Sounds like you might of found yourself a business idea either way the satisfaction completing a risky project after some TH-cam classes is priceless and the possibilities are endless cheers
This is a fantastically brilliant video - i literally watched it, made my order on the website and then managed to do a brilliant job on skinning my car rear hatch in carbon fibre like a pro. Much props to the presenting and walk-through on this video.
Wow, that’s great feedback, thanks very much. Glad we got the video right and even more pleased that you were able to follow it through and get good results yourself 👍.
Wow just wow, your video answered my question I had on skinning parts with carbon fibre. The easycomposit kit has everything required for a small part project. Thank you again for your instruction.
Thank you for sharing such an organized presentation! I have been interested but intimidated to approach carbon fiber and am glad I came across your video. It is not complicated but there is a sequence to be aware of. Valuable video.
Recently I have 3D printed an AFO braces from ABS plastic material to use on my leg that usually wouldn't last very long due to the properties of ABS plastic.Normally I made them from handlay carbon fibre ,the preperation time was really really long process(Don't mind waiting for the resin to dry part).But with your Carbon fibre skinning/wrapping method will give me some hope for 3D printed more AFO braces to be given to the Disable Kids foundation around the country here in Thailand.My questions are 1.Will the ABS plastic melt when reacts to the resins? 2.With PLA filament,will it works on that? Thank you very much indeed for inspiring videos I've been watching over three years.Fantastic team.
great tutorial ive just carbon fibered my mk6 fiesta boot i kept going back to this tutorial to get it all right it was my 1st time i used this and came out good
no, they should make less videos... much much less... every video i watch i think of a new, usually mostly useless thing to make out of carbon.... the madness needs to stop and i have no free will of my own.... :)
also in advance before i forget ive mentioned your company to a few racing company's that i know off. And specially mentioned and to a famous racing team about all the great advice support. you have given me You really are a great company to deal with and very knowledgeable..
I really wish Easy Composites had a North American distributor. The hazmat shipping to the US costs more than the kits when I price it out. Of course there are other domestic suppliers but I really like your approach and support.
Thanks, it was good to get this one done because we still get comments on the old Carbon Mods skinning video that we did from people saying that the sound quality and background music are unbearable (which they are) so at least now we can offer a skinning video done properly this time :)
just completed my first skinning of automotive parts with this guide and with their kit and its just wonderful. Thanks for this easy composites, really.
Don, you're very welcome. It's great to hear you got on well with it; we love this system too but it's always welcome when we hear it from customers too.
Me too. This video is critical viewing for a successful job. My car parts are looking absolutely terrific. I started with the simple flatter surfaces whilst returning to this video a few times. Really helpful guy when I bought the gear too. Oh, more cups please ;)
Hi! Love all your videos, their all very clear and informative. But I'm having a little trouble finding out how hollow parts are made, such as a the koenigsegg wheel or such where the interior is completely sealed. thanks a lot!
Often hollow parts are made from 2 halves bonded together. Where a single piece is needed, often specialist bladders and specialist pre-preg vacuum bagging techniques are used adapted for the specific job in hand. Koenigsegg themselves did a very good video series giving insight into the methods they used, however for the actual carbon wheels, the exact method was custom made by them.
Question because I'm a newbie and I like picking your brain with all the great videos you post No matter if you're carbon fibering skinning metal fiberglass or say like a leather steering wheel it all has to be sanded and scuffed correctly now does the grit of the sandpaper have to be different with the different types of base you're doing thank you for your time
Dear Team a few questions. I was very excited when ordering it coupl of days ago and I already used it. I was laminating a little interior car part. my questions are 1. - When putting the first epoxy resin coat on and waiting 8 hours at least it was still a little sticky or felt a little soft of thr surface i waited a few more hours and it was still like this. When touching it with blank hands its a tiny stick to my skin - Normal ? Circumstance are perfect 20° and air ventilation. 2. -can you save the brush or do i realy have to use a new brush for each coat, cause the epoxs on the brush turns it into almost a stone 3. - I am using it to custimize a car part - is the epoxy resin UV protected or is it becoming yellow by time ? - What about the hot temperatures you can have in a car - is the epoxy temperature stable or will it become sticky again in hot summer days ? 4. - you should ad a few more gloves and cups to the package also a polish towl this is what i am missing 5. - is it absolutely needed to to 3 layers of Epoxy - It makes the part "even thicker". But in summary I am very happy looking realy forward - your video helped a lot But you should may tell people it can dry much quicker thant you said in your videos - the base coat was dry quiet fast so I almost missed the point to atouch the carbon.
