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Old 04-02-2020, 03:01 PM   #1
fullah
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Default Carbon fiber skinning

I'm looking at making a few accent pieces and found a lot of videos on YouTube on skinning. These pieces would be cosmetic only and would probably be made using an abs plastic as a base. My understanding is you put down a gel coat then wait for that to get tacky then first layer of carbon and then resin. I know I'm oversimplying.

Ideally I would rather build the part from abs plastic as it's easy to mold with heat and then skin with carbon. Is that even possible or does abs react with the resin?

Also where are you guys buying carbon fiber from? Prices really fluctuate especially with shipping.

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Old 04-03-2020, 12:55 PM   #2
Wayne Suhrbier
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You want it shipped rolled and not folded. Research the resins and find one that meets your need. They can get expensive too for the good ones. West systems are a good place to start. Also make sure you have UV protection in your gloss coat. Fibergast is where I've been tending to purchase supplies from. Check out Composite Envisions for some fun stuff.
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Old 04-20-2020, 09:01 AM   #3
snow_bound26
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Gel coat is the first coat when making parts from a mold because it's what you'll actually be seeing when it's installed. When skinning an existing piece you only use resin and polish the s*** out of it when it's dry. Experiment on several trial pieces to get a process that works for you. Make sure you do some with tight inside corners and curves as well since those are the most difficult to lay flat and keep the weave direction straight. Don't cheap out on the resin. You really do get what you pay for. As mentioned before, West Systems makes good products. It's what I trust as well.
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Old 08-30-2020, 10:48 PM   #4
speedyHAM
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www.fibreglast.com
https://www.sollercomposites.com/

These are where I usually buy my fabrics. My epoxies I usually buy from-

https://www.wholesalemarine.com/west...SABEgLvcfD_BwE

West System epoxies are easy to use and strong enough for structural applications if you ever venture that far.

ABS will not react and will bond nicely with West Systems 105 epoxy. One way to do this is to wet the carbon with epoxy and vacuum bag the part, then sand and polish after it's cured in the vacuum bag. Apply a UV protection gloss coat after it's smooth and it will be good to go.
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Old 09-07-2020, 12:24 PM   #5
Wayne Suhrbier
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oh yeah, wear a decent respirator when working with cf.
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Old 06-02-2021, 07:54 PM   #6
anotherfrostback
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fullah View Post

Ideally I would rather build the part from abs plastic as it's easy to mold with heat and then skin with carbon. Is that even possible or does abs react with the resin?

https://youtu.be/OrcN5b62mF4
If you are looking to use ABS have you thought about 3D printing? It might be easier to design it on a computer and print it
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