Before a month I finish all parts for the APRILIA TUONO V4. I was find little problem with the headlight mask but today all is OK. The headlight ask was too difficult because I make one part instead of two.
The tubes was really very difficult because I have to create multiple mold. In the beginning I create 2 separate molds but this was disaster so I create 3 separate molds for better results. Below I show you some photos of the products:
The photos are from our customer from UK.
tubes, damn that was very difficult:
Now I start a project for a customer from Croatia for racing headlight mask.
Below you can see the first start up:
Looks f*cking awesome, but it also looks like spam every time. Post more information: how did you made it, resins used, proces, pictures of mold ect. If you are only sharing end result pictures every time, it isn’t very usefull for this forum.
Don’t understand me wrong, I respect the work and it looks great but this is a forum to share knowledge. I understand it iff you don’t want to post that information, but don’t post like this every time.
Spam?
always I give info’s about the way or through pm. Anyway, all the parts I made for V4 are through infusion system. Usually I make them envelope style instead of classic infusion way, stick it on mold.
I use my new Vacuum pump v8 that is really great.
The resin are always epoxy but some times I use vinyl for parts near heating environment. The specific parts are epoxy with vinyl gelcoat first in mold. I use for Gel coat professional spray gun with 4mm nose and the results are super.
I will post the mold of my new creation “racing headlight mask” tomorrow.
Under the racing headlight mask (photo) and the polyester putties are the lights. Before I make this I use first paper stick on lights,after I use the polyester putties. Do not use direct gel coat or polyester they will destroyed.
Once again great work George! The mounts and tabs blow me away as usual! I remember you saying that you use some silicone as part of the molds to get them so nicely. Any pics of that? Could you also show how you flange the tool?
Hi george_grat, what trick do you use when laying the fibre into the mold so that you don’t distort the weave pattern, do you wet the cloth inside or outside the mold, any help will be greatly appreciated. lastly are you using some special type of clearcoat on your part coz the quality is out of this world , please share how you get that shine, what’s your polishing process like and what products are you using.
thanks
The way is simple, the gelcoat must apply it to the mold with spray gun and not through brush. The type of gelcoat is usually crystal clear (polyester) or viny gel coat for all types of resin.
The other way for non any carbon distortion that using almost all the Chinese companies is to make the part without gelcoat then demold it and cut it. After apply the gel coat with spray gun. The result are really very good. After that the polishing it’s easy.
yes, use silicone for coping the mounts. Make small borders behind the panels and apply silicine. After cure you will have 100% copy of the mounts.
Hi george_grat, sorry for a million questions :), what’s the advantage of using gelcoat?
thanks
I think the gel coat give you many advantage. One of them is the possibility to sand some areas without destroy the carbon. Other is to double the UV Portection except the UV of resin. Other to connect 2 surface together without have any gap between them or pinholes and many other advantage.
second step:
and the mold after I take out the part, need a lot of work:
Very nice work! Thanks for posting some info about your process & photos of that as well. Always interesting to see how people produce their parts.
This is the part that comes out from the mold. Now need to connect the upper part and the lower parts together. Definitely need a lot of work to make the best look.
After 2-4 weeks with many changes and adds I introduce you the final results of the Aprilia Tuono V4 Carbon fiber race headlight!!!
