cosmetic I used the least perfect of the three layers I cut. The wetting of this layer followed the exact procedure as above except I did not lift the carbon to check underneath. This layer takes less epoxy to wet out as it will pick up from the layer below. After this layer was completely wet I went over the entire surface again with the composite roller. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/23.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Now it was time to wet out the inner carbon layer. I am sure you are asking, “You skipped the core?” We will get to that in a minute. The inner carbon layer was wetted out first on the layout table as shown in the picture above. The procedure for this was simple; I laid out the fabric and wetted it completely with epoxy. I definitely wanted this layer of fabric to be ‘oversaturated’ with resin. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/24.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Now it was time to lay the core on the outer two layers of carbon. I had to be very careful here as I didn’t want the core to snag the carbon. When the core needed to be moved, I picked it up and laid it back down. I did not attempt to shift it. Also, the core did not stick to the carbon underneath nor did it perfectly follow the contours of the part (and it won’t unless the mold is perfectly flat). I just located it as best I could and followed the rule of getting the core to no closer than 3/4” from the finished edge. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/25.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Now I transferred the pre-wetted carbon layer from the table to the mold. Special care was taken here and for this operation I required an extra set of hands. The fabric needed to be laid out as evenly as possible and centered all the while not disturbing the location of the core. This might not sound like a big deal but it was the most challenging part of this lay-up. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Given the fact that the core did not follow the form of the part, the third carbon layer also did not follow the contour of the part. The key here was to make sure that the carbon was not stretched or folded. As you can see in the above picture, there was plenty of excess material around the edges to be taken up by the vacuum. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Once this layer was applied it was time to trim the excess carbon. This is pretty simple as the edge of the blue tape is the line I use to cut to. I just make sure I have good sharp scissors and take my time as I did not want to disturb the fabric and core. Note, trimming the excess carbon also trims of any remnant masking tape that was left on the edges of the carbon. Once the excess carbon was trimmed I then removed the blue tape from the flange. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">You will notice that you now have a perfectly clean (no epoxy, no mold release) flange. The first several parts I made I did not use tape and would have to clean the flange edges. This added a lot of time and effort to the process. Definitely use tape. It not only leaves a clean flange but it also ‘smoothes’ the rough trimmed fiberglass mold edges which reduces the chance of snags on the carbon and bagging film.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/26.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/26.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I now made a final pass around the part making sure that all of the carbon is nice and smooth, particularly around the flanges. Once that was completed it was time to apply the peel ply as shown above. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">There are a couple different options to transfer resin off the part. The first is perforated release film. This is simply a sheet of polyethylene with tiny little holes spaced at about 1/4” from each other across the entire surface. This I have used for all of my parts up until this one. It works pretty well and is very easy to remove from the cured part. For this part I used nylon peel ply. This is a simply tight nylon fabric that has been treated to prevent it from sticking to the part. Unlike the perforated release film, this fabric does not have holes rather the resin will flow through the entire surface. Also, the peel ply is advantageous in that it leaves a fabric imprint on the carbon which is great for adhesion. This is important for this part as I am going to epoxy the inner door structure to the inside of this panel. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Neither the perforated release film or nylon peel ply are that flexible. Therefore it is important that these layers drape across the part and do not ‘span’ the contours. If they span a section of the lay-up they may pull the carbon and core when the vacuum is applied. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/27.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I now applied the breather ply. The breather ply is used to absorb the excess resin that is pulled through the peel ply/perforated release film under vacuum. The only trick here is to make sure that the breather does not touch the carbon fiber. If it does it will seriously stick to it. Therefore I want the peel ply to be slightly larger 1/4” than the carbon fabric to prevent this. Also, I want to determine the location of the vacuum bagging attachment fitting at this time. The fitting is approximately 2” in diameter and must be placed directly on top of the breather ply. Also, I greatly prefer to have this fitting off of the finished section of the part. The flange is excellent for this but you can also use a fold in the vacuum bag to serve the same purpose. I will usually use scrap strips to make vacuum channels for larger parts. This prevents the possibility of resin blocking areas of vacuum. You can see how this was laid out in the picture above. I also ran this extra strip down the part and to the vacuum fitting location. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/28.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Once the breather ply is on it is time to put down the bagging adhesive. BTW, this is some unbelievably sticky stuff. To install it I start in a corner and proceed around the perimeter of the mold. I don’t peel off the outer covering of the tape until the bag is installed. When I come to a corner I simply twist the tape around it as shown in the picture above. The outer cover of the tape will break but the tape will be a continuous run which will GREATLY reduce the possibility of leaks. After I have laid down the tape I go back over it with a lot of pressure to insure a seal. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/29.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I now lay out the bagging film. As with the release film, there are a number of options for bagging film. I LOVE the green high elongation bagging film and highly recommend it. It will stretch a ton and is very easy to work with. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I start by rough cutting a piece and laying it on the part. BTW, this film does not have to be trimmed to a perfect size. It just needs to be bigger than the part. Once the film is cut and placed it is now time to stick it to the bagging adhesive tape. I like to start in the location that I am to place the vacuum fitting. In this case it is right behind the mirror extension on the flange. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/30.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/30.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Now for a tricky part. The key to getting a great vacuum seal is getting the bag smoothly adhered to the tape. This took me a few tries to get down and you may want to practice on a workbench or table. This is also a process that is dramatically easier with two people as I really need three hands. One hand will be necessary to pull the cover off of the tape, another is needed to lightly press the bag on to the tape, and a third is needed to pull the bag tight to prevent wrinkles. I can’t stress enough how important it is that this is perfectly smooth with no even tiny wrinkles. In the picture above of the process you will notice that there is about to be a small wrinkle in front of my finger. Here I pulled the bag film tight to eliminate it as it would be a source of a leak otherwise. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/31.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/31.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I am much better off with one big fold vs. a bunch of small ones. As you can see in the picture above I ended up with a big one. To remedy this I stretched and folded open the seam and pressed in a section of tape. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/32.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/32.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">I now have 95% of the bag taped down except for the area right next to the vacuum fitting. The vacuum fitting is two parts, one that goes under the bag and another that attaches to it on the outside. Therefore I made a small incision in the bag, inserted the bottom section of the fitting into the bag, and connected the two parts. It is better to make a small cut (1/4”) and stretch the opening than one that is too big and will leak. I also make doubly sure that the hole is in the exact place that I want the fitting. