How to cover parts in carbon fiber (fibre) by skinning or wrapping
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2009
- This video has been replaced! See • Ultimate Carbon Fibre ... for our new Carbon Fibre Skinning tutorial on the Easy Composites channel.
To buy the new XCR Carbon Fibre Skinning Starter Kit visit www.easycomposites.co.uk/#!/st...
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![How to Simply Change your Car Parts to Real Carbon Fiber (Carbon fiber Skinning) [DIY]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/zKGwHYBcs-U/mqdefault.jpg)
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Thank you, Ik it's a wee bit idiotic to leave a comment on a 12 year old video and hope this reaches you, but this is easily the best tutorial I've found on the subject. Thanks!
Thanks wires, we've actually re-made a skinning video on our Easy Composites channel applying the carbon to a more complex shape and using slightly different materials than this one but the processes are still very much valid :)
@@carbonmods i know this is 15 years old now. But i was trying to do this to my interior trim on my porsche and had a wild idea of building each part from the carbon fiber. Can you point me to someone who can design molds for me?
@@Devil_Dog_Ultra We don't specifically keep a list of mould, pattern or indeed part makers as whilst we deal with lots of people who potentially could, we rarely get to see the end product and how in turn those people/businesses deal with customers so its difficult for us to recommend anyone in particular. However, if you're reasonably hands on, our Easy Composites channel has many, many more videos than this (old) channel of ours and a number of pattern and mould making videos encompassing more modern techniques and materials including 3D printing, etc.
I have a lot of experience with carbon and a little trick is to mist a light layer of super 77 spray adhesive or equivalent on the under side of the cloth. this allows you to cut edges without fraying so easily :) A light layer will not effect epoxy or other resins
Carl White can you sand bare carbon fiber, my hood's clear coat has peeled off and I want to re-clear it, but idk if you can sand the carbon fiber.
Not to butt in but you can only sand the resin covering it, as soon as you reach the carbon itself you are going to damage the carbon strands and the integrity of the carbon, not to mention the look will deteriorate too. For sure you can run back the clear coat and re-coat it though if that's what you are wanting to do.
You notice there are two different super 77s now? Both 3m but the one sold in different areas like CA has a different voc rating and doesn't work nearly as good. I'm in VA. Wal Mart here sells the version that isn't as good but Lowe's has the better version.
can i use automotive clear coat of the resin
@@robertmahaney7650 yes -like literally, that is exactly what he was showing us how to do.
This is one of the best things i have ever seen in my whole life.
A lot of Repect to you carbon mods. love this kind of DIYs and people like you who show how its done. I hope you have an awesome bussiness with it.
Thanks Cossietone,
We remember how hard it was trying to get the info and the materials, people who know 'how' don't normally want to share the secret... I don't think they want to admit to how easy it is! The secrets are all coming out now!
Carbon Mods
This is a great product that worked very well for me. I followed the instructions to the letter and I would just emphasise the need to give thin, even coats of the clear resin. I was a bit heavy handed with the first resin coat and ended up keep having to wipe drips away from the lower edge of the item I was coating. When it was cured, I had to sand away the excess but thereafter with thinner coats, everything went well and I'm very pleased with the end result.
+Brent Chiswick Great feedback Brent; it's great to hear from people using the kit and I'm glad it went well for you :)
Good thorough video, nice job, I did see a couple of imperfections but the process was good and enough to be able to repeat and take time to get it perfect, although it's a fine art and takes years to get a very good job, definitely easier to sit back and criticise.
This is very useful for other projects too, I'm doing a carbon fibre skateboard and this is very helpful, thanks
I didn't buy their kit but this "how to" really helped me a lot. Thanks!
@dazzelya: Where you're dealing with tight curves (and angles) it's sometimes neccessary to add a cut line in the fabric. This allows you to really stretch the fabric over the worst of the curves and then have a separate, less distorted piece for the remaining surfaces. A great tip to get a nice clean cut line in the fabric is to spray the fabric with plenty of hairspray before cutting it. That way, when you do you're left with a sharp clean line that doesn't frey. Hope this helps!
