How/When to trim edges during vacuum bagging

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#1

I was thinking about trying a cheap vacuum bagging process on my next part, but I’m wondering about the excess fabric that extends past my mold. During a wet layup, I’d let it get to the green stage and cut it, but I’m going to have a bag over it. So what am I going to do?

Also, the flange is perpendicular to the mold. So is the bag going to push it down flat (even at a right angle) or is it going to really hose my piece by pushing it down and away from the mould?

Please give any advice on my first bagging attempt.

#2

If the part is green staged…you dont need the bag anymore. The bag is for only when your still in a liquid stage

#3

Makes sense. That’ll save me some electricity and vacuum motor wear. :smiley: I was planning on running it until it was getting hard.

Any other tips?

#4

here are a couple

Dont smoke in a gas filled room

Never french kiss a german shepard

stuff like that

really as long as it kicks from liquid to gel, youre going to be fine. I wouldnt run your pump like that if you can help it. Try to make sure you have no leaks. Pumps are expensive.

Dont know that I have many tips for you, its a straight forward process

The only thing I do have to say I use for trimming (amazingly as I was a skeptic) is the carbide cutoff wheel for a dremel. That thing works wonders!

#5

Fein tools makes some killer cut off ans trimming tools.

Or what we did in the classroom to trim down oven cured CF pre-prags is to invert the bandsaw blade, cut withing a 1/16" to 1/8" and then profile router to final size.