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Once the vacuum fitting was installed and put together I finished taping the bag down. Now I can turn on the pump. For my pump it takes a minute before the excess air is out of the part. At first I always wonder if it is working. Then, all of the sudden, the bag will contract to the part. If it doesn’t, I check the pump. If I am sure that it is working then I have some major leaks. To find them I call on a good set of ears and some chunks of the bagging tape. I simply go around the parameter listening for leaks. When I find them, I stuff in some tape and squeeze it around. Then I go looking for more. This is where having a quiet pump is very nice to have as it is easy to hear air moving into the bag. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">My DIY pump will pull 28.5” of vacuum which is awesome and higher than many $250 pumps will pull and it is 1/1000th as loud. This is made even better by the fact that I have $20 in it. If I am not pulling 28.5” on a part then I need to go looking for leaks. I personally regard 20” as a minimum for acceptable vacuum bagging carbon parts. Less than that and you will need a new pump or you will need to do a better job sealing your bag. BTW, A part the size of a hood is what I consider the maximum for my pump. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">12 hours and a six pack later… </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/33.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/33.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">It was now time to release the part. First I turned off (unplug) the pump and removed the vacuum fitting from the bag. I then pulled the tape (not real easy to do btw) off the part with the bag attached. Then I peeled off the peel ply as shown above - also not easy to do. BTW, with the peel ply I pull back parallel to the part instead of up. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Once this was off it was time to pop the part from the mold. As with popping the mold from the original part, I began by working the wedges all the way around the flange. I always have to be careful not to get in a hurry even though I am dying to see the finished part. In a way it is kind of like opening a Christmas present. With this part I then ran the wedges into the short end of the mold and it popped almost instantly. With other parts this can be a long process that requires sticking wooden yard sticks way up into the mold. Hopefully yours will pop out as easy as mine have. All hail PVA. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/34.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Above is the finished outer skin after I washed off the thin layer of PVA. BTW the PVA will stick to the part and not the mold. This makes moving on to the next copy of the part easy but requires washing of the finished part. Fortunately PVA removes easily with water. The hotter the water the better but I will usually just hose my parts off and then wipe down with a soft sponge.</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/35.jpg" width="265" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Here is the inner panel. The nylon peel ply left a very nice textured finish to the interior of the part. It is now ready to bond to the inner door structure. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">At this point I exposed the part to an extended post-cure. I did this by laying the part out in the sun for a day. 12 hours at 160 deg. flat did it. Post curing makes the finished part 10-15% stronger than not post-curing. </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/36.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">The stock gutted door skin (no glass, no mirror, no interior panel, no lock, no handle, no speaker, no switches, no side impact door beam, no interior skin, etc.) weighed 30.5 lbs. The stock door with all of the stock stuff in them probably weighed 100 lbs. each. This carbon, honeycomb, carbon reproduction is 3 lbs. 5.6 oz. Not bad as it should be right at 3.0 lbs. when trimmed. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">To trim this part I simply used a Dremel tool with a fiberglass reinforced cutoff disk. Carbon fiber this thin cuts easily, almost too easily. The flange that I put on the mold leaves a nice line where to cut. This part of the process was not hard but I had to be careful, steady, take my time and definitely wear eye protection and a respirator as it made a TON of dust. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">Appendix: </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">DIY Kentucky Redneck Vacuum Pump! </span></span></div>
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<a href="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/37.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://irepairboulder.com/diy/37.jpg" width="400" /></span></span></span></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">Many people have asked about my vacuum pump and here it is in all of its DIY glory. Keep the redneck jokes to yourself. BTW, full credit for this idea goes to my good friend Gene Young so point the redneck jokes at him. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">This pump started life as a drinking fountain refrigerator compressor. I have converted it from compressing Freon to vacuuming air. This setup is so simple it is comical to think of spending $350 for a rattle trap to do the same thing. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">Here is what you do:<br />
1. Go to a local refrigerator repair guy and buy a used compressor. I got mine for free.<br />
2. Bolt it to a piece of wood.<br />
3. Wire it up to plug strait into the wall - screw an on/off switch<br />
4. On the ‘suck’ line, attach with a worm clamp a 1 foot section of 1/4” section of vacuum line<br />
5. At the end of that worm clamp on a $3.00 fuel filter (needs to have 1/4” barbs) to prevent epoxy from getting into the pump.<br />
6. Then run another foot of vacuum line to a shutoff valve (optional)<br />
7. ‘T’ into the line a vacuum gauge as show. I got mine from McMaster-Carr for $8.<br />
8. To it attach a 15 foot run of vacuum line. This will give you a ton of placement flexibility.<br />
9. To the pump outlet, attach a cheap filter as shown to prevent oil from spraying out of the pump.<br />
</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">Every once and a while you will want to lube the pump with refrigerant lube that you can get at AutoZone. Also, I run a fan over my pump to keep it from overheating. This probably isn’t a potential problem but they do it on refrigerators so I do too. Eventually I am going to add a fan to the mounting board. This is why it is oversized. </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-size: x-small;">Parts list:<br />
1 Small refrigerator pump<br />
1 12 ft. electrical cord<br />
1 1’x2’ piece of wood<br />
4 small lag bolts to bolt the pump to the wood<br />
1 cheap fuel filter with 1/4” barbs<br />
1 cheap filter to keep the pump from making a mess<br />
1 1/4” NPT female to female shut off valve<br />
1 1/4" NPT male, female, female ‘T’ fitting<br />
1 vacuum only 2” gauge w/ 1/4" NPT male fitting<br />
2 1/4" NPT male to male barb fittings<br />
1 1/4" NPT female to male barb fittings<br />
1 Six pack of your favorite beer to enjoy while watching your $20 pump for 12 strait hours while waiting for your part to cure. </span></span><br />
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CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com92tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-38859988879874517442010-11-29T17:50:00.000-08:002010-11-30T09:17:32.613-08:00How It's Made - Carbon Fiber Cello (Pt.2)<iframe frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/X-A7K4TPT2k?fs=1" width="425"></iframe>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-68531841904409623722010-11-29T17:49:00.000-08:002010-11-30T09:17:47.222-08:00How It's Made - Carbon Fiber Cello (Pt.1)<iframe frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/J_gI3chGtww?fs=1" width="425"></iframe>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-8079592883672197862010-11-29T17:44:00.000-08:002010-11-30T09:19:18.989-08:00Carbon Fiber Fabrication Seminar How to guide / DIY - Episode 3<iframe frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/s12pUg9ypVU?fs=1" width="425"></iframe>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-8967044244796093192010-11-29T17:43:00.000-08:002010-11-30T09:19:46.452-08:00Carbon Fiber Fabrication Seminar How to guide / DIY - Episode 2<iframe frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/IWiSSLPf6JI?fs=1" width="425"></iframe>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-68053703578575291432010-11-29T17:40:00.000-08:002010-11-30T09:20:14.431-08:00Carbon Fiber Fabrication Seminar How to guide / DIY - Episode 1<iframe frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q_fKlDzemPY?fs=1" width="425"></iframe>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-42007703365927377102010-11-29T17:27:00.000-08:002010-11-30T10:17:33.241-08:00Molding Your Own Carbon Fiber Components- DIY<div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 16px/normal Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>MOLDING YOUR OWN CARBON FIBER COMPONENTS</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Author: James Sparkes, Newcastle, Australia.