Carbon composite layup - visible joins
Discussion
Can anyone give any advice on getting a really, really neat join line on visible areas being wet laid with Carbon fibre? I can get an okayish join but suffer a lot from strands coming out, or it just not looking crisp or the weave getting loose at the edges. I want to nail it but it's not the best material to experiment with when you're broke!
Various bits and bobs, not so much a specific part question as a general layup one - at the moment I want to make a non structural part (hard top for a beach buggy, so weather protection only!) but it needs the material width to be 1.7m wide (unobtainable by my supplier) or joined - either down the middle or one either side. I just know I'll make a mess of it LOL.
If you can't find a bit the right size (and I think I struggled to find anything over 1.5m wide) then you have a few options.
You could put a strip of carbon tape down the middle.
You could mask up a straight line of black gel coat or resin to hide the join (I gave up using gel coat as it always seemed to generate more problems).
You could just be really careful and lay the cloth completely dry and then stipple through the resin.
You can stick some masking tape to the back face of the carbon, cut the edge neatly, then leave the tape on to make sure the weave doesn't move at the edge. Depending on the tape you use you might be able to get black resin to stain it by stippling it on the back face so it's hidden.
Or you can lay up half your mould, let it dry, take the part out, trim it neatly, put it back in then mould the other half.
I mucked about with a few joins back when I worked with carbon. Whatever you do you end up expecting a high scrapage rate.
Make some test peices and find a method that works for you.
ETA:
You could put a strip of carbon tape down the middle.
You could mask up a straight line of black gel coat or resin to hide the join (I gave up using gel coat as it always seemed to generate more problems).
You could just be really careful and lay the cloth completely dry and then stipple through the resin.
You can stick some masking tape to the back face of the carbon, cut the edge neatly, then leave the tape on to make sure the weave doesn't move at the edge. Depending on the tape you use you might be able to get black resin to stain it by stippling it on the back face so it's hidden.
Or you can lay up half your mould, let it dry, take the part out, trim it neatly, put it back in then mould the other half.
I mucked about with a few joins back when I worked with carbon. Whatever you do you end up expecting a high scrapage rate.
Make some test peices and find a method that works for you.
ETA:
Davi said:
...it's not the best material to experiment with when you're broke!
Experiment with woven glass - all of the same weave issues, but at a tiny fraction of the cost.Captain Muppet said:
If you can't find a bit the right size (and I think I struggled to find anything over 1.5m wide) then you have a few options.
You could put a strip of carbon tape down the middle.
You could mask up a straight line of black gel coat or resin to hide the join (I gave up using gel coat as it always seemed to generate more problems).
You could just be really careful and lay the cloth completely dry and then stipple through the resin.
You can stick some masking tape to the back face of the carbon, cut the edge neatly, then leave the tape on to make sure the weave doesn't move at the edge. Depending on the tape you use you might be able to get black resin to stain it by stippling it on the back face so it's hidden.
Or you can lay up half your mould, let it dry, take the part out, trim it neatly, put it back in then mould the other half.
I mucked about with a few joins back when I worked with carbon. Whatever you do you end up expecting a high scrapage rate.
Make some test peices and find a method that works for you.
ETA:
I've tried a couple of those methods - taking out the mould I wasn't happy with becuase I always got resin seepage and horrible lines! I haven't tried leaving tape on the edge I must admit, I do have some black paper tape too somewhere... You could put a strip of carbon tape down the middle.
You could mask up a straight line of black gel coat or resin to hide the join (I gave up using gel coat as it always seemed to generate more problems).
You could just be really careful and lay the cloth completely dry and then stipple through the resin.
You can stick some masking tape to the back face of the carbon, cut the edge neatly, then leave the tape on to make sure the weave doesn't move at the edge. Depending on the tape you use you might be able to get black resin to stain it by stippling it on the back face so it's hidden.
Or you can lay up half your mould, let it dry, take the part out, trim it neatly, put it back in then mould the other half.
I mucked about with a few joins back when I worked with carbon. Whatever you do you end up expecting a high scrapage rate.
Make some test peices and find a method that works for you.
ETA:
Davi said:
...it's not the best material to experiment with when you're broke!
Experiment with woven glass - all of the same weave issues, but at a tiny fraction of the cost.Good point on the woven glass, I'm such a 'tard sometimes!
Davi said:
jackh707 said:
are you vacuum bagging?
how are you curing?
depends on the part and how lazy I'm feeling :P The bit I'm working on at the moment is purely aesthetic so probably no vacuum and curing in the sun LOLhow are you curing?
The electricity bills were huge, but it meant that we could make big parts like bonnets during the winter.
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