Dry carbon fiber maintenance?

[tyrantcf]

How are you guys cleaning and maintaining any dry carbon you have??

I cannot find anything definitive that talks about this on google, everything is for treating wet carbon.

I've seen people use regular wax and detail products but the carbon seems to lose it's matte finish when doing this.

[grostoine]

Try matte product from chemical guys

they have scealent, quick detailler, foam, all for matte ...

[ZOMFGAARON]

I would actually call chemical guys or a place like Seibon and see what they recommend


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[tyrantcf]

Originally Posted by ZOMFGAARON

I would actually call chemical guys or a place like Seibon and see what they recommend


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I PMd/emailed Seibon and Password:JDM but haven't gotten a response yet.

I'll call them when I get my diffuser on Monday.

[xxatsayxx]

Any updates on this?

[wheelhaus]

"Dry" carbon or "wet" carbon is only a matter of how the part was made, not it's surface finish. If the part has a matte finish, look for products that will maintain the desired finish. If it has a glossy finish, same idea. I'm not sure if there's differences in polish/protectant compatibility between polyester vs. epoxy based resins, but both can be polished to a high gloss if there's a thick enough skin of resin. Most glossy carbon parts are clear-coated one way or another, which can be very, very, VERY painstakingly difficult if the carbon part surface isn't perfect to begin with. Seibon sprays a clear gelcoat into the mold, then once it cures, lays carbon and fiberglass on it. The gel-coat can then be polished, but is still UV sensetive. Their resins are polyester (cheapest, but fast and easy to work with).

Either way, if the part is not super high gloss with a perfectly smooth finish, be careful with some products. Most bare/raw composite parts will have tiny voids in the surface where air gets trapped in the fabric (even under vacuum curing like the parts I make) and a cream type cleaner or protectant will likely get trapped in these micro voids and leave little white spots.



FYI:
"Dry" carbon is also known as prepreg, with the resin already embedded at the ideal ratio from the manufacturer. This resin is tacky like a sticker, and can get a little gummy when warm like a partially dry rubber cement. It needs to be kept frozen in a sealed bag, and requires vacuum and heat to liquify the resin flow and to cure properly. This is often confused with dry fabric, which has no resin yet. Prepregs are ideal for aerospace and high end composites, where strength, lightness and layer compaction are critical.
"Wet" carbon is a dry fabric or mat, and is then soaked with a liquid resin, making it wet enough to drip. Wet lay is by far the most common and most cost effective, but has a larger potential for defects and is not quite as strong as a prepreg. It can still be vacuum bagged to improve strength:weight, and some resin systems can be/need to be heat cured.