</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>TOOLS / EQUIPMENT REQUIRED:</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Small hand held rotary tool</b> with cutting disks and sanding / grinding wheels (a Dremel<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">type tool with a flexible shaft is recommended),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Wet / Dry abrasive paper </b>(240 grit, 400 grit and a polishing grit - say 1200),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Pane of glass</b> (say 1.5 ft by 1 ft and thick enough to take reasonable handling loads<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">without breaking - I used my wife’s glass chopping board),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>A few clothing vacuum bags</b> (this is a must if you want to get a reasonable end product),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>A powerful vacuum cleaner</b> (I used my wife’s with the filters removed to improve the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">vacuum),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>A sharp pair of scissors</b> (for cutting the glass and carbon cloth),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Hot water bottle and blanket</b> (to speed up cure times),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>A dust mask / respirator</b> <b>and eye protection</b> (use when cutting / sanding).<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>MATERIALS REQUIRED:</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Fiberglass cloth</b> (6oz weight should be fine),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Carbon fiber cloth</b> (I used a plain weave which was all the shop had - at $60 AU per roll<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">metre it’s not cheap),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Two part epoxy resin</b> (I used WEST System epoxy which is a marine grade epoxy.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Don’t be tempted to use the cheaper polyester resin as this is not as strong as epoxy, does<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">not wet out carbon as well as epoxy and cannot be exposed to high temperatures.),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Mold release wax</b> (a carnauba based wax specific for mold release - do not use car<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">polish),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Liquid PVA</b> (for mold release - this is a specific PVA for mold release not the glue<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">kind).<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Thin PVC plastic sheeting</b> (to avoid having resin sticking to things you don’t want it to),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Roll of cling film</b> (to use as a peel / release film),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Cotton cloth</b> (to use as breather fabric),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Popsicle sticks</b> (for mixing resin),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Some wax free plastic cups</b> (for larger amounts of resin),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>A small medicine cup</b> (to measure out resin and hardener - I used a 50ml one and<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">usually only mixed up small batches of 30ml or less),<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Acetone</b> (for clean up of uncured resin),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Some short length bristle brushes</b> (use some that will not loose all their bristles when<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">cleaned),<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Latex gloves</b> (to avoid a gooey mess all over your hands).<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>GENERAL SAFETY AND HEALTH PRECAUTIONS:</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">The reader of this article takes full responsibility for their own actions when following<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">these procedures. Uncured resin and the resulting dust from cured resin and glass /<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">carbon fibers may be toxic and have harmful effects when inhaled. Use common sense<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">and follow the manufacturers guidelines.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Notes on resin mixing. </b>Always add the hardener to the resin, not resin to the hardener.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Use small quantities, i.e. only mix what you can use during the pot life (pot life is the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">time taken for a standard volume of mixed resin to “gel” at a standard temperature).<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Large volumes of mixed resin (say 100ml or more) generate excessive heat during the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">chemical reaction. This heat build up will cause to resin to gel quicker, may cause the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">mixing container to <b>MELT</b> and cause excessive resin vapors.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Notes on cured glass and carbon fibers:</b> Take care when handling cured parts during<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">sanding and cleanup. Fine fibers with cured resin act as splinters and may break off<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">when imbedded in your skin. Carbon dust if left to sit on bare skin will cause a mild<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">irritation - wash off with soap and water.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>Notes on sanding / grinding carbon fiber:</b> Carbon fiber dust can conduct electricity.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Take precaution to prevent carbon dust from entering electrical equipment as this may<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">cause short circuits and expensive repair bills.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>MOLDING BASICS - Plug Preparation</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>A warning on part molding.</b> Mold only parts with a positive draft angle, i.e. the part<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">will not be locked into the mold due to it’s shape. For complex parts I suggest multiple<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">piece molds which can be disassembled for part release. These molds are beyond my<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">current experience. Also note that the clutch cover has a positive draft and can be<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">molded using a single piece mold. The original cover did prove to be difficult to remove<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">from the mold. The carbon part was also difficult remove and I ended up destroying the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">mold in the process.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">You can use you own original parts to create a mold. Start with smaller simple parts<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">which are flat or have small uncomplicated curves. The first part that I attempted to<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">make a mold from was the clutch cover and after three attempts I gave up and moved on<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">to the heel plates.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Once you have chosen a part to mold you need to decide whether you want a female or a<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">male mold. A female mold will give a smooth surface on the exterior side of the end<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">product. So with that in mind I assume you’ll use a female mold.</div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Take your chosen component and give it a good clean. The surfaces on both sides should<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">be spotless and free of nicks, gouges or blemishes as these will turn out on the mold.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">If your part has any fastener holes, you can fill them with plasticine or a similar material.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">This will prevent resin flowing through the hole and locking your part to the mold. It<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">also makes a nice impression in the mold and the final product so you know where to<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">drill any fastener holes.