Sorry, missed this comment. When you posted this we received 170 comments on our channel, sometimes it's hard to keep up. Remember, for technical support you can always contact our technical support through our website or email, that way we won't miss your question(s). 1. No, that's not normal. So in the end you waited more than 10 hours and the resin was still tacky? - That would usually indicate some mixing or measuring problem. It's worth triple-checking your mix ratios (check you're mixing by weight, not volume, check your calculations, consider the thoroughness of the mixing). 2. The brushes can be reused but you would need a strong solvent to clean them, usually acetone is used. Keep your acetone in bucket with a lid on, use it to wash the brush and then retain the acetone, otherwise you'll end up spending as much on acetone as you would on brushes!). 3.a. XCR has the best UV protection of any epoxy on the market. We've never seen any discolouration of XCR, even after a long time and a lot of exposure. That said, just about all materials do change appearance slightly over enough time and enough sunlight, including most of your car interior and the paint on the outside of your car! 3.b. Car interiors can get hot, especially in hot countries. They shouldn't reach temperatures that would cause problems for the XCR providing that the skinned parts have been suitably 'post cured' before they experiences those temperatures in the car. The best way to do this would be to put the skinned part into an oven, taking the temperature up from 40 to 70C over a number of hours. This should be done before the final flatting and polishing. By doing this, you will expose the resin to these higher temperatures; it will soften and move slightly but then it will reset at the higher temperature meaning that it won't soften the next time it is exposed to these high temperatures. By flatting and polishing after it has been post cured at the higher temperature you will avoid the risk of the skinned part losing its surface finish when the resin first softens at the higher temperature. 4. OK, thanks for the feedback, we'll have a think about this. 5. Generally, yes, 3 layers is recommended but remember that the majority of what you add you end up taking away again when you sand the part. The point of the 3 layers is to ensure that the resin can be 'flatted' down to the highest point of the carbon fabric without breaking through. In some cases, if the carbon is down very smooth and you manage to get the resin down very consistently then you might find you can get away with 2 layers. Anyway, thanks again for all the feedback, it's appreciated and will help us to improve either the product or our advice/instructions for the future. And don't forget, if you do *need* a reply, please just contact us through our technical support email, website or technical support forum, TH-cam comments can be tricky to keep track of for genuine tech support enquiries. Good luck!
Sorry to be commenting so late in the game, but would it not have made sense to add a layer or 2 of clear paint as a "sunscreen" to keep the epoxy from yellowing over time? And even if you would not consider it to be a necessity here, would you add a clear coat to something like auto or motrocycle parts to keep them from being affected by the UV light?
Some people do that for that reason. It depends on the climate the part is exposed to. eg in sunnier climates the time exposed to high levels of UV is much higher than here.
so the black base coat is just epoxy resin with a black pigmeant? i do like your epoxy resin though. i like hows there is no air bubbles. i was waiting to see air bubbles when you were mixing.
It's almost the same but it is slightly slower to allow more tack-time. It also (of course) has the heavy black pigment it and a little thixotropic agent to make it less prone to draining off. If you have black parts already then it's quite possible to use the clear resin as a basecoat.
The cost of this excellent kit is more than doubled by the actual shipping to the US (43L + 55L, Mar 2021). The invisible hand of the free market beckons me to look elsewhere. Thank you for the excellent video, Easy Composites. Presented with confidence and very succinct, this is how tutorials should be done.
Hi Easy Composites, the only thing i would do differant to the above video is wet out the carbon cloth on a hard piece of plastic like a cutting up board first, pick the wet out carbon up and place it on the job. I do it like this all the time, you end up with no excess reson and you can apply a couple of coats of reson later for sanding
Hi William, there's no issue in doing it that way some people actually prefer to laminate this way too, its usually referred to as "wet preg" it's really a case of what method suits the individual or application.
