Ian how do you make your molds do you make a negative mold of the part then use that to lay the cf in ? and what do you use to make the molds ?

 

thanks for all the great info. I have a question about how you get such a nice finish on the side away from the mold? When I do it the peel ply leaves a rough woven finish and the perforated release film doesnt conform to curves very well.

 

Very fascinating thread!!! Thanks for posting your knowledge and pictures

 

If we have to copy a part then we polish the original part as good as we can (the beter the finish on the original the better the finish on the mould) then we mould over that part. If the part has return edges or is a shape that will not release from the mould we make joining flanges and make the part in mutiple parts. We make the flanges by hot glueing 3mm PVC platic sheet to the original part then making the piece of mould and the flange then removing the PVC and moulding the next piece of the mould and the flanges are a perfect fit. We make our moulds using a clear vinyl ester tooling gelcoat backed up with a mould tooling resin which has a powder base to thicken it and a low tempreture cure (no shrinkage) (some of the brands we have used Ultratek, Nord, Protooling, Rycol) with fiberglass cloth reinforcement. When we make moulds to go in our double skin silicone bag we only need light weight moulds but if we make a mould for single side vacuum baging we need to reinforce the mould ind make it at least 6 times the thickness of what our finished part will be. The mould can be buffed if required to get a better finish. If the mould is shiny then the carbon fibre part should come out shiny.

~ian.

 

We use a peel ply and it leaves a matt finish when removed and we can flow coat that with a clear resin to give a finish, but this is not a very good finish. We cut ALL our carbon fibre cloth to exact patterns to get it to conform to the shapes and the peal ply and breathers are cut to patterns too. If the cloth bridges across corners it will allow a void that will fill up with resin or hold air.

 

I use a smooth release film in my moldless laminations and I am able to obtain an almost smooth and uniform surface. It only leaves small bumps that are easily wet sanded off where the resin is sucked through the perforations. I have had real good luck in doing wet layup, and like Ian said, cut the cloth to a pattern and same with the film and bleeder. After laying the epoxy, I then let it cure for a few hours at around 70 dg F. then I place it in the bag and apply partial vacuum for about an hour and then apply full vac until cured. It comes out ready to trim and wet sand. If there are any unwanted dimples or anything I brush on a thin layer of epoxy and that is it. I make parts mostly for custom interior design so they need to be as pleasing to the eye as possible. I then proffessionally clearcoat them 4 times and buff and polish. Bam. That is it. Like I said Ian is the master and I hope to one day be doing bigger and better things. Thanx again for all the great stuff my man.

 

There is a lot of ways to use carbon fibre, the way I do my work will not suit a lot of other applications so it is interesting to see and hear how other people achieve their results. I have a friend that makes carbon boots for inline skates and they wrap the carbon over a male mould and then they use a shrink wrap as used in comercial food packaging and with a hot air gun they shrink the plastic and then once it cures they have a finish that is sanded and clear coated. I don't mind telling people how I do my work as it is mostly time involved and no short cuts to achieve a good result, putting the effort into doing all the processes I do properly. My process is not a very efficent method for mass production but I am mainly after a light, strong and durable componet and secondly cosmetically appealing part as most of my customers are motor racing teams.

Thanks for your input sonix7

~ian.

 

Ian, I feel the same way. Most of this is time related and many Tricks. I will tell you that I learned everything I could about composites and fiberglass, did not teach me anything about wet carbon fiber lay-up. I learned trial and error and am still perfecting my technique. I aim to do exactly like you. I do quality, not quanity. I am more concerned with how every single piece looks and feels. True craftsmanship doen't compare to mass fabrication. No one over here is looking to be VIS. I just want to do awesome custom work, which I think I am. Ian your a true inspiration and making me even more happy to know I am in this field. The future of CF is bright, we will see where it goes. Thanx man.

Jason

 

Is that the 120 L gas tank pictured? Does it mount to the stock mounting locations?

 

Going on the same line as David's question above, does it save any weight over the stock one we have in the states?

Tim

 

the Carbon fibre tank uses the same mounts but with 50mm spaces between the body and the straps and uses 50mm longer bolts. The standard fuel pump mount inside the fuel tank needs extending the same 50mm longer and we also moved the float mount for the fuel gauge.

 

The weight of the Carbon Fibre tank is about the same weight as the standard steel tank but it is about 40 ltr larger. We did that for the 12 hour race so we had longer between pit stops. The extra bonus is that even with sprint races we had an advantage with having the fuel weight lower, giving us a lower centre of gravity.

~Ian.

 

Ian - I have sent you a PM.

 

ill wish u were my dad or something.. Then i know what to wish for chrismas!

I wish I had the money!

 

Hi Everyone,

Anyone know how I can get in contact with carbon man?

Any contact details will be much appreciated.

 

Ian 02 9740 4025