The results look unbelievably good. That sure wasn't the guy's first time doing that.
Thank you so much for your time, I took a look on your web site and it looks like I am going to buy the carbon fiber cloth and the epoxy as well... thank you !!!!!!!!!
@28hypnotic : Yes, you can file it. We use Perma-Grit tools (which are a range of tools with Tungsten Carbide grit on them), they do sanding blocks and files etc. The main advantage is that they don't really blunt or clog but for a cheaper alternative you can't beat a range of different grits of abrasive paper around a block. Start with coarser grits and work your way up to finer grits. By the end you can have a perfect smooth glossy adge.
@Monk3yman77 : Yes, sort of. The trick is just to skin straight past the edge (no curling the fabric) and then when it's cured to cut it off and sand the edge smooth. This method works really well for getting very neat edges, especially when you have other parts that the skinned part needs to meet up with perfectly.
Awesome video. Thanks for taking the time!
@summitsvift : It's the 'Carbon Fibre Skinnin Starter Kit'. We also have the special 'High Temp' version and also a 'Large' version. They're all listed in the 'Carbon Fibre Kits' category.
Very nice tip!!! without mould is a very nice product/result. Congratulation for the idea!
Just what i was looking for!
Thanks alot.
@rnr04072 : Yes, it works in exactly the same way. In fact, the blue/black carbon fibre is an option on the product page when buying the Skinning Starter Kit.
Hi Buhrrito,
To make a hood/fender you could do either, in fact we are just about to launch a video showing this exact process on a hood/bonnet, as for what the pros do; for a complete one off this skinning process is normally used, however for mass production moulds would be made and the parts would be moulded, check out our other videos for info on this.
Thanks for the question. Carbon Mods
@thmisaac : We actually sell a 'bonnet/hood skinning kit' specially for skinning a car hood. That kit includes a piece of fabric that's about 5' x 4'. If that's not big enough then yes, we sell everything separately and can make a kit up to any size you need. The hood kit includes instructions for skinning a hood with lots of tips and a video on the way!
@lolligheidddd : Yes, metal is a good starting point. Make sure it's keyed up well. We haven't seen any problems with skinned metal parts.
@pballer72: The resin we use doesn't actually exotherm very much so that wouldn't be a problem. The tricky bit would be finding a temperature that the wax would melt at but that wouldn't harm the part. The resin we use in this skinning kit is happy up to about 80 degrees C so you'd need a wax that melts before then.
@Keitho958 It gives a sticky layer for the carbon to adhere to, it also masks the part colour as the carbon has tiny holes in the weave. I also use the black (gel/epoxy coat) to paint the underside of parts afterwards. Glovebox lids for instance. Been using this stuff a while and it's very good.
The fabric we're using in this video (which is included in the kit) is standard 2/2 twill, 3k carbon fibre. We do also sell a version called ProFinish which includes an almost invisible epoxy powder bonding on the reverse to make it much stiffer and easier to handle/do cut lines. For flatter parts or where you need to make neat cut-lines ProFinish is a great choice but for more contoured parts (like this mirror) then I would stick with the standard 2/2 twill and just get used to handling it.
Hi Delsol, The base coat is very sticky so it can hold the carbon tightly against the surface of the part even on very sharp corners.
It is also posible to do parts in multiple pieces, where joins might be necessary/desirable. If you were to do one side of a cube with a cut, you would apply the carbon and then trim it at the corner once is was 'tacked' down... this would leave a very neat cut right on the corner that wouldn't be visable... simple!
Thanks for the question.
@SheikaSiera : It's the Carbon Mods "Carbon Fibre Skinning Starter Kit" - look in the "Carbon Fiber Kits" section on our website and it's somewhere near the top of the list.
