Hi all,

I came across an auction on eBay today for:
Carbon fiber fabric , 120"x10" , 2X2 twill weave,cloth



This is a 120"x10" piece of carbon fiber 12K. It would be a great for practicing carbon lay-up, for making a model airplane wing, longboard, spoiler...the list goes on! Weight of the fabric is 670grams per square meter.

And I was just wondering how one can make use of this cloth to make CF parts? Do I simply create a product out of fiberglass, and then glue this cloth onto the part?

Thanks!

Carbon fiber is a higher strength reinforcement that is used the same way fiberglass is; a resin is used to saturate the fabric and allowed to cure (harden). The compressive strength of the resin and the tensile strength of the fabric combine to make a strong shape.

If you simply want the cosmetic look of CF, you can use it as the outermost layer of a fiberglass projec. I personally think that's being a poseur, but it is commonly done.

10" width is pretty small...well it depends on the type of project you are using it for.

If you are using it for strength then multiple layers should be used, but if you just want to use it for cosmetic use then yes, you can glue the carbon material onto the fiberglass.

__________________
Thanks Vince
Anyone hiring?
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Thanks guys, for the great and knowledgable advice

Here are a couple of questions that went through my mind yesterday:

1.) Let's suppose I want to fabricate something with the CF cloth, do I simply cut the CF cloth (assuming there is no CF mat?) into pieces, add resin to them, and then layer the pieces up until I get my desired thickness and strength, the same way I do with fiberglass?

2.) If I am only looking for comestic, what is the best adhensive/glue to use, and do I glue just one piece of CF cloth (vs. multiple pieces/layers) to cover the surface I want to cover?

Thanks!

1). If you are using only Carbon to make a product, then yes, you can use multiple layers of carbon just like fiberglass.

2). I use 3m spray adhesive. You can also use some epoxy resin, apply it to your surface, wait an hr or 2 for it to become a little more tacky, then place your carbon down. If you are only using one layer of carbon for cosmetic use, paint the surface black first, otherwise you will see the background color between the carbon weave.

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Thanks Vince
Anyone hiring?
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Not to thread jack, but how do you get the CF to lay down glass smooth w/ out filler or sanding? It's like there's a clear coat to it or something.

You can't get a glass smooth surface without either sanding it, or clearing over it... I'm pretty sure most people actually do both..... wet sand the carbon with a really high grit sandpaper, and then either use some polishing or rubbing compound on it, or cover it in clear coat.... and ideally, you should wetsand that as well.

^^^^Don't sand CF! You'll ruin the look. To get the the gloss, people apply 2-3 coats of table resin (thick, clear stuff) and sand after each coat. Wetsand, polish. Finally, spray with UV clear coat.

Thanks guys.

Will any epoxy resin do the job? Or must it be of a certain type? I know that some resin for fiberglass is yellow in color, will it not interfere with the color of the CF? Thanks!

^ go to us.composites and go look at an epoxy resin called KLEAR KOAT TABLE TOP RESIN. It is clear, and is self leveling.

Apply a good 3 layers of the resin onto your fabric and let it cure a minimum of 24 hrs before sanding it. I say 24 hours b/c if you sand it too soon you will have the resin still sticky and it will roll off and not sand away in a dust manner.

Start sanding with 220, 320, 400, 600, 600 wet sand. The surface becomes cloudy, but once you spray it with clear it becomes crystal clear yet again.

__________________
Thanks Vince
Anyone hiring?
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