Who are you outside the forum?

Off Topic Everything un-related to composites.
#1

I hate being unformal! I love talking with customers one on one and show people first hand how to do stuff. But since the forum is the only option since everyone is worldwide, at least this will help you get to know the person that is helping you better.

First off my name is Dustin. I am the owner of several companies. They are as follows

Carbon Tuner-Retail manufacturing of fiberglass and composite parts. We make mostly cosmetic exterior and interior products. We also do custom overlaying. We also manufacture body kits that we export overseas. All our kits are 100% fitted and are the best fitting you can buy with a full fitment garuntee.

Composites-Private label company. We manufacture composite parts for aerospace, automotive, and medical for other companies to re-brand. We just got contracted for OEM on an up and coming prototype.

Mainstream Music-A Dj company that I have owned for years. www.mainstreamdj.com if you guys ever get bored

EMI-This is the corporation that owns all my compaines and is the legal voice for all of them

I have been in composites for only little over a year and has been going full force since then. I apprenticed at Evans shop for a couple days and learned techniques I still use today. I have purchased products with Evan with a high rate of success and suggest his services to anyone. He funds this site with his own money and takes time out of his VERY busy day to answer your questions. Be thankful!

Here are some pics of our shop, we have 3 of them, one is mold and product storage, one is fabricating and R&D and the other is Manufacturing

Here is manufacturing

You can see all the fiberglass in the air in the pics. Just to let you guys know, WHERE YOUR RESPIRATORS!!! I had kidney failure due to resin fumes and was in the hospital for over a month total! DO IT!

Here is design, all I have is a pic of the background from a car pic

Here is the storage of parts building

Fenders ready to put in a container

kits and fenders ready for shipment to Europe :slight_smile:

Now I am done with my spill I am interested in getting to know the rest of you :slight_smile:

If you are new welcome to the forum and don’t give up!

#2

Alright then…!
My name is Themis and I’m from Hellas (Greece).
I’m a translator and since last year I’m studying to be an auto mechanics.
2 more years of college and I’m there (hopefully…).
I’m into cars cause my dad was in auto racing and I got the virus from him… :wink: At first it was just for kicks, then I saw the F&F movie and then it hit me…! I started lookin in composites some months ago and I’ve been trying to learn as much as I can ever since. My first goal is to make a unique body kit for my car and then who knows when I open up my own garage/auto shop I may manufacture my own body kits…
Nice to meet ya all and hope I learn many, many thingies from our talks…

#3

right then my names Mike and im from the UK and 24yo.

Currently helping out in the family business farming yes ive heard all the sheep jokes already :smiley: Had an interest in the car scene since i was knee high to a grasshopper. One of the benifits of farming is i got to drive everything available before i was old enough to do it legally (all on the farm and fields ofcourse).

I would eventually like to set up my own company making bits for car and to be honest i dont really care if i dont earn millions (would be nice) as long as im doing something i enjoy!

The best jobs may be poo work in other peoples eyes but if you enjoy it sod them

#4

I hear ya…! :wink:

#5

Hello Everyone… I’m new…

My name is Philip and I’m a huge rotary car fanatic. I currently own 3 last generation (1993) RX7s… and getting one ready for a car show… hence wanting to learn more about this Carbon Fiber overlay thing… which I’m thinking I could do… but need some advice (Please send me some PM with any advice on what materials to buy and how to overlay).

I’m also the president of Mazda Rotary Car Club of Alabama and also a contributing writer for RX-Tuner magazine. (www.MRCCAL.com)

But for every day work, I’m the Research Lab manager for medical research lab in Birmingham, AL… Cars are my ultimate hobby though…

#6

My name is Joey and outside of reading information on this site (thank you for the PM on FG :wink: ) I run 2 MB internet sites, but that doesnt pay the bills so I have a 9 to 5er that I do as well.

I have been reading up on fiberglass molds for about a year now and have experimented a few times making molds without much to yap about and have put it on the back burner for a few months now.

Only real reasons for my interest in composites is to make stuff for my car… isnt everything we do in life auto related :stuck_out_tongue:

Either way I’ll support the site and buy my products here since I know I’ll be using this site for tips and tricks.

I did notice a few post down that EMI purchased a 99 W210 here is my 97 W202

Maybe I can answer questions about MB in trade for questions regarding working with composites :smiley:

#7

I’m Evan and I’m the idiot that started this site. I’m still an idiot, but at least I’m an idiot with a website. That must make me uber-cool… or e-cool.

#8

i don’t know why this made me laugh so hard I almost pissed myself. Some of the crap that comes out of your mouth Evan :slight_smile: I love it. I am just finishing up the engine cover for my W210 and will post pics of it soon. That is a very good looking 202! and your welsome for the PM, we are a little more lively here then on FG.

#9

Here’s my car. Except I haven’t driven it in over 2 years.

#10

My name is Robby (if ya couldnt guess from my screen name) :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

To pay the bills i work full time for a local architecture firm. Designing and building mostly school related projects. But the firm also does commercial, industral etc.
I got into composite a few years back, but mainly just cause it was something new and i wanted to learn more about it. And cause i would rather try and make my own parts than simply buy them. Nothing wrong with buying them, just when something intrests me i like to try it for myself. My shop area consists of a 2’ X 5’ table in the garage :slight_smile:

And since everyone else is doing it, here is my car (although not as nice as some of yours)


Pic take from last yr @ HIN

#11

Hey everyone…
You would know be as severedp from the FGD forums, but this place is much more fun I’m sure. :stuck_out_tongue:

Lesse…story of my life…
Finished college, started working for a upstart composite aircraft manufacturer in MN. We worked mainly in prepreg glass w/ foam sandwich construction. Designed many tools, fixtures, etc… Things went down hill there, so off I went and tried to start my own thing called X35 Performance (www.x35performance.com).