@dotless : It would be possible but motorcycle exhausts run pretty hot so we would suggest using the 'HIgh Temperature' version of the kit. It's exactly the same but uses a special resin system that's dimensionally stable (doesn't expand or contract) up to about 160 degrees C (which should be fine for most exhuast systems). The you just follow the same steps. The HT kit is listed on our site too.
excellent video, job well done
Thanks for the reply... Will try this soon on the fuel door...
Well done and explained 👏
love it im buying it right now
Hi Tuga77,
The reason that we reccomend snading after the first coat it because there is often small 'nibs' and sharp spots that are best being removed early to allow the subsequent top-coats to build a fairly flat surface. if you don't have any of these small problems areas then it's fine to continue without sanding, thanks for the question.
Carbon Mods
@dutchguywillem : This certainly depends on the temperature you're working at. We recommend an ambient temperature of 20 degrees, this is what most epoxies are designed to cure in and if it is 20 degrees you'll be at the 'tack' stage in around 4hrs. It's worth checking fairly reguarly; if you catch it just right it makes the job a lot easier!
Yes you can, although i would recommend you just use a simple laminating technique and minimise the numbers of layers of resin for weight purposes. We do stock a wide range of fabrics on our Easycomposites website including lightweight carbons and woven fibreglass often used in aero modelling,
@TheWhoTheWhereTheHow: The fabric itself is about 0.3mm. When you use it in this skinning process then the fabric and the resin together add about 1mm.
@0livia9991: Hi Chris, you can use any standard body-filler to prepare your body panels before skinning. In fast, because the skin is so solid and you're going to do so much flatting the quality of the part underneith is unimportant. We've just filmed a video (not edited yet) which shows us skinning a whole bonnet (hood). The bonnet itself had lots of scratches and a couple of bits of body filler. The end result was stunning. I'll be uploading it soon. We can do your size, no problem.
We've got quite a few different weave patterns available, especially on our Easy Composites website. These include the new 'giant print' spread weave carbons, plain weave, twill (like you see here) and others. Nothing I'd describe as a hexagon print but a huge range nonetheless.
This is so cool!
Excellent vid!
@arun ranjit Actually, if you buy the kit off the Carbond Mods website you should find that you can buy the kit with Alufibre cloth as an alternative to carbon fibre. Alufibre is a silver version of the carbon so sounds like what you're after.
Great video!
Oh! The EasyComposites guy!
@bloodieduckies : Skinning is the process of making something look like it's a carbon fibre part by adding a single layer of carbon fibre to the outside of it. Laminating (although the word sounds like the same thing!) is the traditional name in composites for actually layering reinforcement (i.e. carbon) and resin into a mould to make a composite part (i.e. a carbon fibre part) so laminating is making carbon parts, skinning is covering existing parts with a layer of carbon.
@MikkoMuhis Yes, it will certainly add some strength to a fibreglass part if you add a layer of carbon fibre over the top. It is only one layer though so it's not going to be a huge increase in strength. If you want it much stronger then you could add additional layers of carbon fibre.
@davidcrm2 : Yes, perfectly easilly. It's just like a tough plastic skin. You can drill through it with a normal drill.
I did this to the back of my iPad. It looks great
Hi Phun4life,
It can definatly be done, I know of 2 customers who have already skinned thier 360's, have practice on something less expensive first though!
great stuff!!
@mlinecomposites1 : Actually, if you put the carbon onto the basecoat at the right time (when it's firm but still slightly tacky) you can lift it back up again before you put any pressure on if it's not lined up quite right. We did a bonnet the other day and the carbon went down a little out of line, it was easy enough to lift it up and get it right second time. Once you press it firmly down, it's down for good.
Great vids by the way.
Hi Simon, Yes, you can drill through the carbon skin without any problems. You should always make your appertures slightly too small and then open them out using a file or abrasive paper - this will prevent any cracking or chipping of the skin.