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Apply mold release wax to the part in accordance with the product instructions. It’s<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">generally wax on and allow to dry, polish off and then allow to dry for 10 to 20 mins then<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">apply another coat. Apply five to six coats and allow the final coat to dry for about one<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">hour.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Apply a coating of liquid PVA release agent to the part and allow to dry. This allows the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">part to come away cleanly from the mold. It will wash off with soap and water or will<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">peel away like a layer of “cling wrap”.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;"><b>MOLDING - Laying up and Vacuum Bagging</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Before you mix any resin, ensure you have cut the required amount of glass cloth<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">(sufficient to cover the part with an overlap of about 1.5 inches), prepared an area to put<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">your vacuum bag where it can sit for a few hours and you have boiled the kettle (if you<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">want to use a hot water bottle for a faster cure).<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">Have your bristle brush ready and a cup of acetone to clean the mixing cup and brush<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">immediately after use.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">The vacuum bag is required to hold the cloth in position and against the part / mold while<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">the resin cures. The application of the vacuum also draws any air bubbles out of the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">layup ensuring a smooth mold surface. The vacuum also pulls out excessive resin and<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">compacts the layup which gives a lighter and stronger part.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal 'Times New Roman'; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-align: center;">A basic vacuum bag configuration is shown in the Figure 1 below.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRPblAfPVI/AAAAAAAAABk/S_nzd9ZKWLA/s1600/Picture+17.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="197" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRPblAfPVI/AAAAAAAAABk/S_nzd9ZKWLA/s400/Picture+17.png" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Page 3 of 17<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">While I don’t expect you go to the effort of replicating the configuration shown in the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">figure above, we can make do with our clothing vacuum bag, some cling film as peel ply<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">release film and some cotton cloth as a breather fabric ply.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Helvetica; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; min-height: 14.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Have your vacuum bag and vacuum cleaner (remove the filters to allow greater suction to<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">be applied to the bag) ready. Have a friend ready to help you seal the bag and hold the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">vacuum cleaner to the bag port while you work the wrinkles out of the bag. I placed an<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">old towel on the bottom side of the bag to protect it from being pierced by the glass plate.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">The towel will also prevent the bag from sealing within itself, i.e. it gives a route for the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">inside air to escape to the vacuum, i.e. a breather fabric.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Place a layer of the PVC sheeting on the glass plate or you can use cling film if you wish.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Place your waxed part in the center of the plate.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Mix the required amount of resin for a single layer of glass cloth. Mix the resin well and<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">let it sit for a bit to allow any entrapped bubbles to rise to the surface.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Place a single layer of glass cloth over the part and apply some resin with the brush<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">(applying a single layer at a time allows the cloth to conform to the part better). Use a<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">stippling action (dabbing action) rather than a brushing action as a brushing action will<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">generally just move the cloth around. When the glass is completely wet out by the resin<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">(it is no longer white but transparent), and you are satisfied with the work, place a layer<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">of cling film (peel ply - see Figure 1 above) over the layup and then put a piece of cotton<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">fabric over the top (this acts as a breather fabric ply to help the air within the bag escape<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">to the vacuum port).<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Place your part in the vacuum bag and seal. Apply the vacuum to the bag and slowly<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">draw the air out, as the bag closes in on the part manipulate the bag to conform to all the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">curves and any tight radii of the part. Try to smooth out any wrinkles over the part as<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">these will create resin ridges and will need to be removed before the next layer of glass is<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">applied.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Once you are satisfied with the vacuum bag, let the resin cure overnight or if you prefer<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">you can use a hot water bottle a blanket to allow enough heat to cure the resin in about<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">1.5 to 2.0 hours. Periodically check on the bag to ensure that it has not lost its vacuum,<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">this is crucial in the first 30 mins of curing. Figure 2 shows a photograph of a vacuum<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">bagged heel plate molding. Note that the blue color is the dye in the PVA release agent.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">The dye helps to show where you have applied the PVA.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRQKhSm90I/AAAAAAAAABs/m5JwlJNe5h4/s1600/Picture+20.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRQKhSm90I/AAAAAAAAABs/m5JwlJNe5h4/s400/Picture+20.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br />
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<b>Figure 2: Vacuum Bagged Heel Plate Molding - Rider, Right Hand Side</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Once the resin is cured, remove it from the vacuum bag and remove all traces of the cling<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">film. If any significant resin ridges are present remove them with abrasive paper. If the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">resin has been allowed to cure for more than 24 hours, lightly abrade the external surface<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">and then wipe clean with acetone. This will expose a chemically active resin surface to<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">promote good bonding of the next cloth layer.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Apply successive layers of glass to the mold and vacuum bag cure as you go. After you<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">have at least two glass layers, you can apply more than one layer at a time. A total<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">thickness of about four or five layers should be strong enough for the mold. Apply more<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">glass around the edges to allow sanding back at a later stage.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Once the mold is thick enough and fully cured, remove the part from the mold. Be<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">patient and take care. Use plastic wedges (I used my wife’s plastic spatula) around the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">edges of the part to pop the bond between the part and the mold. This is a tricky process<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">and can be frustrating. For a stubborn part try washing out the PVA layer with soapy<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">water. If this fails you can tap the mold (from the part side only to prevent damage to the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">mold) with a wooden rolling pin or similar as this can provide the energy required to<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">break the bond between the part and the mold.