[s-cars] Carbon Fiber Cloth/Tape

[Ian Duff]

This could be any car, but started out on the S-List.

Creating composite pieces uses similar techniques, regardless of ingredients
or desired product. The differences are in how one handles cf as opposed to
fiberglass, how one laminates with epoxy vs polyester, and vacuum-bagging vs
brushing or rolling. These differences are minor when compared to the
process of preparing a form to act as a plug, taking a mold off of it, and
preparing the mold for production of a finished piece. HTH.

-Ian.
-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Kase [mailto:davekase at pdqlocks.com] 
Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2006 01:13
To: Ian Duff
Cc: 'Mark Pollan'; s-car-list at audifans.com
Subject: Re: [s-cars] Carbon Fiber Cloth/Tape

Sorry I am getting into this late, but what car are wwe talking about?   
I am importing CQ cf interior pieces from Hungary...

Dave Kase
'91 e//S2

Ian Duff wrote:

>Not that big a problem, as long as you don't mind the possibility of 
>sacrificing your wood trim.
>
>To have the cf come out looking nice, you'll need to pull a female mold 
>from the existing wood trim pieces. Not difficult, but sometimes the 
>plug (the existing trim pieces) gets destroyed in the process. Not 
>totally predictable, and much can be done to minimize the chances, but 
>still a very real possibility. With the female mold from the old 
>pieces, it's not all that difficult to make new cf pieces in the shape 
>of the original. Then you just have to figure out how to mount the bling
new pieces.
>
>To make new bling cf gauge pods, you make a male plug out of something 
>like a soft wood, sand and coat with something hard that you can get a 
>nice shine on, that will hold wax, like a good enamel (not 
>polyurethane, won't hold the wax), wax it like you stole it, make a 
>female mold on it, pull the male plug out, and make yourself a new bling cf
gauge pod in your new mold.
>
>Post pictures of this stuff on Audiworld, and you'll have a bunch of 
>wannabes bowing down to you.
>
>The biggest tricks here are making sure the molds release from the 
>plugs, and the parts release from the molds, as well as making sure you 
>have no dry spots in the cf, as dry spots look gauche. Mold release is 
>a function of two thing, one is draft, where the dry part can come out 
>without it being locked in by virtue of its shape (think of a keystone, 
>comes out easy one way, doesn't come out the other way), the other is
release agents, such as wax.
>The easy way to avoid dry spots is soak the living piss out of the cf 
>as you laminate it, as we're not all that concerned about strength to 
>weight in cosmetic pieces such as these. If you really want to go 
>overboard, you could vacuum bag the cf as you go, which will help with 
>the resin saturation, as well as the bragging rights. BTW, use West 
>epoxy, as its readily available, and is known to work with CF. Polyester
will not work.
>
>Nothing remotely approaching either brain surgery or rocket science here.
>HTH.
>
>-Ian.
>-----Original Message-----
>From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
>[mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com] On Behalf Of Mark Pollan
>Sent: Friday, May 05, 2006 14:59
>To: s-car-list at audifans.com
>Subject: Re: [s-cars] Carbon Fiber Cloth/Tape
>
>I really dunno Ian.  Just thinking of perhaps adding another item to my
>1,000,001 item to-do list.  For example, can one with limited skills 
>make their wood trim into CF and have it look real nice?  Or perhaps 
>make a CF gauge pod to fit down by the ashtray in the center vent or...
>
>Mark
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Ian Duff [mailto:iduff at comcast.net]
>Sent: Friday, May 05, 2006 1:30 PM
>To: 'Mark Pollan'; s-car-list at audifans.com
>Subject: RE: [s-cars] Carbon Fiber Cloth/Tape
>
>I have a fair amount of composite experience, having been a boatbuilder 
>for years. What do you need to do or know?
>-Ian Duff.
>-----Original Message-----
>From: s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com
>[mailto:s-car-list-bounces at audifans.com] On Behalf Of Mark Pollan
>Sent: Friday, May 05, 2006 10:43
>To: s-car-list at audifans.com
>Subject: [s-cars] Carbon Fiber Cloth/Tape
>
>Anybody out there actually play with carbon fiber either from a 
>structural perspective and/or a cosmetic (read trim) perspective?
>www.jamestowndistributors.com <http://www.jamestowndistributors.com/>  
>has carbon fiber cloth and tape as well as Kevlar tape.
>
> 
>
>Regards,
>
> 
>
>Mark
>
> 
>
> 
>
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