Hi Kapullas, yes, this is perfectly possible although sometimes the time saving that you would imagine (by not making a mould first) doesn't actually materialise because you'll spend so much longer flatting and polishing the finished part that you would if you'd taken a mould off the nice, smooth, glossy part in the first place. The other thing to consider is that a part made in this way (without a mould) would be larger than the original, unlike if you made a mould off the original first.
@joebarchuck : Faracla Profile, Mirka T10 and Mirka C20 are all very good on composites.
A little tip I've found when skimming is instead of using the tape that can be messy and awkward I use small bull dog clips to fasten the c/f fabric tightly to the piece, the last thing you want are air voids between your fabric and piece. 2-3 coats of clear resin and a final wet sand with 1200 wet paper, then I use a dremel to remove the hardened excess c/f fabric from the back and sides, and finally 1 coat of 2k lacquer, dry via IR light and you have a perfect finish every time.
@drzflyest4 : No, the masking tape is just a temporary measure to hold the carbon in place whilst the basecoat cures. Generally, you'll have completed removed any carbon/resin from the inside/reverse of the part after you trim and finish the excess material off earlier in the process.
Hi ReALiT22,
It's fine upto 80deg C (176F) We are currently developing an 'engine bay' version of the kit that will take much higher temperatures. Thanks for the question.
@oldhpirs4 : It depends on how difficult the parts you try to make are. Really detailed or intricate parts with lots of tight corners can be very difficult or even impossible to skin (or replicate completely) in carbon without at least a bit more equipment. If it's simpler shapes or items then it's perfectly possible to do a good job of making these even as an enthusiastic beginner.
@MrIolea : Yes, we delivery throughout Europe. You can place your order through our website.
@JWOLFyep : Yes, definately. If you're 'skinning' the part to actually add strangth to it then the more layers you add the stronger it will be.
@SoBrocheMaisNadda : Yes, ship to the USA every day. Just place your order on our site and the kit will be with you in around 7-10 days.
@mlinecomposites1 : Precisely. If people want to make the part out of carbon fibre (not just skin it) then we have our mould making kit and laminating kit. If they want to go further than that and make some pretty high-end light weight parts then we have our full resin infusion kit too.
nice work
this is awesome i have carbon sheet trim inside my car..im going to upgrade to this
Great video...thanks!
@sytrept : Agreed. I've seen it done (by Perkins Automotive) for a show car but I'd be worried about the balance of the wheels afterwards. You could have them re-balanced again I guess if they could get the balancing weights on the inside (not onto where you've just skinned!).
This type of technic does add some added strength to the part you are covering as well as good looks. It all depends on your application more fiber in different directions usually adds stiffness and strength.
@bloodaid: Well, the reason we're doing it for parts like this is to give them a completely genuine carbon fibre finish. As a side effect, adding 1mm of carbon fibre and resin to the outside of a part would add considerable strength but in the case of a mirror it's strong enough already so the reason for the 'skin' is cosmetic. You could use the same process to cover something very thin and light (like papier maché) then you would re-inforce the part considerably.
very nice!
@malibooroo : TT mirrors really are very domed and would be right at the limit of how far the weave could be distorted without the need for a cut-line. If you do need a cut-line I'd suggest using our ProFinish carbon (so that you can have a perfectly neat join-line) and doing it in two peices - this will reduce the amount of distortion needed considerably.
@CritikylMass : Yes, you could add reinforcement to a compound bow to make it more powerful, ideally you would want to be using unidirectional carbon fibre not a biaxial woven cloth (like you see in this video) - we sell unidirectional cloth on easycomposites.co.uk - You would need to heavily 'key' the limbs with abrasive paper, wet them with epoxy, layer on the UD carbon, wetting it as you go, and then ideally you would want to squash the carbon down with something to consolodate whilst curing
Hi Tulaconalas, normally this kit is used for the look, however the materials used are the very best in structural performance too, so it would be fine to use this process to strengthen you speedboard, people have used these materials for making there own wakeboards and surfboards you may want to use more than one layer of carbon to get ultimate strength though. I hope this helps you out.
