Slow Monster rebuild

utopia · 29-04-2019, 04:24 PM

Sorry to hear of your carbon fibre tribulations.
Hand lay-up can be tricky, eh ?
I did ponder vacuum bagging but my moulds were relatively simple and I (just) got away with it.

Two thoughts ..
1) The carbon tank needs a rethink.
2) I got to wondering if you could restore a suitable appearance to those parts which are essentially cosmetic rather than structural, simply by serious rubbing down followed by a few heavy coats of clear laquer ?
I have restored carbon parts which looked like scrap using U-Pol no1 clear, uv resistant stuff (expensive but good).

Also, if you would like me to dig out a few samples of the fibreglass twill weave cloth that I used, pm me your address.
I certainly found that voids were minimalised by using twill weave cloth in the finer grades, as it is much more drapable and conforms much better to the nadgery shaped areas.

Also, btw, East Coast Fibreglass were much cheaper than Easy Composites.
They also have quite a few "end of roll" bargains most of the time.

Finally, you have my commiserations.
It can be disheartening (to say the least) when a lot of work goes in but the results don't match the effort.
But its all a learning process, I guess.

29-04-2019, 04:24 PM	#11
utopia No turn left unstoned Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: leicester Bike: M750 Posts: 4,561	Sorry to hear of your carbon fibre tribulations. Hand lay-up can be tricky, eh ? I did ponder vacuum bagging but my moulds were relatively simple and I (just) got away with it. Two thoughts .. 1) The carbon tank needs a rethink. 2) I got to wondering if you could restore a suitable appearance to those parts which are essentially cosmetic rather than structural, simply by serious rubbing down followed by a few heavy coats of clear laquer ? I have restored carbon parts which looked like scrap using U-Pol no1 clear, uv resistant stuff (expensive but good). Also, if you would like me to dig out a few samples of the fibreglass twill weave cloth that I used, pm me your address. I certainly found that voids were minimalised by using twill weave cloth in the finer grades, as it is much more drapable and conforms much better to the nadgery shaped areas. Also, btw, East Coast Fibreglass were much cheaper than Easy Composites. They also have quite a few "end of roll" bargains most of the time. Finally, you have my commiserations. It can be disheartening (to say the least) when a lot of work goes in but the results don't match the effort. But its all a learning process, I guess.