Carbon Fiber Dash Help
 

Hey Guys,

I have been looking at the options out there for updating the tacky looking silver plastic trim in the BRZ interior. I decided that doing my own carbon fiber wrap would be the way to go.


I just picked up a 144"x30" roll of carbon fiber from here:
http://compositeenvisions.com/carbon...5-7oz-907.html


I was hoping that somebody had a good resource to learn about how to do this carbon wrap. I have read @doggy's threads (what inspired me, actually) but I feel like certain knowledge was assumed when discussing how he went about it, that I don't quite understand yet.

Resins: From what I have gathered, epoxy is the strong/difficult way to go, while polyester resin is easy/weak. Based solely on that information alone, I would think that epoxy would be the way to go. Any input here?


Yellowing: I have read that both epoxy/poly resin has a tendency to yellow over time. While I do not mind a very slight tint to my CF, I have seen yellowed CF hoods and I think that they look terrible. As such, I would prefer getting a clear CF look.

West system 207 was recommended somewhere online as an epoxy that will go on clear. Any suggestions here?

Random other questions:
Should I die the base epoxy coat black underneath the CF layer?
Should I lay down more than one layer of CF?
How exactly is the resin applied? Is it a two part epoxy similar to quick set/marine epoxy? Do I just paint it on?
What do I need to sand in between coats and why?
What kind of clear coat should I finish with?


At a high level, the steps are:
1) sand the object
2) apply epoxy to the object
3) let epoxy sit for a while until it gets 'tacky'
4) lay down a sheet of carbon fiber
5) 'paint' on more epoxy onto the CF
6) keep applying coats of epoxy until...?
7) apply a few layers of clear coat.


Is this correct?


Sorry for all the questions, I just haven't found a good central place online that has answered my questions. Pointers to places containing this information are just as helpful as answering all my questions.


Thanks for the help!
- pseudo

http://www.hotrod.com/techarticles/b...fiber_at_home/

http://composite.about.com/od/aboutc...rbon-Fiber.htm

BTW, I Googled it

I used to build surfboards for Hawaiian Island Creations here in Hawaii and have a ton of experience working with resins and glass. You are right in that both resins will yellow from uv exposure over time. Benefits to using polyester resin would be that poly is easier to mix and laminate with, and a hell of a lot easier to sand. Drawbacks to using poly resin with cf would depend on the weight and twill of the fabric you bought. For some of the thicker heavier fabrics, you may have no choice but to go with epoxy because it will wet out easier. For both resins, you can minimize yellowing by adding a tint. Keep in mind that a minimal amount of tint should be used. When working with epoxy, make sure to mix it very well, scrape the edges of your bucket, etc. I would use a two part marine epoxy, a 2:1 ratio, check Fiberglass Hawaii for resin. Epoxy will also have a longer cure time. Assuming you will be lamming with epoxy:

1. Clean up with DNA, NOT acetone!
2. Be extremely anal when mixing the resin and hardener.
3. Pay attention to your bucket, when epoxy goes off, it goes off HOT, chemical burns suck.
4. Epoxy is a bitch to sand, I used to use a pneumatic DA to break through the cured "crust".
5. You can lay down a quick coat of resin before laying your fabric down, but be mindful of time, I wouldn't wait for the resin to start to set before putting the fabric down.
6. For finishing, if you want a really glossy finish, you can finish with a poly gloss coat. Glossing with epoxy is a ton of work and hard to do right.


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If you wish, you can pm me with any ?'s.


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I am looking into UV protection this morning, and I have found several products. Because these are interior parts, I am not terribly worried about UV radiation, however I would still like to have protection in place.

I dug up the following products in my search:

http://www.uscomposites.com/faq_epoxy.html#8
These guys suggest using Silmar 249, a poly resin that supposedly has UV protection built in.

http://carbonsales.com/Clear-Coat-Ep...2-gal-Kit.html
This claims to be a UV stable epoxy.

http://aerospace.basf.com/common/pdf...DS_USL_sfs.pdf
This would be badass to have, but it looks to be an industrial thing and I doubt acquiring a small quantity would be possible.

http://www.cjcompositestechnology.co...n-kevlar-24-oz
This also claims to be UV stable epoxy.

Any suggestions for me? They all claim to be UV stable - which I assume means UV resistant. Is this trustworthy? Will one work better than the other? Any other general advice?


I would rather keep questions public, so future citizens can benefit :)

Brain Dump

hydroxy phenyl triazine
http://www.google.com/patents/EP2104716A1
http://www.specialchem4coatings.com/...aspx?did=0&d=1

benzotriazole
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF02699677
http://www.hansonco.net/HXA%20UV%20P...%20Updated.pdf
http://www.specialchem4coatings.com/...dex.aspx?did=0

we need a diy for this!

I examined my dash, I have to say that I honestly think that simply wrapping the dash might be a bad idea. I'm not sure how the resin will bond to the plastic, especially when using cf.


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I will make a DIY when I tackle this. Ordered some CF samples already, once I decide style/color I will go for it!

@doggy is a pro this

fabric samples came in today. i just need to decide which fabric to use and then pull the trigger.

i am struggling to decide between the following two types of fabric:
http://compositeenvisions.com/carbon...z-as4-586.html
and
http://compositeenvisions.com/red-re...5-9oz-817.html

Red reflections really does look quite stunning, but I am a little worried it will come across as tacky.

Here you are:

http://www.easycomposites.co.uk/prod...arter-kit.aspx

There is a tutorial video on the linked page as well.