Any good quality 2 pack automotive lacquer will be good. Some spray can lacquers are OK too but can be hard to achieve the same finish as a spray shop.
@Saferetias: The small version of the kit (as shown) is £47 (for UK/Europe customers) or £40 if it's going out of Europe (USA for example). In USD this is about $59. We also do a large version of the kit and a bonnet/hood sized kit (with a massive 1.6m x 1.25m peice of fabric!).
Hi emj0001,
You Can get a great finish with either larger parts such as bonnets and roofs we would recommend a clear-coat or laquer as it is quicker. if you are looking for a flawless finish from laquer you can flat and compound this using the same method.
Thanks, Carbon Mods
Hi Dazzy2para,
You can Have joins in the fabric, normally the cut is made when the top-coat has part-cured (still slightly tacky) you overlap the carbon at the join and then carfully cut along the desired the seam line with a knife and remove the exccess material. so in short yes a sphere would be possible with one seam/join running around it. Thanks For the Question.
Carbon Mods
If you think any grease or contaminents have got into your process somehow (off your hands, rags etc.) then this is good advice. If you're working very clean and changing water reguarly then this isn't always neccessary. We didn't wipe this part down between coats, kept it clean and it was perfect.
Hi rinjingan,
Yes you can use vinylester or polyester resins, however they do not perform as well as epoxies and often their clarity is not as high. All top composite workshops will use proper carbon fibre laminating epoxies like we supply.
Thanks for asking, Carbon Mods
Hi Dan, Thanks for the comments, I understand what you mean about 'adding' weight to a part, the reason people normally skin parts is to give there project that last finishing detail that can make all the difference, on small components the weight penalty would be irelevant (circa 150gr on these mirrors). For those people who really are looking to save weight we also have a guide/kit on laminating carbon in a mould. A mould making kit is in development. Subcribe for for an update when we upload!
Hi Transam, the best way to get a neat line between a skinned area and an unskinned one is to mask out the area you don't want the carbon to be, then apply the base-coat, when it goes to 'tack' remove the mask then apply the carbon over the line, then you want to carfully scalpel down the line, mask it off after and apply the top-coats. you should get great results this way!
@killertctma : It's quite difficult to do a good job of any finish other than smooth and shiny using this process. You can give the finished part a satin or matt finish but simply not polishing it up to a full gloss (mimmicking the 'dry carbon' look you see on race cars sometimes) but a textured finish is not really viable.
Been skinning quite a few years, also thanks to the clip which got me started back then .. but as I look at it now, I can't help to feel a little annoyed. If you look at these parts you can clearly still see marks and pits in them..which would all be solved if they wouldn't advise people to use a rattlecan to apply clearcoat. Use real clear laquer applied either by yourself or by a pro with a regular spraygun and it will look so much nicer. I've skinned parts for some high end vehicles for which those specific parts were not available in CF .. If I handed over the parts like this .. ppl wouldn't come back at all :-) Props on the sanding and applying resin though, can't go better than this :-)
Johan DeWilde Hey man what's your email I want you to skin some parts for me
Mohammad Al-midani
johandewilde28@gmail.com
+Johan DeWilde
It's not the clear coat that has caused the pitting its the carbon fiber material not contacting totally with the piece he's skimming allowing the resin to fill the void left and not to sit on top of the carbon material giving it a mirror finish, this can be avoided using vaccuum bagging or "rolling" the carbon material after applying to the piece. I skim then coat with 3 coats of hard resin allowing to dry by ir between coats then wet sand with 1200 grit then hit it with 2k clear laquare- theres no need to spend hours polishing if you use 2k clear coats.
@tuner1gti : Yes, there is a full text guide which goes into even more detail than the video does. We're all about sharing the information though and you can download this text guide for free from our website before you even buy the kit. Just go to our site, find the kit and the instructions can be downloaded from that page.
