GTcarz - Automotive forums for cars & trucks. - How To: Wrap Parts in Carbon Fiber

Materials Needed:
Carbon Fiber Material
Laminating Epoxy Resin & Hardener
Surfacing Wax (USComposites.com)
Spray Adhesive (I prefer 3m's Spray Adhesive)
Part you want to wrap

Tools Needed:
A whole bunch of Foam brushes, the cheap kind from the local hardware store
80, 1000, 2000 grit sandpaper
Scotch Tape
Clear Coat (I use Duplicolor Clear Coat)
Reptile Heat Lamp with 150w Bulb (Optional, slightly helps dry time)
Latex gloves
Lots, and lots of towels for cleanup

- How to Figure Out How Much Fiber You Need -
Generally speaking, carbon fiber is sold by the yard. Usually the size you get will be about a 36" by 40" sheet, give or take. In most cases, that's going to be more than enough for what you want to do. When you plan to wrap a part, measure the surface area of the part, adding 2 extra inches to the sides, as you want the carbon fiber to "overhang" and "wrap" so that it looks more natural. Don't just take length multiplied by width and call it a day. Estimated amount you'll need is (Length+2)*(Width+2)

- Cutting Carbon Fiber -
Carbon fiber, if you haven't realized already, is basically a weave. If you just pick up a pair of scissors and start cutting away at a weave, it will come undone and you'll have a mess. Take tape, and use the tape to draw a line where you want to cut. This will help hold the weave together, and it makes it drastically easier to cut the carbon fiber. Once you've lined both sides with the tape, cut down the center and tada, you have a very clean cut edge with minimal fraying. When you're taping where you want to cut, make sure you take into consideration that 2 inch overhang. Usually, I take a part and put it in the center of where I know I want to cut, then I take the fiber and very carefully semi-wrap the piece, to get an idea of how much I really need. After I do that, then I tape my lines and cut.

- Sanding, Adhesive Spray, and Wrapping the Part -
Once you've cut out a piece of fiber that is the right size for the part you're wrapping, take your sand paper and scuff it up good with the 80 grit sandpaper. Scuff the panel up really well, as the scratches will "snag" the fibers and hence make the carbon fiber stick a little better. Once it's scuffed up, wipe the piece clean. Take your spray adhesive, and generously spray the panel with adhesive. I found that the best way to get it to work really well is to spray it on moderately, then allow it to get tacky to the touch, then spray one slightly heavier coat on top of that. Once your piece is really sticky, take the carbon fiber and drape it over the piece, starting in the center, VERY CAREFULLY pat the fiber flat onto the piece. Be very careful, as it's easy to disturb the weave. If you do, use a toothpick to fix the weave so it will look ok. Once you have the part wrapped, take tape and carefully tape the overhang on the inside of the part so it's out of the way. There, now you have the first step in creating your wrapped panel complete!

- Resin, Resin, and Oh yeah, Fumes... -
Resin is stinky. Only continue these steps in a properly ventilated area. It is recommended you use a respirator as well. Trust me, from experience, if you think you're going to do this in the basement, be prepared to have everyone in the household complaining of fumes. :cool: Anyway, once your part is wrapped in the carbon fiber, it's time to start the resin process. I've always saved cool-whip dishes, TV-dinner trays, stuff like that come in handy for projects, and in this case VERY handy. If you have a TV-dinner tray somewhere, use that. Measure your resin and hardener ratio correctly as per the resin's instructions, and then gently mix the resin together. Do this carefully, as you do not want to introduce bubbles into the resin by whipping it around. Once you've thoroughly mixed your resin and hardener, take a foam brush and get some resin on it. Applying the resin to the carbon fiber is easy, but definitely DO NOT "wipe" the brush against the fiber as you lay the first layer of resin on, as the fiber can still move and you can disrupt the weave. Only "brush" the resin on after the first coat has dried. Pat the carbon fiber with the brush, letting the resin soak through the fiber and adhere to the plastic as well. Keep applying the resin in a patting motion until you've gotten all areas of the fiber soaked with the resin. If you decided to use a heat lamp, go ahead and put it over the piece now and let your resin dry. Dry time usually takes awhile, it's best to really let it dry hard before applying more layers. Personally, I gave my pieces a day to cure between coats. You want to apply three total layers of resin on, the second and third layer process is exactly the same as the first, only now that the resin has hardened the fiber, you can brush the resin on so it will create a smoother finish. So, apply two more layers of resin for a total of three, making sure the third layer is as smooth as you possibly can get it with a brush.

- Sanding, Clear Coat -
Unfortunately, it's hard getting resin to dry smooth. In my personal experience, every now and then I'd get a batch of resin that would create fisheyes (circle dimple looking things) in the resin. In any case, after third layer has cured for 24 hours, it's time to wetsand. Use the 1000 grit first, and wetsand to make it as smooth as you can. You will probably go through a lot of sandpaper, as it doesn't take much for the fine sandpaper to lose it's grit. Once you've sanded as much as you can, use the 2000 grit sandpaper (wet sanding still, don't dry sand) to really buff it nice. After the sanding is completed, use a wet cloth to wipe off all the residue and dust and junk so that you have a perfectly clean (although semi-hazy) finish. Take your clear coat, and spray it on. I usually do about 4 layers of clear coat, letting it dry inbetween layers, to really give a protective layer to the finish. This will also get rid of the cloudiness from sanding. Once it's all dry, install and take pics!

Pictures!
http://meissenation.com/modules/4nAl...lled%20002.jpg
http://meissenation.com/modules/4nAl...lled%20006.jpg
http://meissenation.com/modules/4nAl...lled%20004.jpg
http://meissenation.com/modules/4nAl...iber%20001.jpg
http://meissenation.com/modules/4nAl...iber%20006.jpg
http://meissenation.com/modules/4nAl...iber%20001.jpg
http://meissenation.com/modules/4nAl...iber%20002.jpg
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member...7_179_full.jpg