i was reading a race pages at the track yesterday (a mustang racing mag) and they did a article on a pro 5.0 guy that made his own carbon fiber s/c intake tube. they said that he bought the stuff to make it at a boating supply store. getting to the point, i want to fool around with the stuff, does anyone here have any experience with it or know where i can go to find some info? thanks in advance.
The layup can be done in a garage for most non-structural pieces. The process is pretty much the same as any other composite, the marriage of fabric and resin. Then there are processes for curing pre-preg in an autoclave, and vac bagging... but you shouldn't have to mess with that depending on what you want to make.
Carbon fiber is sold in yards, and comes in different thickenesses/weaves for different apps. If you want to make pretty carbon pieces for show, I suggest some 3K 2x2 fabric. Setup your mold w/ PVA, lay up the carbon and epoxy with a brush (lightly) and then squeegie the excess out as best you can. I suggest 60-minute pot life epoxy or higher.
One place you can get all the materials for a small project is www.fiberglast.com
They are kinda pricy if you don't have bulk accounts or anything, but their message board is a very good read for developing cf/kevlar applications.
One trick for making your CF parts really stand out and last is to hit them with a good PPG automotive clear coat. It has a UV protecting agent in it and will help keep the resin from breaking down in sunlight over time.
To get into the really fun stuff, you have to start baggin'. You can build a vac system for your garage cheap with very good results. It's all in the prep work... a good mold, good materials and a good work space (critical!). Pre-preg is overkill unless it's structural, in which case you need to autoclave that puppy, which can get expensive.
-Some paper cups for the resin
-Plastic stirers (some kits come with wood... wood can hold mositure and thus I don't use them in my epoxy)
-Epoxy resin
-Hardner
-Latex gloves (do not touch the fabric with your fingers)
-CF fabric
-Plastic finned roller to help press down the carbon into areas and remove air bubbles
-Bondo shaping tool
-Mold or part you wish to cover
-Scale
Cut your carbon piece out, larger than the mold surface by about 1" on either side. Painters tape works very well to keep the ends from fraying while working with it. Weight that carbon piece. Mix a ratio of epoxy/hardner (ratio is by volume or weight) the same weight as the carbon+slightly more (.2 oz is usually what I do). Mix epoxy well for 5-7 minutes, no air bubbles.
You can brush on a light layer of epoxy on the part first, then lay the carbon if you want. Makes it easier because the carbon sticks and get slightly wet, making layup/forming easier. Brush on epoxy over the carbon, leaving no dry areas. Not too thick or hard brush strokes, or it will distort. Get air bubbles out with the roller. Start to squeegie out the excess (and there will be a ton of excess) from the resin. The less resin in the part, the stronger it will be. It won't be prefect all the way around in cf/resin ratio, but for most apps, it won't matter. Work fast!
When you have gotten all the excess out, the part must cure at room temp for ~48 hours or so. You *can* speed this up with lamps, but I usually don't for small stuff. You will notice when it is dry that it is somewhat shiney but not smooth, glassy. Hit it with an automotive clear coat and buff it with 3M compound to make that sucker really shine!
i was reading a race pages at the track yesterday (a mustang racing mag) and they did a article on a pro 5.0 guy that made his own carbon fiber s/c intake tube. they said that he bought the stuff to make it at a boating supply store. getting to the point, i want to fool around with the stuff, does anyone here have any experience with it or know where i can go to find some info? thanks in advance.
First of all, why are these fuckers talkgint ot you? Of course you were reading "race pages", you are FUCKIN RACIST.
i was reading a race pages at the track yesterday (a mustang racing mag) and they did a article on a pro 5.0 guy that made his own carbon fiber s/c intake tube. they said that he bought the stuff to make it at a boating supply store. getting to the point, i want to fool around with the stuff, does anyone here have any experience with it or know where i can go to find some info? thanks in advance.
First of all, why are these fuckers talkgint ot you? Of course you were reading "race pages", you are FUCKIN RACIST.
if you had to guess max how much money is the initial investment going to be assuming i dont have anything but ideas to start. thank again
Max, you are going to have to tell the fucker how many hondas he has to peddle and how many service contracts he has to shove down peoples throats to make his carbon fiber dildo molds.
Figure 100$ for materials, not including the mold. For the mold making, I can also help on that.
If you want to go commercial, you can buy a starter "kit" from fiberglast, but be warned they charge 17$ out of the 100$ for paper cups and latex gloves. But, it's an easy way to "dive in" to the process. 1 yard of material did all 3 covers in my lotus front bonnet, my console and only used about half a yard. You should have plenty to play with.
Go pick up a digital scale in oz. The ones used for food are fine, pretty acurate for like 20$
ANYONE WHO RESPONDS TO MATTL WILL BECOME MY ENEMY AS WELL...that includes you madmaxx...why the fuck are you helping that racist asshole? Cause you are too? NOW STFU.
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