This is a carbon /kevlar bootlid I did recently for a honda prelude.It was made from 200g plain weave c/k.First time I have worked with this stuff and found it quite hard to cut when dry even with shears meant for aramid!.It trimmed ok with the air hacksaw when laminated and then a bit of sanding to clean up the fluffy kevlar on the edges.Infused with a reichold VE resin and has the normal underside with all threaded mounting points as per the customers requirements.2k ppg clear to finish off.
nice work!
It looks great!!! it’a a pain to cut carbon/kevlar weave I know!!!
Did you use any gelcoat inside the mold or you sprayed glue to keep the weave in place and then clearcoated?
Clear gel sprayed into the mold first,cloth laid while the gel was still tacky.Got A couple of very minor distortions in the weave.Plain weave is not as easy to work with as twill
yeah same here, wondering what the result would be if we saved the trouble spraying the gel at the beginning and just clear coat after demolding
Nice work, what did you use as a gelcoat?
I have been tempted to try an infusion without a gelcoat as on the run off areas of the laminate without gelcoat the finish is pretty good with no dry spots.would save a lot of time and bother spraying the spray gel but would still have to be clear coated for u v protection
Gelcoat for this was actually a new ve clear spray gel I am trying out at the minute.It is a lot clearer than polyester ones and sprays perfectly out of the keg without thinning.
excellent work! what brand is that gelcoat you used? i would like to try it if i find a local supplier…
Just infuse with no in-mold coating, and then have the parts primed and painted so they actually match the car!
While the carbon kevlar would not be to my taste it was what the customer wanted so it is either make it this way or turn the work away.in the current economic climate I think we are all thankful for any work we can get, be it cosmetic or otherwise.
Those pesky uneducated customers! They need to get it through their thick skulls that composites are used for high strength and low weight! 
Well at least I got the low weight part correct lol.Weighed just slightly over half of the steel bootlid it replaced
Maybe he’s got a yellow and black chequered car… 
Then he needs to repaint the whole car!
TET…I bet all the Porsche,Ferrari,Vette,Z4M,Lotus etc. drivers at EL Toro’s OCRC track event this past weekend would argue the “Paint all the same” comment.
They ALL seemed to truly enjoy all their exposed contrasting CF and Kevlar colors and weave.
In fact …it seems more and more…customers continue to seek a quality visual light part replacement when I talk to them.
Its as if the mindsets are altering towards…only ugly lay-ups need to be painted/hidden. I’m not sure.
But as previously stated…for those in the hobbiest/jobber side of the biz…something is better than nothing.
Little trim pieces here and there are just accents, not entire panels that look out of place. Very different, and not comparable. I’ve dealt with plenty of people in the exotic car groups, and in general they agree on nice looking little carbon fiber pieces in the interior and engine bay but not entire panels that make the car look like crap from anything but a closeup view. But to each their own, and some people feel the need to justify the purchase of an overweight fiberglass part with a shiny ply of carbon on top with no actual engineering behind it. They also rarely understand that it’s just not good for the materials to be left exposed to the sun and elements. No different than bare aluminum or steel.
Furthermore, most properly designed and constructed large composite pieces simply will not look good due to varying weave styles (or uni) and ply orientations, not to mention bond lines.
I’ve got plenty of pics of carbon parts that cost over $100k yet look like shXt bare.
As for the original topic, the piece on its own looks great. And from the mfg side of it, any work coming in is a good thing!
Very nice work
but the pattern kinda reminds me of my grandpa’s pants.
True, but I think it’s all in each persons’ opinion. I’ve seen enough FULL carbon bodies, race and non-race…that I just want to steal…But at that point, yeah, you are adding 20pounds of gelcoat
not to mention that paint also has weight. take your pick.