Im new to this stuff (fiberglass and composites).I just finished some fiberglass molds,saw some composites on this forum,Now I want to build some of these components out of cf.I see the vac-bagging being used in this process.My first question,that many more will follow is can this plastic bag be used over and over,how do you keep the plastic from sticking to the resin,what type of resin is being used for this carbon fiber. Thanks in advance FastRR or HoJo.
Hi Steve,
Vacuum bag film can be reused a few times if your making an envelope bag with it. To keep the resin from sticking to the bag you use peel ply, cover the whole laminate with one layer of peel ply leaving no reinforcements uncovered. You then follow that up with a full layer of breather ply. Breather is a cotton-like fabric that is lightweight and kinda fluffy… the breather i use is about 1/8" thick on the fabric roll. The breather can’t be reused and neither can the peel ply.
the peel ply I use is made by Airtech, same with bag film i use… Stretchlon. There are other companies that make bag film but choose one that is most stretchy. Hojo knows of a good one.
You also need bag sealant tape. It is a super sticky goo tape.
AT-199 or AT-200 bag sealant tape work well for room temp cures, or can be used in an oven if the heat is less than 200F.
i’m sure i’m going to be the jerk here. But if you just read around there are TONS of tutorials, and a good amount of personal experience.
If you browse through the stickied posts chances are you’ll find all of your answers.
Yep your right.The reason I posted was to ASK anyway.Some of these men are the best in the plastics business.Those two I mentioned are as good as anyone around bar none. Your point though is valid,during these holidays I havent much time to spend on comp with working,family and making changes for my 08s.I just recently was invited to this forum,now Im sort of like a man in a wal-mart size racing store.This cf is giving me some alternative ideas.Now Martin can you dig it?
Of course, I was the same way, I’m still vastly inexperienced, but, i’ve rarely have had a question that wasn’t already answered.
as for your resin question. A goal would be useful.
Polyester resins are used because they are inexpensive and aesthetically pleasing, however, they are not very compatible with carbon fiber (as far as mechanical properties are concerned).
Epoxies are more expensive, but provide better mechanical properties.
Do you want to infuse? are your parts structural? cosmetic? using a core? all this needs to play a role in your resin choice.
yep i agree… resin choice is an important factor. Are you making structural or cosmetic parts. If infusing you need an infusion specific resin most times. Infusing is harder to learn than hand lay up and takes more time to set up for. The good thing about infusion is it is the cleanest way to make a part and you get the perfect balance of resin to cloth.
They are cosmetic,but will be under lots of vibrations,with dirt,mud,dirtclods constantly being slung at the panels. What I am doing is I build 600cc micro-sprint cars.They look and work much like the bigger 360 and World of Outlaw cars.Traditionally we have been using fiberglass for some of the body panels,hood. A few years back I had all these panels built.That company went out of business,I could not retrieve my molds that they charged me for.After several months of being pissed off,wanting that good ole sweet revenge or my molds they charged me 6K for.I finally dropped it to move foreward.I was surfing the net that took me to FibreGlast that is when I said “Hey stupid you do it” I researched all I could about this fiberglass,built the plugs,molds now product.While at FiberGlast message forum I ran across Hojo,FastRR as well as a few others that has their acts together,was invited to this forum.The day I was looking at some cf tanks one of my drivers was here and said"thats what we need on some of these cars" I think I will infuse these, use epoxy resin after much more research then trial&error (heavy on the errors)This stuff really is fun to work with.