DIY Carbon fiber

motocafe · Sep 15, 2008

Hi all,

Due to a spill recently, some carbon fiber parts on my '03 Tuono were damaged and scratched up. To replace all the damaged parts would have cost me $1,500. So, I bought a sheet of carbon fiber and epoxy to patch things up. The repairs came out quite nicely.

With surplus carbon on hand, I decided to attempt making a carbon fiber seat cowl. Here's a picture of my attempt.

Looks OK from afar but up close, you will see some tiny air bubbles. Also, the carbon fabric looks stretched in some places. Not too shabby for a 1st attempt, I think...

Mogster · Sep 15, 2008

Bloody hell thats a top notch job... I would hate to see wot it would like if i had a go!
Nice one! :thumbup

Towie · Sep 16, 2008

Thats awsome Moto. Just looking at that pic i would probably buy one....
Bloody good job i would not know where to start...

BikePilot · Sep 16, 2008

Nice work!

crashtd · Sep 16, 2008

that's a pretty good first effort! :thumbup :hail

i've done a bit of composite work. did you use a vaccum bag? what kind of resin did you go with? what kind of mold/mold release?

-:banana

motocafe · Sep 16, 2008

crashtd said:
that's a pretty good first effort! :thumbup :hail

i've done a bit of composite work. did you use a vaccum bag? what kind of resin did you go with? what kind of mold/mold release?

-:banana

No vacuum bag (wish I had one). First, I had to make a fiberglass female mold from the original. Then I laid carbon sheets on the original and placed the female mold on top. They were clamped together with paper clips and phonebooks were placed on the top of it.

The shop I bought the epoxy from is a bulk wholesaler. He dispensed the epoxy into smaller quantity in generic tins. No idea what the brand is but my invoice states that the epoxy is System 1006 (whatever that means). The ratio is 100gm resin to 60gm hardener. I used a mold release agent called Fine Kote PVA.

Still learning as I go along.:cheers

motocafe · Sep 16, 2008

I just finished fabricating the chain guard and guide. Thing about making carbon fiber parts is that each part presents its own unique challenges...

Chunkylad · Sep 16, 2008

The next and most obvious question: How much are you going to sell them for to your Tuono Zone mates???

Seriously though, they really look good mate. Great effort.

Dave

motocafe · Sep 17, 2008

Chunkylad said:
The next and most obvious question: How much are you going to sell them for to your Tuono Zone mates???

Seriously though, they really look good mate. Great effort.

Dave

Thanks for the compliment. Seriously though, I don't think they are good enough to sell. They are flattering in the photo but up-close there are tiny air bubbles. As I said, a good DIY job but definitely not professional standard.

motocafe · Sep 28, 2008

Carbon fiber number plate holder

Decided a carbon fiber number plate and holder would be a nice addition.

Incidentally, decided to flush-mount the signal lights as well.

crashtd · Sep 28, 2008

looking good :hail and it looks like you're improving your technique as well :thumbup

-:banana

Chunkylad · Sep 28, 2008

Impressive!

motocafe · Oct 11, 2008

Side covers

Most challenging project thus far - side covers. Some pics showing the various stages of construction.

:cheers

cmotandy · Oct 11, 2008

any body know where i can get the stuff to have a go at this?

doc.heckle · Oct 13, 2008

CMO I would practice with fiberglass first before you move on to carbon, you can get kits from halfords. Be warned it can get messy !

Polyester resin stinks
Epoxy doesn't but costs more

motocafe · Oct 13, 2008

Side panels completed.

Secured grilles with plastic steel epoxy. Finally, the side panels are complete.

england 2 · Sep 1, 2009

Any body else tried this?

B o B · Sep 1, 2009

Yes, I have. The biggest problem is getting a good mould. MC used fibreglass to create his.
I even went down the carbon fibre 'skinning' route. A bit easier but I decided it was too much of a messy job all round. I got all the kit and 'how to do' videos from carbonmods.co.uk. Usual association disclaimers but they were very helpful on the phone too.

weeksy · Sep 1, 2009

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm i want some

Patrick · Sep 1, 2009

Looks good! 2 things you can try to improve the finish:

1. pop the air bubbles and slick a resin and hardener mix in to the holes. Build the layers a tiny bit at a time for best results, and then polish.

2. Get yourself some prepreg (carbon fibre sheets, pre impregnated with resin and hardener) sometimes can be found on Fleabay. Ensure that you find out the cure temp though, and bake off in an oven. Best results, you need a vac bag though. Also if someone offers you phenolic resin instead of epoxy - RUN it's evil stuff.

DIY Carbon fiber

Help Support Aprilia Forum:

motocafe

Mogster

Towie

BikePilot

Guest

crashtd

Site Founder

motocafe

motocafe

Chunkylad

motocafe

motocafe

crashtd

Site Founder

Chunkylad

motocafe

cmotandy

doc.heckle

motocafe

england 2

B o B

Guest

weeksy

Patrick

Similar threads

New Posts