Made a front end for the Subaru SVX, and some side skirts I build patterns for, but haven’t gotten the mold made yet. Couldn’t make enough to pay the bills, so took some crappy jobs to fill in, which left no time for further development. Two years later I wind up with an offer as project engineer for a fairly large SMC and Layup corporation. I work just across the border from Brownsville Texas, in Matamoros Mexico.

They do contract manufacturing, mostly chopper spray up, some layup, and some V-RIM (closed mold vac infusion). Most of our stuff is for the heavy truck market, but they are now starting to branch out…which is where I came to join them

I am now overseeing the startup of our recent acquisition of a fiberglass auto aftermarket company, so some 300 molds are headed my way, most without documentation :roll: and most of the people from the other company have left already, so it should be an adventure for sure. The process is pretty crude, but I hope to give it lots of tweaking and improve our parts, reduce costs, etc…

Once we get production rolling, I hope to venture us towards developing CF stuff, and new products. Our main products now are FG hoods for pickups/SUVs, and also FG wings, and a few other items. I hope to expand our selection and to leverage our low labor costs here.

[shameless advertising]So…if any of you are making gelcoat type parts and are interested in farming the work out, we’re here for you. I’m not in sales, but I can connect you to the people if you would like to discuss a project. [/shameless advertising]

I hope to continue to develop SVX parts and other odd stuff for small markets when I can find the time, but for now, most of my work time is at work, not at home with my own stuff…

#12

well welcome to the forums :slight_smile:

#13

My name is Dan and my part time money pit is CarbonFiberCrafting. Yeah that’s a pretty long web address so I shortened it. You may also know me as potterds. I got on this carbon fiber kick a couple years ago after buying my peice of junk s2000. Before that I owned a 1972 bayliner which was my first attempt at composite work, it sunk the first time:D but I quickly learned the trade and restored it. From then on I started restoring boats and selling them as well as tinker around with the s2k.

#14

Hey guys, My name is Rick and my my screen name is from my racing # from my one and only amateur race weekend four years ago in motorcycle roadracing. Well that is what brought me to composites, I had one ugly, beat up 95’ ZX6R which needed much help. So now I do some work for friends and my self out of my two bedroom apartment in Queens N.Y. Since I am not making much money at it right now, I hold a steady job at JetBlue Airways as a Crew Scheduler. I’m pretty much new to all this stuff though. I have a lot and have some big plans in this field, I love the the design aspect of it all. So if I ask a lot of questions please forgive me. Well that’s me, in a nut shell.

#15

Hello, I go by “JM”…

I’m here with you and I’m hooked on Plastics like you, but I’m really “HOOKED” as I have been doing it since I started my own business in 1977!

I’m glad we have this “PA” meeting for Plastics junkies as it allows me to clean myself at lest for a few minutes each day…

Well, I’m getting the shakes and I need to go and get a fix of Polyester…
C…Ya.

PS: The above is just a joke (not about the business although)…I’m also a Fiberglass and Plastics ROP (free Calif. state job training program for studnts 16 years and adults too) instructor in Garden Grove, Calif. area for the last 12 years…gee time flys when you are having fun… :lol:

#16

Hi Jm,

Just thought you would be interested to know that you’ve been in the business since the year I was born :smiley:

Looking forward to reading your posts.

#17

Yea, I hear that a lot from my Fiberglass and Plastics ROP students… :lol:

#18

Hello everyone…I am Vince,and I’m a “FABAHOLIC”. :wink: I work in thr Research and Development lab for Vapor Systems Technologies located in Springfield Missouri (BRAD PIT-ville" )lol.
Our home office is in Dayton Ohio. Both, my boss and I , are dedicated Auto Racers and builders in our “off-time” and have had years of enjoyment working with cars and composites. I just recently placed a large order with EVAN to move into the “Vacuum Infused Process’s” to enable me to go into full production for a line of CF componets in the Vintage Import Car genre’. 8) (specifically Nissan & Datsun Z"s)
This would of previously remained a hobby,but I lost my Fiance’ in a car wreck last Summer and have to stay extremely busy in order not to become a “TERRORIST” against the terrorists ! :roll:
So I have delved into this venture head first financially and am committed to making the finest parts I can and keep them affordable to all fellow enthusiast that share in my passion to “Raise the Bar” for older Imports for show and performance ! :smiley:
Whew !..Ok…there…it’s out ! :mrgreen:
Vinny-Z

#19

Vince, sorry to hear about your lost…sometimes it is best to immerse yourself into work to get your mind off things.

If you ever have anyone looking for a Fiberglass or carbon fiber modified hood for a 1st generation Datsun 200SX, an adult student of mine is doing a mold for his Mini Stock to race against me next year at Irwindale Speedway.
Also, you might want to check out www.4m.net and look for the mini stock tech section for racing tips.

JM

#20

Hi I’m Rick, Relatively new to CF but have been laminating glass since the 70’s. worked mostly with custom corvettes and building one off show cars till I realized I was killing myself for little gain. Turned to other cleaner careers then into the ceramic coating business [ shameless plug] http://www.hightechcoatings.com [/shameless plug]. I also own and restore Bricklins, hence the screen name here is a pic of my 76 (one of 16) with 443 original miles on it.

Work keeps me busy but paying with plastic cars keeps me happy. I do plan on building a complete CF body for one of my Bricklins, I know it seems kinda “ricey” but each to their