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>MOLD CLEANUP</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Once you have the part removed from the mold, trim the excess fiberglass from the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">periphery leaving about 1.5 inches from the edge of the part outline. Smooth out any<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">sharp edges to prevent splinters occurring.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Clean the mold with warm soapy water and dry. Inspect the mold surface, it should be<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">smooth and free of surface voids or areas where the cloth did not conform to the part. If<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">the mold has significant areas of voiding then scrap it and try again. Small voids may be<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">filled with resin and sanded back. Smooth the mold surface after any sanding with a high<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">grit paper to polish out any sanding marks.</div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">The mold should have a definite part outline a fraction of an inch high. Using a Dremel<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">type tool with a sanding wheel carefully grind back this line to a smooth profile while<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">leaving just the slightest ridge remaining (this will aid in defining the part outline for<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">trimming). The profile should have a smooth contour to allow the carbon cloth to easily<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">conform to the mold.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Clean the mold and allow to dry.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>MOLD PREPARATION</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Apply molding release wax to the mold as per the instructions given above for plug<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">preparation.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Apply PVA to the mold as per the instructions given above for plug preparation.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Figure 3 shows a photograph of a completed heel plate molding, waxed and with PVA<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">release agent applied. At this stage the mold is ready for layup of carbon fiber.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRQ22FymbI/AAAAAAAAABw/fTlJd-JzwYQ/s1600/Picture+23.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRQ22FymbI/AAAAAAAAABw/fTlJd-JzwYQ/s400/Picture+23.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Figure 3: Completed Heel Plate Mold - Passenger, Right Hand Side</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>CARBON PART MOLDING - Layup and Vacuum Bagging</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Using the process outlined above for laying up and vacuum bagging, cut a piece of<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">carbon cloth large enough to fill the mold. Prepare the required amount of epoxy resin<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">and apply the resin to the carbon cloth. Work the resin into the cloth and ensure that the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">cloth is completely wet out and the cloth conforms to the mold as best as possible. Use a<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">stippling action with the brush rather than a brushing motion as a brushing motion will<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">tend to disturb the cloth weave.</div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Place the layup in the vacuum bag and apply a vacuum as per the instructions given<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">above for the mold vacuum bag process. Ensure that the bag conforms to the part with no<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">significant wrinkles present. Pay attention to any tight radius areas to ensure the bag<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">conforms to the radius instead of bridging across it.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Figure 4 shows a photograph of a vacuum bagged carbon fiber heel plate layup. Note<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">that I did not use a breather fabric ply in this instance.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRRJNKacFI/AAAAAAAAAB0/QwF7AhwCx1Q/s1600/Picture+24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRRJNKacFI/AAAAAAAAAB0/QwF7AhwCx1Q/s400/Picture+24.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Figure 4: Vacuum Bagged Carbon Fiber Heel Plate Layup</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Cure the resin overnight or by using a hot water bottle for 1 to 2 hours.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Once the resin is cured, remove the part from the vacuum bag and apply successive layers<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">of carbon / epoxy. I used 6 layers for the heel plates and 5 layers for the clutch cover.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Alternate the angle of the cloth fibers for the layup between 0, 90, +45 and -45 degrees<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">and ensure that the layup is symmetrical. This will give a laminate that is strong in both<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">directions as well as resistant to twisting forces.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Once the resin is fully cured, remove the part from the mold. Be patient and take care.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Use plastic wedges around the edges of the part to pop the bond between the part and the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">mold. This is a tricky process and can be frustrating. For a stubborn part try washing out<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">the PVA layer with soapy water. If this fails you can tap the mold (from the mold side<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">only to prevent damage to the carbon fiber part) with a wooden rolling pin or similar as<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">this can provide the energy required to break the bond between the part and the mold.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Wash the part in warm soapy water and inspect the exterior surface of the part.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Hopefully the surface is smooth and free of air bubbles in the resin. If this is not the case<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">then scrap the part and try again.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">The carbon molding should have a nice visible line showing the original part outline. If<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">the part had fastener holes these should also be visible as circular depressions in the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">molding.</div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Figure 5 shows a photograph of a cured carbon fiber heel plate layup, just removed from<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">the mold.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRRf3fDoLI/AAAAAAAAAB4/UKLEinKrIRU/s1600/Picture+25.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRRf3fDoLI/AAAAAAAAAB4/UKLEinKrIRU/s400/Picture+25.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Figure 5: Carbon Fiber Heel Plate - Prior to clean up</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>PART CLEANUP - Trimming and Hole Drilling</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Using a Dremel type tool with a cut off disk trim around the part outline. Do not attempt<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">to cut to the line exactly but leave a gap and sand the final profile smooth with a sanding<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">wheel and abrasive paper.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Locate the center of any fastener holes using a small pilot drill (use the smallest you have<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">and use a high speed). Drill from the outside surface and use a piece of scrap wood on<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">the back side to prevent it from breaking away as you come through the surface. If you<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">are satisfied that the hole is in fact in the central location, proceed to a larger drill bit. If<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">the hole is not in the center, try to pull it to the center using the drill.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">When drilling the hole to the final diameter use a slower speed (I used a cordless with a<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">very slow speed) and initially drill from both sides and then final drill completely through<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">from the outside of the part. This should give a clean hole with no break away on either<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">surface.