Carbon Fiber wrapped parts.........., My first attempts. Options

[Fastbird]

Gave it a shot finally, couple of Celi parts, and one Vette part.

The celi parts below, came out OK. THe switch panel is a PITA because of the recessed switch area, makes it hell to keep the weave straight. This was my 2nd attempt and came out MUCH better than the first. With more practice, I'll nail this piece down. The Ash tray panel came out nice I think. Both are on their 2nd coat of resin and after one more coat should be ready for sanding.





The Vette door bezel below was done with the silver carbon fiber, and was my very first attempt at a piece with this kind of contour. I'm EXTREMELY happy with it though it has it's minor flaws. This is going in my personal car again. 2nd coat of resin drying here too.



And, with permission of the mods, I'd like to offer the service to the 6GC.net community. It's not going to be cheap because this is a time consuming thing, but the results are worth it. If anyone wants anything done, just shoot me a message and we'll talk. Next up for me is going to be the ignition panel and main stereo panel. Saving the door handle bezels for last as they're going to be a nightmare.

*Edit* As referenced in this thread: http://www.6gc.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=63283&hl= I have gotten permission to offiically offer my services to the 6GC.Net community. If anyone wants any pieces wrapped, send me a PM or post up with that you want and we'll sort the details out. Pricing will be in the $35-75 range per part depending on how big, contouring, fabric used (some colors are pricier than others, like the Gold CF). Just let me know, I'm here for you guys.

This post has been edited by Fastbird: Nov 6, 2008 - 9:57 AM

[Fastbird]

Here's an update. I'm using a refrigerator compressor as a vacuum pump. Cheap, QUIET, and pulls insane vacuum (think 26-30 inches of mercury). As you can see from the pics, enough to jack up the left A/C vent I was testing on. Hopefully it'll come out flat tomorrow morning when I pull it out of the bag.

What you're seeing in the pics is NOT how you should do it. I simply wet the fabric, put on the item, and put in the bag. I'm trying something to see if I can't get a smooth finish to start with. The pics at the very bottom is how you should do it, with a release film and breather cloth. You can see how the breather cloth soaks up the excess resin, but this left a textured finish with the fiber weave which I didn't want. Once I get a vacuum regulator I should be able to control the vacuum without tearing up the parts (this was just a test piece) and if it's ruined, lesson learned. Anyway, on to the pics!

THe bagged vent:


The WARPED vent:


The pump.


How it should be done. These didn't have enough vacuum pulled with the shop vac, so that may have played into the textured finish. Whoopsie.