Discussion
As a new Ultima owner (still to be built!) I can't comment on the wing from my own experience, but i manufacture carbon parts from prepreg carbon (see my other post) so i can give some advice on the subject.
All the Ultima wings i have seen so far from visits to the Stoneleigh kit car show were made from prepreg carbon and so can be finished in one of two ways.
Firstly the easiest way is to leave them in the finish produced by the mold which can be glossy if the mold is glossy and matt if the mold is matt (simple really).
If the wing is glossy on one side and not the other, then the mold is probably a two part mold made from two different materials and only one of the parts is polishable.
The second way to get a glossy finish is to lacquer the wing but this process has many problems and personally i doubt they are lacquered as they don't need it.
If there are bubbles forming on the surface i would be very careful about sanding them back, yes you can sand carbon to get a smooth finish for lacquering but if the top layer of carbon is made from a light weight carbon (it normally is to get a good surface finish) then it doesn't take much to sand through the weave which then ruins the look with drastic effect....So in my opinion DON'T DO IT!
If anyone is seriously worried about their wing and they don't want to involve Ultima then I'd be only too happy to give advice to anyone who wants to send me pictures of their carbon problems as long as i can see the problem first.
Cheers all,
Pete
All the Ultima wings i have seen so far from visits to the Stoneleigh kit car show were made from prepreg carbon and so can be finished in one of two ways.
Firstly the easiest way is to leave them in the finish produced by the mold which can be glossy if the mold is glossy and matt if the mold is matt (simple really).
If the wing is glossy on one side and not the other, then the mold is probably a two part mold made from two different materials and only one of the parts is polishable.
The second way to get a glossy finish is to lacquer the wing but this process has many problems and personally i doubt they are lacquered as they don't need it.
If there are bubbles forming on the surface i would be very careful about sanding them back, yes you can sand carbon to get a smooth finish for lacquering but if the top layer of carbon is made from a light weight carbon (it normally is to get a good surface finish) then it doesn't take much to sand through the weave which then ruins the look with drastic effect....So in my opinion DON'T DO IT!
If anyone is seriously worried about their wing and they don't want to involve Ultima then I'd be only too happy to give advice to anyone who wants to send me pictures of their carbon problems as long as i can see the problem first.
Cheers all,
Pete
Hi Storer, by the sounds of bluesatins experience and from what you say, the wings are lacquered so a quicker way for you to get it ready for re-lacquering is to use a course'ish wet and dry... Around an 800 grit would be enough, that would prevent you sanding too far and damaging the look of the weave but would still leave a surface good enough for lacquering.
Best to get a professional painter to do it for you and if they use the best quality lacquer it won't go matt again.
Oh... Just on the point of uv damage, if a carbon part is made from prepreg carbon, most of the resin systems that are used are uv stable, generally if a carbon part is lacquered to prevent uv damage, then it is usually either made from carbon using a clear gelcoat surface and polyester resin (general purpose fibreglass resin) or the part has been made using carbon cloth and resin infused with a cheap epoxy resin to try to make it look and feel like prepreg carbon... I see both types all the time and people are generally surprised at the difference when I then show them an autoclave cured prepreg part.
Best to get a professional painter to do it for you and if they use the best quality lacquer it won't go matt again.
Oh... Just on the point of uv damage, if a carbon part is made from prepreg carbon, most of the resin systems that are used are uv stable, generally if a carbon part is lacquered to prevent uv damage, then it is usually either made from carbon using a clear gelcoat surface and polyester resin (general purpose fibreglass resin) or the part has been made using carbon cloth and resin infused with a cheap epoxy resin to try to make it look and feel like prepreg carbon... I see both types all the time and people are generally surprised at the difference when I then show them an autoclave cured prepreg part.
Edited by chucknorris on Tuesday 21st September 22:18
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