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Using the Dremel with a sanding wheel sand the part to just off the edge outline. Take<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">care not to contact the outside surface of the part as this will obviously ruin the gloss<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">surface. Final sand the edges using 400 grit abrasive paper with water.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Wash the part in warm soapy water and inspect your handy work. At this stage the part<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">can be considered complete.</div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>SURFACE FINISH - Gloss and Environmental Protection</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">If desired you can clear coat the part (I used Tectyl 501 made by Valvoline which is a<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">clear coat for aluminium to prevent corrosion) to give a glossy outside surface. Note that<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">this is recommended for numerous reasons:<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">a. The clear coat also gives a gloss finish. I applied three coats and sanded between<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">with 1200 grit paper.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">b. The clear coating forms an environmental barrier for the part and prevents<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">moisture absorption by the resin.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">c. The clear coat forms a barrier between the carbon fiber part and the aluminium or<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">steel components that it is attached to. The carbon, if allowed to contact these<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">metals will cause galvanic corrosion to occur to the metals.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">d. The clear coat should have a UV filter additive (the Tectyl 501 coating claims to<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">have one). All epoxies suffer from degradation from UV light exposure, this<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">causes the epoxy to yellow. The UV filter in the clear coat should reduce this<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">effect. Some companies that market carbon fiber components claim that it’s the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">clear coat that causes the yellowing and hence they don’t use any. This maybe so<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">but in any case, epoxy will degrade from UV light exposure if left unprotected.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">The only way around this is to paint the component with an opaque coating.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>WORKED EXAMPLES - Components made by the Author</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>996 Passenger Heel Plates:</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">The heel plates were relatively simple to make. Once the mold was made and prepared<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">actual manufacture of the part only took a few hours. Figure 6 shows a photograph of the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">right hand side heel plate installed on the bike.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRR75VwrWI/AAAAAAAAAB8/OWNcve6CrMo/s1600/Picture+27.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRR75VwrWI/AAAAAAAAAB8/OWNcve6CrMo/s400/Picture+27.png" width="296" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Figure 6: 996 Passenger Heel Plate - Right Hand Side</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>996 Rider Heel Plates:</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">Similar to the passenger heel plates, the rider heel plates were relatively simple to make.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">The added curves did however present more difficulty. Both molds and components<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">were satisfactorily completed on the first attempt. Figures 7 and 8 show photographs of<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">the left and right hand side heel plates installed on the bike.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRSQDxnSaI/AAAAAAAAACA/LYkeWIrLTYg/s1600/Picture+28.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRSQDxnSaI/AAAAAAAAACA/LYkeWIrLTYg/s400/Picture+28.png" width="298" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"></span></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Figure 7: 996 Rider Heel Plate - Left Hand Side</b></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRScguDUGI/AAAAAAAAACE/wLtBywA4MzU/s1600/Picture+29.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRScguDUGI/AAAAAAAAACE/wLtBywA4MzU/s400/Picture+29.png" width="298" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Figure 8: 996 Rider Heel Plate - Right Hand Side</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>996 Clutch Cover:</b><span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">I actually tried to begin molding the clutch cover first. I eventually gave up to try the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">more simple heel plates. My first attempt was made too quickly. I used car wax as a<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">release agent and no vacuum bag. Consequently the cover was glued to the mold. In a<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">panic I used whatever I could find (a big screwdriver) to pry the cover from the mold. As<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">a result I damaged the paint on the cover. The scratch marks were not completely sanded<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">out and these turned out on my final product.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">On my second attempt I used plaster of paris to make a mold. While the cover came<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">away from the mold cleanly, the surface was porous with lots of tiny air bubbles on the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">surface. I attempted to make a glass part from this mold only to create a big mess of<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">glass epoxy and plaster which refused to part.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">On my third attempt I used the glass cloth and vacuum bag molding method. This time I<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">used the vacuum bag but I did not use a breather fabric ply. The majority of the mold<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">turned out ok, but the cloth did not conform to the mold at the tight radius at it’s base.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">This is where I gave up and began molding the heel plates and the exhaust shield (as<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">discussed below).<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">For my fourth attempt I used the vacuum bag with a breather fabric ply. I also filled the<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">fastener holes with plasticine and put a bead of plasticine around the lower rim of the part<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">to prevent resin getting drawn in between the underside of the part and the glass plate.<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">The mold turned out great and the resulting carbon part a success. Figure 9 shows a<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">photograph of the finished part. Figures 10 and 11 show photographs of the part installed<span style="font: normal normal normal 12px/normal Helvetica;"> </span></div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;">on the bike.</div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRTA3UgUXI/AAAAAAAAACM/uAaP8CNmlzw/s1600/Picture+32.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRTA3UgUXI/AAAAAAAAACM/uAaP8CNmlzw/s400/Picture+32.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><b>Figure 9: Clutch Cover - Finished Part</b></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRS3KXs8gI/AAAAAAAAACI/eJv4GIl5hqE/s1600/Picture+30.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPRS3KXs8gI/AAAAAAAAACI/eJv4GIl5hqE/s400/Picture+30.png" width="400" /></a></div><div style="font: 12.0px Times New Roman; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</b></div></div>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-69149346713875149032010-11-29T13:15:00.000-08:002010-11-30T10:20:29.786-08:00DIY Carbon Fiber Kayak greenland Paddle<div style="text-align: center;">This is a great article featuring the production of a carbon fiber Kayak paddle, with out the use of vacuum bagging or infusion. Learn how to make your own carbon fiber kayak paddle with the use of the DIY guide written by Duane Strosaker</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQTaFZd6PI/AAAAAAAAAAk/_v7waZSYVGc/s1600/cfgp1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQTaFZd6PI/AAAAAAAAAAk/_v7waZSYVGc/s400/cfgp1.