DIY Carbon Fiber

Ninety Four · Feb 26, 2007

DIY Carbon Fiber

Disclaimer: If someone makes some CF trim for the interior of the '93-'97 Corolla I would be the first in line to buy it.

http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2007/02/17/diy-special-make-your-own-carbon-fiber-components/
http://www.autoblog.com/2007/02/25/sticky-fingers-diy-carbon-fiber/

DIY special: Make your own carbon fiber components

Here’s another goody from Vermont SportsCar. For a few years, they’ve been making their own carbon fiber trim. They started with small things, but they’re getting more ambitious with time, and now make large dash pieces.

I’d always assumed that the same level of technology they use in aerospace applied to anything you’d want to make, but that turns out to be wrong. In fact, it’s very similar to fiberglass layup, although less forgiving. And the autoclave for curing? ‘Turns out you can make one on the cheap in your garage. Here’s their setup:

You form the part out of carbon cloth and resin, again similar to fiberglass. Alternating layers of cloth and resin, in different directions for stiffness, squeeze out any and all air and excess resin, simultaneously impregnating your carbon matrix. It’ll need to dry enough for handling.

Then, into your autoclave:

Yep, it’s just exactly what it looks like: A big cardboard box lined with high-R sheathing. A tight-fitting cutout admits a quartz heater and fan, and some chunks of plywood keep it off the bottom
.

Is there a little more to it than that? Sure there is, but there’s nothing to it that should discourage you from giving it a whirl–a quick Google search suggests that a yard of fabric and a resin kit won’t run you $100. VSC’s end result is good enough to fit out the absolute best rally cars in the USA. The only problem is that carbon weave seems to be in short supply right now, and if you want to get into vacuum-bagging, which they do for thing like airplanes, it gets a little more complex, though still not as bad as you might think.

We also found a nice series of introductory tutorials from Fibre Glast.

JspeXAE102 · Feb 26, 2007

Just go to the fabrication forum on honda-tech, there are all kinds of tutorials. I've been thinking about getting started on a project for a few years now since I'm proficient in fiberglass. But the startup cost is a bit out of my pricerange and I don't have the free time.

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DIY Carbon Fiber

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