DIY carbon fibre parts

[bobtrx]

This may be of interest to anyone thinking of doing carbon fibre parts. The bike I needed parts for is my track bike ( kawa zx6rr ) I will do the REX once I have perfected the process . It's a VB in the shed thing for those that know .I couldn't find a carbon fibre clutch cover for my track bike so I thought how hard can it be to do , so I tracked down a supplier in Melbourne who turned out to be excellent with plenty of advice . Parts cost $ 140.00 , 1 metre x 1 metre of 2 ply twill mat , 500ml resin west 105 , 50ml hardener west 206 slow hardener , 500ml of PVA releasing agent , small set of scales to measure correct quantities , plastic cups and mixing sticks. I made the cover with a nylon block centre for extra protection. This clutch cover was a tough first up attempt for a carbon fibre job with all the different angles and the other main problem was waiting for a warm day approx 17 deg C to apply the resin ( It's winter here ) Next job will be carbon fibre exhaust hanger
1... clean clutch cover and paint on releasing agent , gives the cover a plastic like film to allow the carbon fibre to be removed later and is cleaned off with water when finished.
2..Mark out the mat area larger than the cover with masking tape, cut out the mat , cutting along the masking tape ( this stops the mat from fraying and falling apart )
3.. I mounted the clutch cover elevated with small feet on a scrap board and positioned the mat over the cover.
4... Mix up the resin / hardener using the scales ratio 5 to 1 and apply starting from the centre working out . As the resin is applied press the mat to take the shape of the clutch cover , cut the mat to allow the material to shape around the edges.



Next day remove the carbon cover from the clutch cover and trim to shape. Cut holes etc









Inside view showing the nylon block



Second coat of resin to fill where I missed with the first coat , should have got it right first time. ( learning curve )



spray a clear coat of paint for uv protection and fit to the bike

[schmiffee]

That is seriously cool Bob...is this a purely cosmetic item as opposed to weight saving - as I assume the carbon is just covering the original cover. I do really like this though and will be keen to check out your exhaust hangers - please keep the pictures and "how to's" coming

[bobtrx]

Not a weight saving more a engine crash saving. The exhaust hanger will be a bling thing

[Stankflapper]

Great stuff!! I can never get my head around the extortionist prices they charge for Carbon fibre parts.

[Mincehead]

Ah well, the real Mc Coy stuff is cooked in autoclaves. They are not as expensive as friggin printer ink , that`s for sure!

[Stankflapper]

Ah well, the real Mc coy stuff is cooked in autoclaves. They are not as expensive as friggin printer ink , that`s for sure!

Actually very true, currently my dell printer ink is just above the gold prices per ounce.

[B-art]

Very good for a first time.

Did not read how much layers You used.
Usually the minimum is 3 layers, and the mid layer can be changed to Glass to cut cost a bit.

The normal process is to make a model out of Glass fiber like You did now in Cabon, but bigger than the Product You want.
This model can than be painted for a gloss finish.
Over the aluminium cover base and model You can make a mould with gelcoat and Glass fiber.
Now You can make a Carbon part between the Mould and the aluminium.
Making the part in the mold, using the aluminium cover to press out the exes resin.

When doing this the endresult will have a gloss finish outside as this is a print form the gloss mould (as this is a print f the gloss model)

B-art

[Mincehead]

Ah well, the real Mc coy stuff is cooked in autoclaves. They are not as expensive as friggin printer ink , that`s for sure!

Actually very true, currently my dell printer ink is just above the gold prices per ounce.

It`s fekkin rediculous, and idiots pay the prices too!
Folk should stop buying their products from the original manufacturers and start forcing them to make printer ink more affordable.
Epson use some BS tale of " we have our cartridges chipped to tell folk when they are running low, bubbles may get into the printing system if they are allowed to run dry".
What this really means is...................................

"Buy more ink from us before you need it, we are too fekkin lazy to design a self bleeding and priming system in our printers".

Alternatively................................

"Buy more ink from us before you need it, we have designed our printers to cope with bubbles and priming issues but we`ll tell you a different tale because we get rich from selling you our printer ink".

http://www.pcworld.com/article/152953/h ... ridge.html

Hmmmm, where were we, carbon products I believe?

[Kayla]

Ah well, the real Mc Coy stuff is cooked in autoclaves. They are not as expensive as friggin printer ink , that`s for sure!

I love the clutch cover I might have a go at making one for my 4/6 that I threw at the scenery at Cadwell yesterday

[Mincehead]

Are YOU ok Kayla?

[Kayla]

Are YOU ok Kayla?

Yeah, I'm fine thanks- ambition outweighed talent...

Bob, did you wet the cloth then cut it as you formed it over the cover, or did you cut it first, then wet it?

[Richy]

www.carbonmods.co.uk

[bobtrx]

Kalya I cut out the mat 350mm x 350mm taped edges and laid it over the clutch cover then applied resin starting from the centre working to the edges. As the mat took the shape on the cover I cut to allow the mat to form and not ripple. If I did it again I would mount the clutch cover higher on the work board , this one was only about 30 mm above 150mm would make it easier to trim and fit as you work the mat to the edges. This cover I only used 1 layer it is part bling and mainly to support the nylon puck that will take the impact and sliding .
My thinking with crash protection is in the event of a small slide down the road the bike is still ridable and I can finish the day or the motor is still intact anything bigger and it is a trailer job game over. Other engine protections I have make are .
Nylon cutting board from mum's kitchen , cut to shape placed in oven ( while the missus isn't home ) trimmed and painted. I couldn't find an adhesive good enough to keep them on.






Next came the slider blocks on aluminum base.
This one worked saving the engine when the bike decided to throw me off and tumble smacking every panel .That's when I learned to fibre glass. The only concern was the fact it screwed into the engine so it was possible to strip threads with the right impact.

[bobtrx]

Ricky that is the same site I looked at they do a you tube video . Another is http://www.carbonfiber.com.au

[Kevtrx849]

Trackdays, turning motorcyclists into fabricators since 19....
Good work Bob, i hope your taking all the necessary precautions with the carbon fibre mate. Can be evil shit when breathed in.
I reckon that's what got John Britten who pioneered carbon fibre on bikes. His whole machine used about $200 worth of the stuff (frame ,forks, wheels ,engine covers and bodywork) Now you can't even get a tank protector for that.