Carbon Fiber

[KISIN]

Looking at ordering some CF cloth to muck around and try make some parts for my car. Been doing quite a bit googling but dont have any solid answers. Anyone have any references (sites/pics/etc) for the difference between 1K, 3K, 6K, 12K etc as to how they look in real life. What is better, twill or plain, which K rating etc. A price guide - where to buy in aus or order from o/seas. In a nutshell, looking for a CF-101 sort of site.

Any of you guys tried doing some DIY parts ? Prefered method of injecting resin ? Pics ?

Thanks !

[Hadouken]

BAM! my link. This is the result. And where I bought it. Search a little more. There are other CF threads on this forum.

Edited October 2, 2011 by eat_me

[KISIN]

BAM! my link. This is the result. And where I bought it. Search a little more. There are other CF threads on this forum.

was reading that earlier today. looks awsome. But im after actual CF not wrap.

[Hadouken]

ah i see. My bad :S

[Hanaldo]

Have done this myself. It depends on what you're wrapping or making as to what twill and things you need, as some are better suited to straights where-as some are better suited to going around curves. The k-rating refers to the number of filaments in the cloth, so 3k will have 3000 filaments, 6k will have 6000 filaments etc. The lower the number the smaller the weave will be and the lighter and more expensive the cloth will be. You will most likely want 2x2 twill 3k cloth, that is the most common choice for cosmetic applications. 6k will be ok as well. Get 3k if you can. This is what they look like:

Compared to plain:

Can't find any good pictures of 12k weave, but you don't want it trust me. The weaves are huge. 3k looks the best.

As for price, keep in mind that carbon fibre is expensive to make and is therefore expensive to buy. Expect to pay around $80 a meter. If the price seems too good to be true then it probably is. Just search for carbon fibre fabric/cloth on google and there's quite a few stores that come up that sell good stuff. I bought mine locally in Perth for $75 a meter + GST. For the resin, make sure you get a good epoxy resin. If you're doing engine parts, the resin needs to be able to handle the heat. Do NOT, whatever you do, get polyester resin.

That's pretty much all there is to it. I will say from my own experiences... It's not easy. In fact it's really damn hard. Start with something small and simple. Be really really careful with the carbon fabric because it's so fragile and easy to damage before you put the resin on it. Once you apply the resin it's as strong as anything, but you can really mess up the pattern and finish if you're not careful. If you're making your own fully carbon parts instead of simply skinning existing parts, you will need to get some peel-ply to absorb the excess resin otherwise the final product will be really heavy and not very good. You will also need to vacuum bag it while it dries so that it bonds properly.

Good luck eh

Edited October 3, 2011 by Hanaldo

[Carbon 34]

Ive done more them my share of carbon, kevlar and fiberglass work

The cost is much less if you know where to look , if all goes well in the future i might put together some kits and group buys from my supply source i asked for group buy pricing but havent heard back yet ( friday am )

I can get just about everything you can imagine and some you cant haha

I have just about every weave and thickness in carbon a bunch of kelvar bulletproof stuff in yellow and carbon/ kevlar in blue or red or yellow ( not coloured fiberglass but kevlar unlike others!)

And arramid fiber used in heat shields on jets or turbos

And various resins

You dont need vacuum bags in most cases or even ovens except on wet cool days !!!

Cosmetic parts can be light still

Of course if your after lightweight and super strong the process gets way more expensive and consumes a lot of time to do it right !

Most people just want the looks first

The side afffect is its strong and lighter then fiberglass and can be 7 times stronger then steel

You cant use the cheap resin( fiberglass type) from bunnings on carbon lol

Epoxy is the go and a few other types i get from usa

i have the 12k weave for undertray full length on my car , 1 layer will be strong enough with kevlar scrape points on nose and on impact parts on the new body kit

I have some quarter turn flush quick release like aircraft cowls use coming as well to do some nice toys on my car and yet retain easy access to work on it