Ivan
|
| posted on 21/4/08 at 08:00 PM |
|
|
Making a Carbon Fibre Nosecone
Been kicking around the idea of using my existing nosecone as a male mould and covering it with with prepreg carbon fibre and vacuum bagging it in a
hot box and hey presto you have a carbon fibre nosecone that just??? needs a bit of filling with clear surfboard resin followed by lots of sanding and
polishing to make it nice and deep looking.
Any of you experts out there see any obvious problems that I don't?
Also thought of making a CF Cobra body the same way.
|
|
|
|
|
nitram38
|
| posted on 21/4/08 at 08:04 PM |
|
|
You need to take a mold of the nosecone first and then make your CF part in the mold.
|
|
|
Ivan
|
| posted on 21/4/08 at 08:15 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by nitram38
You need to take a mold of the nosecone first and then make your CF part in the mold.
Other than if you want the new one to be the exact size of the original I think it would be much easier to vacuum bag over a male mould.
As my nosecone is slightly too small as is, it would be an advantage for the new one to be the 1/2" or so bigger than the old.
|
|
|
Paul TigerB6
|
| posted on 21/4/08 at 08:27 PM |
|
|
Well you will be making the part heavier for starters so the carbon will only be cosmetic.
I guess another option might be to build the nosecone you have up with glassfibre and get it just how you want the final product to be before THEN
using it to make a proper mould. You could then make a lightweight carbon nosecone, and possibly importantly..... make another one if required at some
stage. Lots more work obviously but might be worthwhile
|
|
|
muzchap
|
| posted on 21/4/08 at 08:31 PM |
|
|
I don't care - I want one
How much you thinking of flogging them for
Fancy doing some front / rear arches as well - super wide ones for 205 tyres front and 225 rears
------------------------------------
If you believe you're not crazy, whilst everybody is telling you, you are - then they are definitely wrong!
------------------------------------
|
|
|
mangogrooveworkshop
|
| posted on 21/4/08 at 08:49 PM |
|
|
How much you thinking of flogging them for
Yep the South African postal system will flat pack it for you FREE of charge...lol
|
|
|
nitram38
|
| posted on 21/4/08 at 09:09 PM |
|
|
There are no short cuts to a decent piece of body work in carbon.
I still stand by my reply.
Apart from the problem that your carbon one might not pull straight off of your fibreglass nose (some molds are made in several pieces), I can't
see you getting a good finish on the CF.
|
|
|
muzchap
|
| posted on 21/4/08 at 09:42 PM |
|
|
Fair enough - I knew it wouldn't be easy - and just like Ebay - I never check item location
Oh well - best go rob a bank then wire it to Carbon Mods 
------------------------------------
If you believe you're not crazy, whilst everybody is telling you, you are - then they are definitely wrong!
------------------------------------
|
|
|
CaptainJosh
|
| posted on 21/4/08 at 09:43 PM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by nitram38
There are no short cuts to a decent piece of body work in carbon.
I still stand by my reply.
Apart from the problem that your carbon one might not pull straight off of your fibreglass nose (some molds are made in several pieces), I can't
see you getting a good finish on the CF.
Agree'd. It would be best to spend the time to get a decent finish and a light weight nose cone.
|
|
|
omega0684
|
| posted on 21/4/08 at 09:52 PM |
|
|
i want one too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I love Pinto's, even if i did get mine from P&O!
|
|
|
Griffo
|
| posted on 21/4/08 at 10:05 PM |
|
|
has anyone attempted to build their own autoclave?
|
|
|
Ivan
|
| posted on 22/4/08 at 06:17 AM |
|
|
With respect to the finish - it all depends on how much effort you put into the finish - I believe that making and finishing off a mold would be as
much work as finishing of the CF nosecone done my way.
As far as pulling it off the "buck" my feeling is that if the buck came out of a non-split mold then the CF should come off the buck.
Anyway - it seems like it might be worth trying some time so thanks for the feedback guys.
|
|
|
triumphdave
|
| posted on 22/4/08 at 06:42 AM |
|
|
I saw a link to this somewhere where a guy made all sorts of carbon bits for his bike,including tank,mudguards,air filter plenums etc.Some bits he
made plugs and laid the carbon on the outside and some bits he did the proper way,but I have to say he made a good job of all the bits.I will have a
look later and see if I can find the link.
Here we go Linky
[Edited on 22/4/08 by triumphdave]
[Edited on 22/4/08 by triumphdave]
If you always do what you have always done you will always get what you have always got
|
|
|
Syd Bridge
|
| posted on 22/4/08 at 08:27 AM |
|
|
I'm about to do a full set of carbon bodywork for a local.
I may take orders later. Don't hold your breath though!
Oh, and if you have to ask how much,.......ah, don't bother. 
Cheers,
Syd.
|
|
|
Delinquent
|
| posted on 22/4/08 at 09:31 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by nitram38
There are no short cuts to a decent piece of body work in carbon.
I still stand by my reply.
Apart from the problem that your carbon one might not pull straight off of your fibreglass nose (some molds are made in several pieces), I can't
see you getting a good finish on the CF.
Totally agree - if you aren't going to do it properly, don't bother. If you have a near perfect nosecone as is then the amount of effort
required to make a decent female mould is verging on zero.
As to a home made autoclave... I have one that's home made. Unfortunately only large enough to mould a wheel nut
Chap my dad works with used to work in yacht building - to make the masts they just made a tent of poly over the top and stuck a heater under there,
and relied on the vacuum bagging only for pressure.
If it's good enough for a racing mast....
|
|
|
iiyama
|
| posted on 22/4/08 at 04:43 PM |
|
|
I can supply pretty much anything you want in Pre-preg carbon. Have moulds for cycle wings that will cover 205/50 profile tyres or equivelent. Also
have a mould for 95mm diameter rear lights, transmission tunnel, (Dax Rush), dash blank, (again for a Rush) and am in the process of making moulds for
the rear wings, (Rush again).
Anything else can be made to order but as someone else pointed out it aint particularly cheap to start from scratch unless you want to supply the
mould. These have to be made with high temp. resin, NOT polyester.
If its broke, fix it. If it aint broke, take it apart and find out how it works!
|
|
|
Syd Bridge
|
| posted on 22/4/08 at 08:36 PM |
|
|
I don't know what you are calling 'hi temp' resins Mr iiyama, but 65degC stuff has been around for too many years for me to
remember. 80C is now more common, but even this is curable at 60, just takes longer and a post cure.
Some of the prepregs I work with can need as much as 200c or more, but these aren't exactly your normal everyday materials, and for very
specific applications.
Most of the prepreg used these days is cured below 130C.
And, some of the top end poly resins have better properties than the lower epoxies, so poly is not necessarily 'bad'. Just the garbage
that most kits are built with. Commonly called 'reprocessed'. Old stock and what gets scraped out of the vats. Mix it all together,
'reprocess' it, and it's the cheap junk that nearly all small outfits buy.
Cheers,
Syd.
|
|
|
Delinquent
|
| posted on 23/4/08 at 08:20 AM |
|
|
quote:
Originally posted by Syd Bridge
And, some of the top end poly resins have better properties than the lower epoxies, so poly is not necessarily 'bad'. Just the garbage
that most kits are built with. Commonly called 'reprocessed'. Old stock and what gets scraped out of the vats. Mix it all together,
'reprocess' it, and it's the cheap junk that nearly all small outfits buy.
Cheers,
Syd.
well that certainly explains a lot - I used to buy resin from a local company that made various Group B rally shells for the large players. It was
fantastic stuff to work with compared to the occasional "top up" I bought from the local factors when I run out.
|
|
|
