okay i am interested now in trying to mould make and then vacuum bag… i can make the molds the problem comes down to the CF being laid into the mould.
is it one of those things you have to be tentative about… and carefully lay in your CF ? i was thinking about making some moulds of my hatch cover for my crx… realativly flat… but i would like to know about more complex shapes and the technique… anyone from upstate ny? or in general could answer a couple of these questions
in all honesty, its not that bad. I make alot of parts and dont have that many problems.
Its all practice. Start with the simple shapes and work your way to the intricate ones.
i hand layed my headliner and that actually proved to be pretty difficult an dthat was basically flat… i messed the weave up in one spot but it still took two of us to lay it down…
when you bag is it suggested that you wet out the mould first? then the cf? or could you lay it in there and work your way across with out wetting out the mold first … what is the better technique?
sometimes it goes well…and most times it goes terrible for me. The weave loves to distort and if you get slightly impatient (like I do) it is likely to distort on you. Complex shapes can be done and work well if you bend the weave at the correct angles. it can also be a huge pain and waste a lot of cf. I am still an amateur and have been getting better than I was at first but I am still impatent and have issues at times.
One word:
Experience!
completely agreed…when I started doing all this stuff, I frequented all the boards I could and read books for over 6 months…bought my stuff and thought it would be easy. Just about quit once I realized that knowledge doesn’t translate into good parts. I’m not great yet but i’m getting better.
so then what would you say your technique is (everyone)to assuring that the weave doesn’t distort? more than one set of hands? the way to go about laying down the fabric and when you wet out…
If youre gonna bag it…just infuse it.
Then you can lay it in with minimal tack and have plenty to work with.
I’m glad someone else thinks the way i do (hybridracers). For a little more money to buy the infusion supplies and a pressure pot if you don’t have one on hand.
I like the idea of infusion because from what i have heard you get the correct ratio of resin to fabric, you don’t get all messy with resin like hand lay up. You use spray adhesive to lay the fabric down and (correct me if i’m wrong here ) getting the weave pattern straight is easier.
oh trust me i have been thinking of infusing… but i figured i would take baby steps… i first need to find a place small enough and cheap enough to rent to play around with … i am moving into town ( apt.) and have no “extra” room with a window to play with my hobbies… so i have to find a cheap small place to rent to have as my little hobby shop
I wouldn’t use epoxy or other resins indoors of a living space. I’m also looking for a small shop to rent. I’m looking for around 1000-1300 sq ft industrial space. I’ve got to make some good molds and products before i can look for this space though. for now a buddy is letting me use his garage.
HOLY CRAP there has never been a truer word spoken.
It is pretty ugly to see weave that is not straight… looks bad. My guess i’ll have some of those happen LOL.
Strange that some posting here, seem to think they can side step the learning process that provides the all important EXPERIENCE, and start producing marketable parts, after just a few weeks.
that is true, if I could back log my first posts when this was icancomposites and my old fibreglast posts. You would see my first tring part post and the length till my first sellable piece. It was like 4 months and about 35 screwed up pieces.
That’s what i’m here for, to learn from others mistakes and gain kowledge so fewer mistakes will be made.
classicbike
i have 4 yards of carbonfiber that ive already declared as a loss…its all practice on this batch of carbon fiber…i have $1000 left to buy supplies for the business so hopefully my learning curve is quick
You’ll get it down pat soon.
I think what J said was good advice, cut the peel ply into sections so it lays more flat without wrinkling the fiber cloth.
I’d try that bleeder ply stuff as it may provide a cushion between the vac bag and the lay up.