carbon fiber inlay

[kfxguy]

I care!!

Have a brand new IM31, like still in the box - afraid to run it before re-inforcing the interior because of all the stories of people having the wood interiors come loose from the hull.

Then I see this vid... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17Fhh4iKV0M - and ask myself, what's all the fuss about?? That boat takes a serious pounding before the hatch issue at the end.

Back to the IM31, I'm one of the lucky ones, got a really nice clean copy of a v1 with no cracks in the hatch, interior in perfect condition, no complaints what-so-ever. Doubt if I'll ever be able to afford another FE, so want to make this boat as nice as I possibly can.

Only prob is that I don't s**t about fiber-glassing R/C boats. Like what to use for resin & where to get it?? Lotta people say to use Z-Poxy, BUT. it's just that, epoxy, not FG resin & catalyst / hardener.

What resin / catalyst did you use & where did you find it?? Did you hunt down instructions on the net or fly by the seat of your pants??

Sorry for the dumb questions, but just don't know where to start, and yeah, I'm feelin a bit like an idiot

First off, the wood stuff in the interior did detach on mine. It did take several poundings before it did tho. I think its well worth doing. I crashed it right after I did the carbon inlay and it all held together even tho the hull split in a few places. For now in when I do a carbon inlay the hull seam will be included.

I used resin designed for carbon fiber. This is what I used

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Epoxy-Resin-System-for-Carbon-Fiber-Fiberglass-Kevlar-6-oz-/321240382092?pt=Radio_Control_Vehicles&hash=item4acb6b3a8c

I've got a little experience with cf so I just dove into it.

[Billy Barnacle]

...First off, the wood stuff in the interior did detach on mine...
Most people say the same thing, its not if, but when. Hull splits also seem to be common, I've seen the pix, so I know it's true.

That's why I feel that it would be in my best interest to tie the wood to the hull with glass cloth + resin, not just resin or Z-Poxy alone. Also re-inforce the side walls of the hull (in critical area's) with glass cloth & resin.

...I think its well worth doing...
That seems to be the consense's - re-inforce the hatch / canopy as well.

Never thought to look on fleabay for resin, thanks for the heads up, that's a fair price.

In one of your posts you mentioned a paint roller you got at Home Depot or Lowe's, correct me if I'm wrong... you have a link or pic of it??

Thanks for the help

First off, the wood stuff in the interior did detach on mine. It did take several poundings before it did tho. I think its well worth doing. I crashed it right after I did the carbon inlay and it all held together even tho the hull split in a few places. For now in when I do a carbon inlay the hull seam will be included.

I used resin designed for carbon fiber. This is what I used

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Epoxy-Resin-System-for-Carbon-Fiber-Fiberglass-Kevlar-6-oz-/321240382092?pt=Radio_Control_Vehicles&hash=item4acb6b3a8c

I've got a little experience with cf so I just dove into it.

[kfxguy]

...First off, the wood stuff in the interior did detach on mine...
Most people say the same thing, its not if, but when. Hull splits also seem to be common, I've seen the pix, so I know it's true.

That's why I feel that it would be in my best interest to tie the wood to the hull with glass cloth + resin, not just resin or Z-Poxy alone. Also re-inforce the side walls of the hull (in critical area's) with glass cloth & resin.

...I think its well worth doing...
That seems to be the consense's - re-inforce the hatch / canopy as well.

Never thought to look on fleabay for resin, thanks for the heads up, that's a fair price.

In one of your posts you mentioned a paint roller you got at Home Depot or Lowe's, correct me if I'm wrong... you have a link or pic of it??

Thanks for the help

The foam roller is a little mini paint roller yiu get in the paint section. Its for getting into tight spots. You can get extra rollers for it too. Only costs like $4.