[ame=“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AX6Y4PbGusw&feature=related”]YouTube - ROUSHtv: Advanced Composites[/ame]
great video - thanks for sharing / finding this stuff Rotorage.
prepeg material looks SO easy (and fun) to work with… to bad you need a big ass oven;)
Man, I wish that had shown more detail of the work instead of the guy talking.
What do you want to know? Apart from the funny car body and COT nose, I’ve made all of those pieces the exact same way they do it.
Roo, you could use small molds in a small oven using prepreg. Just need a freezer to store the material in, and make sure your molds are built to take the temperature.
I tried using some of the same resin that Roush uses ( made by Resin Services # HTR212-386), i hate it. Too yellow, zero uv stability, and a pot life of about 10 minutes at 70f. I also found it to be too viscous.
Nice set up they have there though. They could use a racking system for their clave.
@ fleisch: I just like seeing the process of layering the prepreg, and how/where they place the preforms. Most of the racecar prepreg layups I’ve seen usually has segments of fabric end at every tight radius, so I was curious to see if Roush did the same.
@ Fastrr: I talked to Frank, the owner of De-Comp. He recommeded that I try the HTR212-386-99, which he stated was what a lot of Indy and Nascar teams preferred. From my understanding, the 386-99 hardener was the less viscous setup (and a 60 min potlife). Do you have any more info? BTW, I might be willing to buy your HTR-212, resin only, depending on price and quantity.
Regarding UV stability, I’m sure the pro-teams don’t care; They’re going to paint parts anyway, and I will too. I do know that the HTR resins I’ve used are incredibly impact resistant. I had to beat some 3 mm thick parts with a ballpeen hammer on the concrete floor before I saw any deformation in the layup. Torqueing with 1/4" nut and bolt did nothing to it…
yeah the people at resin services didn’t sell me the 386-99, just the regular 386 hardener. I have some left but plan on using it up this week.
their price is $87 per gallon kit direct from RS.
Maybe the 386-99 is more clear… usually the slow hardeners are more clear… frickin frackin gave me the medium or fast stuff i guess. The mix ratio of htr/386 is 2.5:1 not fun to measure out when you are in a hurry. it feels like 2000cps … very thick… no likey.
I’m going to talk to CompositesOne about their epoxies… I believe they also sell some very good stuff. I seriously have one epoxy that doesn’t yellow… been outside for a few months and it is still clear. that one has a pot life of 40 minutes and uses a 2:1 mix ratio.
i can’t fit a jetski hull in an oven 
however maybe in the future if i take on a project with smaller parts.
yeah, the tight radius areas are trouble to lay up sometimes. Since a lot of that stuff is not structural (for all intensive purposes) and not very thick, a two part mold can be laid up on in the two halves individually. After the two halves are laid up and properly trimmed, the mold pieces are bolted together and strips (about an inch to two inches in width) are cut out and laid in along the seam. Then the part is bagged and cured like normal.