http://community.webshots.com/photo/...35692614CbCMVp

This afternoon's schedule will be to sand (carefully!) the
carbon outer skin and trim around the gun'l. I may be able
to get the final sheer line measured & cut, which would be a
big step toward being able to take it off the molds.

DSK

DSK wrote:
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...35692614CbCMVp

This afternoon's schedule will be to sand (carefully!) the
carbon outer skin and trim around the gun'l. I may be able
to get the final sheer line measured & cut, which would be a
big step toward being able to take it off the molds.

DSK

Is the carbon cloth expensive? What is black, the cloth or resin?
The cloth you are going to trim looks just like fiberglass cloth.

I've never worked with carbon, is it just like working with glass?

Joe

"DSK" wrote in message
...
http://community.webshots.com/photo/...35692614CbCMVp

This afternoon's schedule will be to sand (carefully!) the carbon outer
skin and trim around the gun'l. I may be able to get the final sheer line
measured & cut, which would be a big step toward being able to take it off
the molds.

DSK


Are you vacuum bagging and autoclaving it?

http://community.webshots.com/photo/...35692614CbCMVp


Joe wrote:
Is the carbon cloth expensive?

Depends on how you figure.

The stuff I'm using is about 4X the price of FG cloth of
about 75% teh strangth, and about 1/3 the weight. So it
doesn't cost that much more by strength, but you're buying
weight saving.


.... What is black, the cloth or resin?

The cloth

The cloth you are going to trim looks just like fiberglass cloth.


That's the biaxial kevlar which is almost like bridal veil.
Some of the pics also show the peel ply which went on too
late & too slowly over the outside to hold down the
laminations. The resin was curing much too fast even though
it was kept in a refrigerator.

I've never worked with carbon, is it just like working with glass?


Pretty much, it's actually easier to handle in some
respects. The big difference is that you have to do
something to tack it down or it floats on the resin, and the
dust & spinters are more hazardous to your health.

BTW I did not get as much done as I thought. That stuff is
really tough to sand and there were more gaps. Damn wasted
material & time!

DSK

.. wrote:
Are you vacuum bagging and autoclaving it?


No, WEST resin doesn't need to be autoclaved and benefits
relatively little from post-cure. I would like to vacuum bag
it, but I would have had to do the outer shell in 2 or 3
sessions, and the gear would have added about 25% to the
cost for about a 5% reduction in weight.

Even with all the whittling & sanding I am now faced with,
it would have been more labor & trouble than it's worth.

OTOH I would certainly like to work with vacuum bagging
structural parts.

DSK