grass roots composites

General Composites Discussions Composites Talk
#1

Hi folks,
Lot’s of info here, I’m happy to have come across these boards. I’m far from experienced in working with composites, about the closest I’ve come is working assisting in the vacuum bagging of large bulkhead members for yachts years ago in Florida. My question is if any of you people have ever seen or thought of desktop composites manufacture? If I wanted to learn more about materials and procedure in the field of composites how scaled back could the actual moulding/vacuume bagging procedure be taken as a non-business hobby type level?

If I wanted to try to make a carbon fiber knife handle or a writing pen body could I do so accurately and effectively with relatively inexpensive materials in a small space? Could I vacuum bag a 3" part on my desk?
Thanks for any insight!

#2

Upon further reading, I think The mod doogie put it pretty well in anther post:

These questions need much more reading through the stacks of info before you would even begin to understand.
Take the time to re read all the earlier questions. it appears that you jumped into a thread that interests you and want to be educated. We have all put way too much time on these forums to take the time to educate you without you doing some reading first…
I hope I don’t appear to be upset. I just know that we can’t answer this in a short timeframe judging from your question and how it was understood from the previous posts.

Makes sense that I have a few months of catching up before I come on hard with these kinds of questions. :smiley:

#3

Dave47, PM me your address as you are the 400th member and I’m going to send you a copy of Forbes Aire composite book as a present!

Who will be 500th member and what will they get???

Yes, you can do small scale CF parts and it won’t take over the garage! You might want aslo check out www.racingcomposites.net as that guys does rings, bracklets, earings and the like too.

You might even talk to a local company (if there’s any around you) for their small cut offs at cheap or freebies deals!

#4

send me the book instead! :sly: :lol:

let me know how you go dave, im interested also in making up small bits and peices without going into the whole expensive detailed side of things…

#5

Nice!
I’ll take it as a sign. .If it’s beyond my grasp at this point I’d be happy to forward it along to another from this board but hopefully it will just add some fuel to the fire. I bid on some c/f cloth on the net, figured just having some material in the house may spark some ideas…we’ll see…thanks again

#6

Dave,

Take a look at <http://www.aeropac.org/newsletters/v11n1.pdf> (toward the bottom) it may be what you are looking for.

Stan