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;">Greenland paddles are traditionally made of wood, which has been a good material for making them. But the carbon fiber Greenland paddle made by <a href="http://www.superiorkayaks.com/superiorkayaks001.htm" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Superior Kayaks, Inc.</span></a> intrigued me, so I ordered one. When I opened the package, I was awed at the beauty of the paddle. The modern material wonderfully complimented the traditional design. Being the home builder I am, I just had to build my own carbon fiber Greenland paddle.</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;">Building this paddle isn't much different than building a composite kayak. Like the deck and hull of a kayak, the pieces of the paddle are molded and then assembled at the seams, which is a construction technique found in almost any fiberglass manual. But before any molding can be done, a plug has to be carved, and from it, a mold is formed.</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;">I don't know how Superior Kayaks, Inc. is able to beautifully assemble the molded pieces without any apparent (as far as I can see) composite reinforcement on the outside of the seams and still make the paddle so strong. I wasn't about to cut into a perfectly good $340 paddle (now $475 and worth every penny) to find out how they do it, so I settled for making my paddles using the common technique of composite reinforcement on the outside of the seams, and they turn out pretty nice.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div><h4 style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Building the Plug</h4></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQTlXZyBpI/AAAAAAAAAAo/nRtU6Vd0igc/s1600/cfgp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQTlXZyBpI/AAAAAAAAAAo/nRtU6Vd0igc/s400/cfgp2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"></span></div><div class="caption" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold;">The carved blade half.</div>Building the plug starts like carving any wooden Greenland paddle, except that only one side of one blade and the loom is made. The other side is flat. Make sure that the edge on each side of the blade is exactly like the opposite side so that the two halves of the molded carbon fiber blades will meet perfectly at the seams when they are joined back to back. Also, avoid making sharp curves that the carbon fiber cloth will have troubles forming around.<br />
The directions I recommend for carving a wooden Greenland paddle are by <a href="http://www.qajaqusa.org/QK/makegreen2.pdf" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Chuck Holst at the Qajaq USA website</span></a>. <a href="http://www.carvegp.com/" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Matt Johnson</span></a> has an online video on how to carve a wooden Greenland paddle using Holst's directions. Brian Nystrom has a book on building Greenland paddles that you can order online at <a href="http://www.greenlandpaddlebook.com/" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">www.greenlandpaddlebook.com</span></a>. My own Greenland paddle specifications are at this <a href="http://rollordrown.com/kayak/woodgp.html" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-decoration: underline;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">link</span></a>.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQTyYsJ3QI/AAAAAAAAAAs/n3bbuqlX5FI/s1600/cfgp3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQTyYsJ3QI/AAAAAAAAAAs/n3bbuqlX5FI/s400/cfgp3.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="caption" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold;">The plug and flange.</div>The plug needs a flange, which is simply a flat piece of wood that is epoxied to the blade half. Be sure to read and study the user manual for the brand of epoxy being used. Before epoxying the blade half and flange together, coat them with epoxy and sand them smooth until they are shaped perfectly.<br />
After the epoxy has cured, apply five coats of Johnson paste wax to the plug (and flange) so the mold won't stick to it. Then, for the same reason, brush on a coat of PVA mold release and allow it to dry before building the mold.<br />
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<h4 style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Building the Mold</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQT5CcA9nI/AAAAAAAAAAw/CbYc_vcOGqw/s1600/cfgp4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQT5CcA9nI/AAAAAAAAAAw/CbYc_vcOGqw/s400/cfgp4.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div><div class="caption" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold;">Layers of fiberglass over the plug.</div>The mold is built by applying layers of fiberglass to the plug. Along the sharp corners of the plug, which is between the blade half and flange, apply a fillet of epoxy thickened with colloidal silica filler, because the fiberglass cloth won't bend that sharp. Apply a layer of six ounce fiberglass, let the epoxy cure, and then add two layers of 1 1/2 ounce chopped-strand fiberglass mat to stiffen the mold. Make sure the chopped-strand mat used is compatible with epoxy resin.<br />
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<div><div class="caption" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">The plug and mold.</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;">After allowing the mold to cure, pull it off the plug. Then prepare the mold like the plug was with five coats of paste wax and one coat of mold release. To prevent the mold release from forming a puddle in the mold, set the mold vertically on the loom end, until the mold release is dry.</div><div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif; text-align: center;">Now that you are done with the plug, hang it up in your home as art.</div><h4 style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">Molding the Blade Halves</h4></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQUQ_TcgYI/AAAAAAAAAA4/Fty13exMRdc/s1600/cfgp6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQUQ_TcgYI/AAAAAAAAAA4/Fty13exMRdc/s400/cfgp6.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', Times, serif;"></span></div><div class="caption" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold;">The lay-up wetted out and squeegeed on wax paper next to the mold.</div>Because the mold is a small and curved area, wetting out the lay-up with epoxy is easier on a sheet of wax paper on a flat surface. The lay-up I prefer is four layers of 5.8-ounce plain weave carbon fiber, which results in a finished paddle weighing approximately 20 ounces and having the same amount of flex as Sitka spruce. Carbon fiber also comes in twill weave, which looks nicer and actually forms slightly better around curves, but it doesn't hold up as well as plain weave to the hands pressing it into the mold. Wet out the first layer of carbon fiber, put the next layer on top of it, wet it out, and continue until all four layers are wetted out. Then use a squeegee to remove the excess epoxy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQUmgyfZEI/AAAAAAAAAA8/0ZlH8cJe0S8/s1600/cfgp7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQUmgyfZEI/AAAAAAAAAA8/0ZlH8cJe0S8/s400/cfgp7.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="caption" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold;">The lay-up in the mold after the initial trimming.</span><br />
The lay-up is peeled off the wax paper and placed in the mold with the smooth/wax paper side of it facing down. Trim the excess lay-up with scissors so that only around one-half-inch of it is sticking up from the mold. Be sure to press the lay-up into the mold firmly and evenly, and press out all the air bubbles between the mold and lay-up. Use acetone to clean the epoxy off the scissors and squeegee.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQU1UjTxkI/AAAAAAAAABA/whlUtp3WLsE/s1600/cfgp8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQU1UjTxkI/AAAAAAAAABA/whlUtp3WLsE/s400/cfgp8.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="caption" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold;">Final trimming with a razor blade before the epoxy has fully cured.</div>Before the epoxy has fully cured, the final trimming of the lay-up in the mold is done with a razor blade held flat against the flange edge. This step must be done when the epoxy has stiffened some and is still slightly sticky. Depending on the type of epoxy used and the room temperature, reaching this curing state can take from one to six hours. Use a single edge, steel backed razor and keep it angled toward the flange during the cut to prevent the lay-up from being pulled off the mold.<br />
Let the epoxy cure at least eighteen hours before popping the blade half off the mold. The blade half pops out easily by just bending the mold. Wash the blade half with water to remove the mold release from it. Four blade halves are needed for one paddle. Between each blade half, wash the mold with water, dry, and apply a coat of paste wax and mold release.<br />