@kingzreptilez4life : For this 'Skinning' process you need epoxy resin that meets a few criteria. It needs to be quite thick (high viscosity) so that you can build it up, it needs amazing clarity and most importantly it needs to be free of 'amine blush' on the surface otherwise each time you let it part-cure and then add another layer it will get hazier and hazier, losing the glass-like glossy appearance. On Carbon Mods website look for 'Carbon Fibre Laminating Resin' 500g, 1kg, 5kg available.
@turboboost27 : The kit is £39+VAT (if you lice in Europe). You wouldn't pay the VAT if you don't so it would just be the £39 (which is about $57 US. The High Temp version (I mentioned above) is a little more. Also we have a Large version of the kit which has a peice of carbon that's 1sqm (3' x 3') and an even larger one for skinning bonnets/hoods (over 5' x 4'). Check our site for all the prices on those.
nice vid!!! thanks!
iruss71,
No problem mate, Glad this helps you out, good-luck with your project it sounds cool.
Carbon Mods
Ordered my kit wish me luck
@krios50 : -30 degrees to 50 degrees should not be a problem. Much above 50 degress and you would want to use our High Temperature Skinning Kit which can take temperatures up to 200 degrees C (for engine bays, heat shields, gearbox covers etc.).
@MillieMills77 : You can clean epoxy off the brushes uses Acetone. It's not a chemical you can generally buy at a hardware store and it's not one we can ship safely but any fibreglass supplier will have it or you can buy nail cheap nail polish remover, which is basically acetone (don't get one with 'moisturisers' or other additives).
I just did my jetski pole with clear resin. It is important to have the first coat is black it helps to hide inperfections in the carbon fiber and when you sand it to flatten it out it hides the thin parts. I did 4 coats of clear ontop of carbon fiber and looks awsome I should have done a smaller part my first time but am very happy with my first thing I have ever done
@brutussteel : Wrapping something with a layer of carbon fibre and epoxy will certainly add strength and durability to whatever is wrapped inside, yes.
@red666A : For a set of mirrors like that, you're looking at doing them over a period of 2-3 days, of which you'll spend most of your time either waiting (for the resin to cure) or sanding and polishing. There's probably 5hrs worth of sanding and polishing in a set like that.
@Bonerific0 : Rear diffusers are a tricky shape, either to skin (like in this video) or to actually make. Our advice for skinning would be to use ProFinish carbon (see our website) so that you can make all of the fins and flat parts up in separate sections. This way you won't struggle with the massive weave distortion that would be neccessary to get the fibre into and out of the fins and back onto the flat sections (if possible at all). With lacquer over the top you won't see the joins.
Hi Plooke, you could use normal carbon fibre epoxy laminating resin as the first coat, however you may get problems with the level of 'tack' and quality of bond to the part, also with it not being black you might get visable gaps between the weave on the surface, I would say if you can get hold of some skinning base-coat, it would make your life much easier! Any more questions please ask.
depends on the part and how long you are prepared to spend working on the part. Both can achieve a great finish (as seen in the video).
Nice video man.
Greetz.
Hi Yonchvader, well, firstly, steel can be cut and sanded too. The main reason it's much easier with carbon is because carbon fibre's strength works differently to steel, it's a bittle material with poor 'elongation to break' properties which means fibres can be individually broken easily (which is why sanding is so effective). Weight-for-weight however the tensile strength is higher than steel which is why it's referred to as 'stronger' than steel.
With some shapes it is a good trick to wrap the skinned object in tight fitting glad wrap. Glad wrap does not stick to epoxy. When the epoxy is dry, the glad warp is removed,, and the object has a beautiful smooth finish.
Sounds like a good idea. Has anybody else used this method?
Shrink wrap works good to.
This is Art Attack for grown ups!!
Hi Matt, agreed. - A guide on how to make moulds is what we're working on next. We're almost there and hope to have something done in the coming week(s). Stay tuned!