Repairing Carbon Fibre

[Mushroom]

Guys I have a carbon panel that has had the clear coat cracked and I was wondering how do you fix it as it is in a very visable area.

if anyone knows even of a place i can take it to be repaired in brisbane?

[Spunky Munky]

Hi mate, it's really hard to fix CF and expensive too...I'd see if I can get the whole thing replaced if I can. However, what you can do is buy CF sheets by the meter at some places and then fix that particular part of your panel yourself or get a panel shop to do it for you.

Check out www.topstage.com.au for CF sheets. Speak to Freddy and say Kevin with the black Skyline sent you. He'll look after you.

[F1 Carbon]

If it`s just the resin, which I presume is wet lay up carbon fibre. Then rub it down with 1500 grit sandpaper until near the carbon. Then build up layers of resin.

[PSI Parts]

If it's only the clear coat, speak to your local body shop who should be able to rub it back and apply another top coat.

[Mushroom]

yeah guys it is only clear coat that is cracked, the part was damaged in transport so I really don't want to shell out more money for the same item.

I will check with a body shop thanks guys!

[Brandon]

Hey! I had sorta the same problem only mine would probably be worse. I called up some paint shop and the quote is ridicules (its even more exp than buying a brand new 1, considering a new 1 is 450 as 1 of the trader is selling it).

Anyway, like you, I dont really feel like spending that much on fixing it. Depending on how much you want to do, it can take VERY long to sand it down. Mine was turning yellow with bird shit size clear gone and I decided to sand it down to the carbon and get it re-coat. The end result was amazing. I never knew its this BLACK to begin with since I'm used to seeing it yellowish.

Anyway what I did was get a 160 to sand of the first few layers of clear (the previous owner obviously didnt sand it before he re-coat it as it feel like sanding 4786239463789 layers when I'm doing it). To cut everything short, it took me a good 8hrs to sand it down. Start with 160 or 180 and change to 240 when you're down to the thinest layer of clear. When you start seeing carbon or you're sanding black stuff, change to 2400 to make the whole thing smooth again. Make sure you've got the wet/dry type of sand paper as you'll need to sand it with water towards the end use of each grit size. Dont be too concern with how scratched it looks at the end. Pour some water over it and if it looks glossy, you'll be fine (thats how it'll look like when its coated).

It cost me around 130 to get everything done.

http://www.sauqld.com/ipb/index.php?showtopic=2248&hl=

Here's some photos of the after pic. Pity I forgot to take the before for comparison. Cheers!

Edited July 5, 2009 by Brandon

[F1 Carbon]

Just thought I`d say, your unlikely to have this problem with Dry carbon fibre as the resin is pre-pregnated and autoclaved. Where as the wet lay up carbon is a seperate layer of resin. So the top layer is prone to cracking and also warping and giving you a ripple effect. This is because the resins used can`t cope with temperature, so the sun heats up the resin and distorts it. Pre-preg carbon is baked in the autoclave 140 degrees, vacuum bagged and presurised, so the resin won`t warp. Just a food for thought when purchasing carbon fibre products. Better spending more on Dry carbon that will last a long time and look spot on, than waste your money on repairs and a shoddy looking product. Also the final product weighs much less due to a less resin used.

[AnDyStYLe]

Bump, up she goes...

Where can I get an good quality UV resistant clear coat in an aerosal guys?

I'm going to try do some repair work myself and sand back the clear coat. I'll need to re-coat the clear and hoping to get something that won't turn yellow and discolour after this summer

Cheers,

Andy

[AnDyStYLe]

^ No one is able to assist?

[AnDyStYLe]

Ok found what I needed...

The "clear coat" is actually an epoxy resin for anyone that wants to know for future references.

Cheers,

Andy

[Carbon 34]

it can also be lacquer. if thats is the case buy marine grade lacquer to respray it. to stop yellowing ,dull, cracking

note Carbon fiber uses different epoxy for its clear coat as you put it. you need surf board grade epoxy to be strong enough for car parts

you dont need to autoclave parts either, unless you have a vacuum pump etc around. Im doing heaps of my stuff now . all fine without it.