A&Q about 350Z
Q:
chris, i work at the same place as mr Gill.. done a bit of CF work whilst there.
Nice!
For pre preg...
Find a nice flat item that can go in your oven (possibly a stainless oven tray )
Lay out a piece of plastic sheeting,
What sort of sheeting? Thick plastic or other?
then a layer of cloth to absorb the spare resin,
How can this be removed once in the sandwich once all absorbed?
once you have sufficient layers for what you need place a seperate layer of cloth on the top.
It this removed pre curing?
So any trade names for the lacquer and the resin? And are the rollers the little 6inch wide things from art class? Metal, plastic or rubber wheel?
What sort of pressure is required from the roller? Assume it would be quite easy to compress the front face lacquer or resin too much?
A:
What sort of sheeting? Thick plastic or other?
yea thick plastic (make sure you stick it down to avoid wrinkles etc on the face of your CF)
How can this be removed once in the sandwich once all absorbed?
Once the pre preg is baked the plastic shouldn't be stuck to the job, the cloth will peel off, it isn't easy to come off but with a good tug it'll peel away in one complete piece.
Is this removed pre curing?
The final layer of cloth is removed after curing (the resin won't stick properly and become fluid until it reaches the CF curing temp (dependant on what you have).
The rollers are the art type that you mention, pressure isn't really important as pre preg won't compress very much (more critical on wet layups where you apply the quantity of resin) and a small item won't really need much rolling as you should be able to get it pretty well compressed as you lay it out. (just make sure you use a nice clean roller to avoid getting contaminets on the CF).
I will try and find out the trade name for the cloth etc for you next week.
Hope this helps a bit.
A:
Chris the 90 degree thing is to give striffness in a number of planes, imagine the fibres like a bunch of drinking straws, can only take loads in certain directions, rotate the layers like plywood and suddenly you have a reasonable structure on your hands
A:
What sort of sheeting? Thick plastic or other?
yea thick plastic (make sure you stick it down to avoid wrinkles etc on the face of your CF)
What sort of thickess, say? The sort of plastic from a signwriting place, maybe?
How can this be removed once in the sandwich once all absorbed?
Once the pre preg is baked the plastic shouldn't be stuck to the job, the cloth will peel off, it isn't easy to come off but with a good tug it'll peel away in one complete piece.
But surely the cloth contours will ruin the finish on the tidy side of the CF laminate?
Is this removed pre curing?
The final layer of cloth is removed after curing (the resin won't stick properly and become fluid until it reaches the CF curing temp (dependant on what you have).
Ok, sure. I was picturing a situation with cloth stuck to epoxy. Hmmm. Lost!!
The rollers are the art type that you mention, pressure isn't really important as pre preg won't compress very much (more critical on wet layups where you apply the quantity of resin) and a small item won't really need much rolling as you should be able to get it pretty well compressed as you lay it out. (just make sure you use a nice clean roller to avoid getting contaminets on the CF).
So a metal wheel roller, or rubber, or (surely not?) plastic?
I will try and find out the trade name for the cloth etc for you next week.
Hope this helps a bit.
Indeed!
Chris the 90 degree thing is to give striffness in a number of planes, imagine the fibres like a bunch of drinking straws, can only take loads in certain directions, rotate the layers like plywood and suddenly you have a reasonable structure on your hands
Sure Prof - I was just puzzled since the fibres criss-cross at 90-degrees within a single sheet anyway, but I'll leave it there! It's more than I need to be asking about !!
A:
you have to pin the cloth down as flat as possible, it's normally not too difficult where the pre preg is slightly sticky.
at work we have plastic rollers, but any would do the job really.
Alot of companys that produce carbon panels use a wet layup as it's a lot easier to ply into contours and get a good finish with without the use of a laquer.
Some carbon has trace lines in to help with the layup of different orientations. Not really needed tbh unless you plan on making large panels (e.g. bonnets/tailgates) where flexing is a possibility.
I've just started to make up some big flat sheets to make some rear door cards for my mk2.. will keep you updated when i get to the layup stage (got to fit some D-zeus recepticals into the car first )
A:
Sounds like you're our composite guru Chris, what's best to cut Carbon sheet, got some pre preg 0.8mm sheet from GPR at Silverstone the other day to make a switch panel mount.
Just wondering what to use to cut the stuff before I feck it up.
A:
I gather it's fine to drill it, saw it etc.
The pros use Dremel-type trimmers and sander wheels - and breathing equipment...
Best to cut roughly first and then trim with the finer tools.
(Pre-preg cuts fine with scissors when uncured btw).
A:
Just found this thread and thought you might be interested in my little garage project for my golf (sorry about the quality, the only digital camera I own is on my phone!)
Front Plate
These are also part of it.
Gear Lever
This is the idea
When it's finished it will be one of these (Well, my version anyway)
As you can see it's still a long way from finished, but it's getting there.
Oh, and many thanks to Phatvr6 for helping me out with all the dimensions!
A:
Very nice indeed! Keep us updated.
A:
I gather it's fine to drill it, saw it etc.
The pros use Dremel-type trimmers and sander wheels - and breathing equipment...
Best to cut roughly first and then trim with the finer tools.
(Pre-preg cuts fine with scissors when uncured btw).
You can cut it *roughly* with a jigsaw + fibreglass blade, will need to find something that'll cut so it looks neat
Was £19.50 for the 300 (maybe more) x150 sheet so not toooooo bad.
A:
You can cut it with a hacksaw, just take it easy and use a new blade. Then use a bit of 300 grit to dress the cut edge.
And the most important of all, seal the cut edge with some resin. If you don't do this moisture will seep into the edge and then it'll either look crap or fall off your car.
A:
Thanks for the tips!
A:
GVK, if you need any help with carbon fibre give me a shout, i'm just down the road in bristol.
A:
as said easy to cut same as you would with fibreglass.
hacksaw/dremel... bandsaw if you have one is very good as it doesn't tend to cause any fraying/de-lamination.
for cleaning up and fine work you can use a file, emery paper etc. (just make sure you're wearing a dust mask!).
Note for anyone who is interested in more info i should be starting back in the composite area in the next few weeks so i can get more info on Companies that can provide cloths and CF itself.
Gary if you ever need small bits of CF again drop me a PM.
A:
GVK, if you need any help with carbon fibre give me a shout, i'm just down the road in bristol.
Cool, I'll bear that in mind thanks
A:
Gary if you ever need small bits of CF again drop me a PM.
Will do Chris, ta!
A:
Note for anyone who is interested in more info i should be starting back in the composite area in the next few weeks so i can get more info on Companies that can provide cloths and CF itself.
I'll get the lorry ready
.... no seriously, could be really useful - having trade suppliers, names of polyester epoxy resins etc
A:
Hi Chris,
Going into `business` then
A:
I was recommended some 'Scott Bader' resin (1ltr being £7 + £5.50 p+p) from the bloke I mentioned before. I think I might have a go at making a switch panel sometime soon.
A:
Hi Chris,
Going into `business` then
Purely just interest tbh