The blade halves won't be perfect. Sometimes the razor drifts downwards and cuts the carbon fiber slightly below the flange. After the blade halves are epoxied back to back, these small voids in the seam can be filled with thickened epoxy and sanded smooth. Also, occasional spots on the outside surface of the blade will have tiny voids where air was trapped between the lay-up and mold. As you continue building the paddle, fill these voids with epoxy and sand smooth.<br />
<h4 style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Assembling the Four Blade Halves</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQU-_WXosI/AAAAAAAAABE/ST426UsZd_s/s1600/cfgp9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQU-_WXosI/AAAAAAAAABE/ST426UsZd_s/s400/cfgp9.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="caption" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold;">Clamping the blade halves together with rubber bands.</div>Slightly sand the seam edges smooth, apply epoxy to the them, and clamp the blade halves together with rubber bands until the epoxy has cured. Before the epoxy begins curing, it is important to make sure the seams are straight and that there is no twist in the blades.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQVHowObzI/AAAAAAAAABI/rJ2oDwMS1TU/s1600/cfgp10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQVHowObzI/AAAAAAAAABI/rJ2oDwMS1TU/s400/cfgp10.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div><div class="caption" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold;">Reinforcing the seams with 3/4 inch bias-cut carbon fiber strips.</div>Lightly sand 1/2 inch to each side of the seams. Then use 3/4 inch wide strips of bias-cut carbon fiber to reinforce the seams. This bias-cut is done diagonally at a 45 degree angle across the weave, and it is stronger because each strand crosses the seam. More importantly, the bias-cut forms easier around the edges of the blade. You may be tempted to use composite tape, but it won't form well around blade edges. Use a brush to apply epoxy to the seams, and then lay the strips on top. Apply additional epoxy to the strips to fully wet them out by dabbing with a brush. When the epoxy has cured, apply two coats of epoxy over the strips to fill in the weave. Sand the edges of the strips to feather them smoothly into the molded blades. Try to avoid sanding into the carbon fiber in the molded blades.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQVXyUZIDI/AAAAAAAAABM/IJATh5xItvI/s1600/cfgp12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQVXyUZIDI/AAAAAAAAABM/IJATh5xItvI/s400/cfgp12.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold;">Miter box.</span></div><br />
<div>Use a miter box for a straight cut at the loom end of each piece, which will be the center of the paddle.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQVguI3geI/AAAAAAAAABQ/KMSZTUj8EPk/s1600/cfgp13.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQVguI3geI/AAAAAAAAABQ/KMSZTUj8EPk/s400/cfgp13.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><span class="caption" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold;">losed-cell foam plugs (which serve as silencers) before being inserted into the looms.</span><br />
While the perfect Greenland stroke is silent, not every stroke is perfect, and air ventilating behind the blade makes a scratching sound, which will travel loudly through a hollow paddle. To make the paddle as quiet as a wooden one, insert closed-cell foam plugs into each loom just before the root of the blade. To help keep the plugs in place, coat the sides of them with epoxy. Then after the plugs are inserted, point the looms straight up, and drop some shredded fiberglass and epoxy on top of the plugs to form bulkheads.<br />
<h4 style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Assembling the Center of the Paddle</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQVookIvLI/AAAAAAAAABU/eVq3dCpMdag/s1600/cfgp14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQVookIvLI/AAAAAAAAABU/eVq3dCpMdag/s400/cfgp14.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="caption" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold;">Epoxying the two ends together at the loom.</div>The center of the paddle is assemble on a board to make sure the paddle is straight and not twisted. I make the board perfectly flat by adjusting how it's nailed to an old strong-back. On the board mark a straight line with guidelines to each side that match the thickness of the loom. Also mark the center of the blades to line them up with the centerline on the board. Using small pieces of wood, raise the tips of the blades equal to a distance half the width of the loom. Use a level to check for any twist in the blades.<br />
Join the two ends of the paddle temporarily at first by sanding to each side of the seam, coating the seam with epoxy, and applying a one inch wide and two inch long piece of carbon fiber to reinforce the top two-thirds of the seam. Before the epoxy begins curing, make sure the paddle is straight and not twisted. Allow the seam to cure 24 hours before gently handling the paddle. Double check that the paddle is straight and not twisted. Now is the time to bust the seam and rejoin if necessary.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQVw0kYOcI/AAAAAAAAABY/5tq5nGTEGaA/s1600/cfgp15.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQVw0kYOcI/AAAAAAAAABY/5tq5nGTEGaA/s400/cfgp15.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br />
<span class="caption" style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 10px; font-weight: bold;">The center seam wrapped with carbon fiber, wax paper, and masking tape.</span><br />
When the seam is ready to be fully reinforced, sand to 1 1/2 inches of each side of it. On wax paper wet out a three-inch-wide strip of bias-cut carbon fiber long enough to wrap the loom four times. Peel the carbon fiber off the wax paper and wrap the seam. Then wrap the carbon fiber with wax paper and masking tape in the same direction that the carbon fiber was wrapped. Allow the seam to cure for three days before applying any pressure to the paddle.<br />
<h4 style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Finishing</h4>Sand the paddle smooth with 220 grit sand paper. Then apply a thin coat of epoxy. After the epoxy has cured, roughen the texture of the paddle for the perfect grip by wet sanding with 400 grit and rubbing it with wet "0" synthetic steel wool. It is not necessary to finish the paddle with varnish.<br />
<div><h4 style="font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Materials for the Plug, Mold and Paddle</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQXHiR6_II/AAAAAAAAABc/IAcBALYlJDM/s1600/rune3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQXHiR6_II/AAAAAAAAABc/IAcBALYlJDM/s400/rune3.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQXH9Hy2cI/AAAAAAAAABg/haNjclqFbWk/s1600/runegp2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_z2y5znmZx4k/TPQXH9Hy2cI/AAAAAAAAABg/haNjclqFbWk/s400/runegp2.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></div><ul><li>Wood for plug and flange, 3/4 inch thick, 6 inches wide, 9 feet long</li>
<li>Fiberglass, 6 ounce, 50 inches by 10 inches</li>
<li>Fiberglass chopped-strand mat (compatible with epoxy resin), 1 1/2 ounce, 50 inches by 20 inches</li>
<li>Carbon fiber, 5.8 ounce, plain weave, 50 inches wide by 3 yards</li>
<li>Epoxy resin and hardener, 2 quarts</li>
<li>Colloidal silica filler for epoxy</li>
<li>Closed-cell foam, 4 inches by 2 inches by 1 inch</li>
<li>Johnson paste wax</li>
<li>PVA mold release</li>
<li>Wax paper</li>
<li>Razors, single edge, steel backed, at least 4</li>
<li>Acetone for clean-up of brush, scissors, and squeegee</li>
<li>Sand paper, 60, 100, and 220 grit</li>
<li>Synthetic steel wool, "0" coarseness</li>
<li>Latex gloves to protect hands from uncured epoxy</li>
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</div>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-92026729913807934282010-11-29T01:16:00.001-08:002010-11-30T09:24:01.068-08:00How to Vacuum Bag Fiberglass & Composites 5 of 5<iframe frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kAd44VtFm8I?fs=1" width="425"></iframe><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">Vacuum Bagging & Sandwich Core Construction A complete demonstration of the advanced mold making process. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">Includes sandwich core construction and vacuum bagging using carbon fiber.</span></span></div>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6750592098192443654.post-38342290962608222742010-11-29T01:16:00.000-08:002010-11-30T09:24:29.473-08:00How to Vacuum Bag Fiberglass & Composites 4 of 5<iframe frameborder="0" height="344" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/zlrnrEpBC7I?fs=1" width="425"></iframe><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: white; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">Vacuum Bagging & Sandwich Core Construction A complete demonstration of the advanced mold making process. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #336699; font-family: arial; font-size: 11px; line-height: 14px;">Includes sandwich core construction and vacuum bagging using carbon fiber.</span></span></div>CompositeWerkzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09848317981434446740noreply@blogger.com0