Carbon Fiber
 

I was going to update my original CF thread but I cannot find it, if any1 can find it please post a link. That thread had lots of good info and links.

If anyone remembers that thread, I was asking about CF how-to's since is very difficult to find any good info on making your own parts. It's been a while since then so I thought I share my findings in this forum in case anyone else is interested in playing around with Carbon Fiber.

General guides to composite materials:

http://www.engr.colostate.edu/ME486/...s98/oystal.pdf

http://www.engineer.tamuk.edu/depart...iew_B_Rice.pdf


Here's the most relevant links I have found on CF:

Forums:

Racing Composites
http://www.racingcomposites.net/

Composite Forum
http://compositeforum.werksberg.com/index.php?

Fiberglass Forum
http://www.fiberglassforums.com/index.php

You must join this sites in order to access their info, but they are all you need to know if you are interested in any type of composite material. Plus is free.


FiberGlass

Before doing CF you should first learn how to lay fiberglass, here's a couple of very well detailed how-to's. There are much easier FG tutorials out there, but once you do this ones you should be able to do pretty much anything on FG

http://www.a4mods.com/index.php?page...es/subbox.html

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=58588.html

http://www.rx8club.com/showthread.php?t=20933

http://chris.pfharlock.com/glass/index.htm


this one is not free, but it is as good as it gets

http://www.caraudiofiberglass.com/?g...FQQtswodiktP4A


Molds:

Probably the most important aspect when building anything out of CF, your part will only look as good as your mold, master your molds and the rest should be a breeze.

http://www.cstsales.com/tutorials/fiberglass_mold.pdf

http://www.fgci.com/howto/ht003fiberglass_mold.html

http://www.vaglinks.com/Docs/Misc/CarbonFiberHowTo2.pdf

How to make an air intake(mold and final product)
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/arti...take-tube.html


Carbon Fiber:

Once you feel comfortable with fiberglass and mold making, you should try these:

http://www.mashie.org/guides/cfbalsa01.html

http://www.350z-tech.com/zwiki/Tutor...on_Fiber_Layup

http://www.vaglinks.com/Docs/Misc/CarbonFiberHowTo1.pdf

http://www.vaglinks.com/Docs/Misc/CarbonFiberHowTo2.pdf

http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/carbo...orcycle-parts/

One of the best projects ever CF everything on this car, with detailed how to's:
http://forums.corral.net/forums/show...=660756&page=6

http://www.theturboforums.com/PBcarbonfiber.php


Suppliers:

Can't make anything without materials


These 2 I recommend because I have ordered from them, UScomposites is my top choice.

http://www.uscomposites.com/

http://www.fibreglast.com/


Here's some more suppliers, I've never ordered from them but if you do please let us know how good/bad they are

http://avtcomposites.com/

http://compositeenvisions.com/?gclid...FRcXsgodihjt5g

http://www.mrfiberglass.com/

http://www.sollercomposites.com/


This one has kits for beginners
http://www.cstsales.com/wet_layup_molding_kits.html


This two are for specialty resins, in case you decide to build yourself an exhaust system, some headers or other parts which would need to take a lot of heat abuse

http://www.compositesone.com/product_info.htm

http://duratec1.com/dp1904-045%201908-045.html


Vacuum Bagging

Vacuum bagging on the cheap, a little more advanced then regular hand layup but worth the trouble

http://volvospeed.com/Mods/vacuum_bagging.html


Vacuum Infusion

More advanced still, but most pros say that once they've mastered this technique is the one they end up using all the time, there's some videos and very few how-to's on this and I suggest you don't even bother with it untill you have mastered the hand layup process, but if you must know let me just give you a link on getting some supplies to get started

http://www.infusionkit.com/index2.html



Videos

http://www.r-g.de/en/video.html


Race car development

http://sports.racer.net/index1.html


Here's the old thread, courtesy of Phoenix7
http://www.rotarycarclub.com/showthread.php?t=2482

This is all I got for now, if anyone has some relevant links please feel free to post them, lets take the mystery out of carbon fiber. By the way I'm in no way an expert, I'm still in the grasshopper level and learning as I go so please feel free to post any comments which you think would be beneficial for this thread and also for future reference for anyone willing to try any of this.

Do you want this in the lounge?? I could move it somewhere else?

+1 I'd move it and make it sticky in the interior,audio,bodykit section under tech.

I can vouch for both of these venders also. I think I noticed between them is uscomposites is usually cheaper on some prices but in my experiance have been complete a$$holes if you call them with any questions about a product or recomendations of a product for a given application. Fibreglast carries a larger supply of specialty items and have always been a pleasure to deal with on the phone, especially with questions on products and what might work the best for a given application. They also offer a fairly indepth dvd set that covers alot on hand laying, mold making, and some vacume bagging.

Please, also make the LOUNGE searchable. The reason we can't find the CF thread in question is because the results don't include lounge posts. BTW, that was a great thread:

Will find it when I get home.

Phil, you can move it to a more appropriate place, I just didn't know exactly where it belonged, I guess we can take fikren's advise and move it somewhere in the tech section.

Can we move this thread before it gets lost into cyberspace??

:iagree:

See, this would be great in a General Automotive section.............



:D

yeah yeah, just say it.

Does it hurt your heart when I'm right? :rofl:

naw, to an extent I think it belongs in the exterior section but i'm not so against a Gen Auto section. I don't care about clutter anymore.

:001_005: