installing carbon fiber cloth

[bonewar]

i need some advise on how to glass in the cloth, can i put a layer of resin on the inside of the hull then lay the cloth down pushing it into place, or do i have to lay resins on the top as well removing the excess. also does anyone know if the carbon fiber effects any of the electronics inside the boat. some pics of the cloth cut and fitted inside the hull , and a spare peace just in-case.thanks bonewar

[eclipse]

ive heard if you have wires laying right on the CF it interferes. it has hapend to me before.not majorly though.ive heard that you put in the cloth and lay epoxy risine ontop.

[Raydee]

Here is what I did and it worked great.
Take the cloth and spray the back of it with 3M spray adhesive. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and then lay the cloth where you want it and it will stick nice but if you need to move it you will still be able to. Once you have it right where it needs to be mix up some finishing epoxy and brush it over the cloth until it soaks in nicely. Once it was dry I added another thin layer of epoxy to make sure it was saturated well.

[johnnyoverkill]

Ray,
Did you thin the epoxy with 90+% alcohol or lay it on straight?

I've been using medium CA and it works fantastic! Watch the smell though!
John

[eclipse]

I've been using medium CA and it works fantastic! Watch the smell though!
John

and the fumes in the eyes lol

[Raydee]

I used a very thin finishing epoxy that I heated before I brushed on. With the heat it thins real nice. I never really trusted thinning with alcohol even some do it all the time. I still think it has to do something to the integrity of the epoxy.

[Mich. Maniac]

i need some advise on how to glass in the cloth, can i put a layer of resin on the inside of the hull then lay the cloth down pushing it into place, or do i have to lay resins on the top as well removing the excess. also does anyone know if the carbon fiber effects any of the electronics inside the boat. some pics of the cloth cut and fitted inside the hull , and a spare peace just in-case.thanks bonewar

Lookin good boss! about your question I have always heard technically like glass you need to scuff your hull, apply resin about 2" away from expected edges of cloth and then apply your cloth from middle out to keep away air bubbles that may be trapped. Then apply resin again over top of it. If for some reason the resin does not adhere to hull you have a very very strong molded fibre sheet that is prolly stronger than your hull. Take your time man and it helps to have an extra set of hands with you and rubber gloves. Also I would suggest thinning at least some for such a large piece like yours and cause its your first time. good luck to ya!

[blakybob]

This is too funny!!! I just ordered some carbon fiber cloth a few minutes ago. I got on here tonight to start a thread about laying it in my hull and ask what the best way to do it would be.

Blake

[RiverRat]

Would z-poxy be ok to use?

[Raydee]

Zpoxy might not be the best epoxy but I have used it in the past with great results.
Here is a great thread on using carbon fiber, keep in mind he used CA because it was a plastic hull. Epoxy should be used in a glass hull.

http://www.rumrunnerracing.com/feforums/showthread.php?t=22508&highlight=carbon

[eclipse]

haha that guy with that thread lives half an hour away from me lol

[Jeepers]

I know you people have had great success using the 3M spray adhesive and than epoxying over the cloth

I on the other hand had a bad experience doing this to a glass hull after everything was cured (3M adhesive, epoxy everything) I was able to pull of the cloth directly from the hull no epoxy ever penetrated the 3M adhesive. it basically acted as a mold release.

[Raydee]

Hmm that is weird, did you use a lot of 3M spray on the carbon? Maybe you used so much that the epoxy couldn't penetrate through?

[phase]

lol at least you got yourself a mold..lol maybe the apoxy should have been thinner?

[ghostofpf1]

I was able to pull of the cloth directly from the hull no epoxy ever penetrated the 3M adhesive. it basically acted as a mold release.

At most all you need is a fine mist coat of the 3m if you use it at all as all you're trying to do is tack the cloth in place so it doesn't move while you're wetting it out with resin.
If your hull is polyester/glass you may be able to sand then alcohol wash the area to be covered in CF cloth and be fine using epoxy resin.
I found quart kits of poly resin at Home Depot so any cloth type reinforcements in my builds will get that used just because it's the right tool for the job for sure.
Good Luck
Ghost