Working with carbon fiber??

[Alaskossie]

Reading slngsht's short thread on fiberglass, I got to wondering if there is anybody on USA7s who is familiar with working with carbon fiber -- forming curing, etc.

 

I have never worked with fiberglass (which I suppose should be a first step for a beginner), but the items I'd like to make would be more appropriate in the more "high-tech" medium.

 

Any tips?? Any books to recommend??

[JohnCh]

I don't have any experience (yet) but here are two resources I came across a while ago:

 

Richard's Carbon Fibre Pages

Thread on building a bike tank

 

-John

[slngsht]

There are some really good youtube videos on this subject...

[Hyper]

I've done wet lay-up with carbon fiber, kevlar, and fiberglass when I was in college. If you want to do a wet lay-up it's pretty easy. Get a good mold, some release agent, and the right epoxy and it will work pretty well. A vacuum pump and some batting will let you get thinner parts. They won't be quite as light as pre-preg carbon, but they tend to be pretty tough. I'd suggest practicing wet lay-up with sheets of fiberglass and then moving up to carbon. Getting the weave to line-up nicely is tough. Of course, if you want a light and dirty piece, then you don't care too much about a nice weave.

 

You can also build a quick and easy oven out of some 2x4s, foam insulation and heat lamps. Just keep the temperature in your curing range and resist the urge to unwrap uncured parts.

 

There are lots of places to get information on the right epoxy, then just read all the data sheets. You want to pick something that won't start to kick before you're done with your part and something that cures at a reasonable time. It's been a while since I've done anything, but I've got a friend who works in the composites industry, I'll get some more info from her.

[eVox]

I've spent a summer doing wet lay up of CF and FG for racecar stuff for Downing Atlanta. Its not too hard to do, but having an experienced mentor helps immensely.

[glenntwincam]

WEST SYSTEMS is a good source for information & supplies. I have used them for many years for marine and auto repair. they have a good selection of manuals, including vacuum bagging techniques.

[JohnK]

Also take a look at Fibre Glast Developments Corporation

http://www.fibreglast.com

Got a catalog from them a while back. Very impressive across the board.

(no affiliation)