Although w're all in favour of people coming up with imaginative things to use our Carbon Fibre Skinning Starter Kit on, we really wouldn't recommend skinning your teeth!
Hi, Thanks for the enquiry. Due to the nature of the uncured resins and the potential health hazards associated with skin contact and "internal" contact with uncured resins, we would NOT recommend using the skinning process or any other composite process directly in contact with any part of the body. However if you really wanted a set of cosmetic carbon teeth, you could use a medical grade dental casting material to make a copy of your teeth and use that mould for the composite process.
I would not recommend getting a composite set of teeth, yes, it would be harder but you need to make sure all of your teeth are carbon fiber or the carbon fiber teeth would make quick work of your remaining teeth.
Mate what a great great video. very detailed and concise. With the help of this video I will be wrapping my 2012 Cadillac CTS sedan interior trim and steering wheel and will post the results when they are completed. Many many thanks!
Nice video guys! Is this method usable for making kind of "industrial" carbon pieces that can handle stress? Via making a polyestirene piece and wrapping it with several carbon layers. I mean about resultant carbon/resin proportion and how much the layers can be pressed. Thank you for your help!
+Easy Composites Ltd actually its much simpler than that. she would be used to picking the whole rifle up because that is what she does 99% of the time so once she pics up just the empty stock without the heavy metal barrel/action it would seem much lighter than she is used to.
Actually, this is totally right. Sofie's dad is an ex-military sniper and generally takes care of the rifle. I do think it's pretty rare for it to be stripped down. And yes, so much of the weight is in the action that the stock on its own does feel very light.
Great job!. I have a question: is it possible to carbon skin an object and put minimal resin/top coating? The idea is to leave the carbon fiber itself exposed or semiexposed in a way that the fiber strands can be felt when you slide your fingers through it. I think it'll be a nice look for some applications I'm thinking about
Hi Samael, yes, absolutely. In fact, this would really only be a case of sticking the fabric down and then using a single, thin application of resin to wet the fibres out with nothing more required after that.
We do sell the polishing compound on its own. It's called NW1 BLACK from Pai Cristal. It's quite a specialist product, designed for carbon fibre, so it's not something that you'll find something too similar to in a conventional auto store but a polishing compound designed for paint or plastic (like Faracla or Mirka Polarshine) would be an alternative - just watch out for white compounds (such as those mentioned) getting stick in microscopic pin-holes and spoiling the appearance of the part.
@serg sroble >Depending on the part, wet sand it with 400 grit, wear latex gloves to keep hand oils off, but if not equipped, make a deal with a local body shop who shoots a quality 2 part clear coat everyday almost. They will use a tack rag, hang it and spray it aside a vehicle in the same booth. Once mixed, anything left over is dumped as it’s pot life is four hours. Hope that help!
Awesome detailed video can I add 3 layers of 3k carbon with this method and release it from the mould and have a strong part? This method really helps for complex shapes without vacuum bag so I thought for some big parts that I can’t manage my time enough for laminating, instead I use this method
Will epoxy have good adhesion to a plastic stock? What plastics should I choose for 3D printing in combination with carbon lamination? Or should I rely only on the mechanical connection? In the case of the stock, we need to select plastic with a wide temperature range of operation and high impact strength like PC, PET or Nylon.
Buying this is gonna be like when I got my first dremel, looked around the house for things to fix. With this the dining table, curtain rails even the toilet seat aint safe theyre all going on a high fiber diet!
Thank you for the wonderful video. Is there any functional difference between the specialty base coat and regular coating resin, besides the black color? Would the regular coating resin perform just as well in adhering the ply to the part?
Its also slightly thicker in terms of viscosity but the regular coating resin should work just as well and in fact, if the part being covered is already black (or very dark grey), you could just use the coating resin instead of the black basecoat - the main purpose of the base coat being black is to mask any underlying colour from showing through the weave of the carbon.
I am wondering why you need to use the thick black base coat for this, but in other videos where customers are using your products they use a spray adhesive to apply the carbon fiber before they begin the resin/epoxy process. What is the benefit of the base coat over the spray to "set" the carbon on the piece? THANKS! Great video!
The resin for using a black base coat is to seal the surface underneath as well as provide a black coloured base to hide the colour of the part. Many spray tacks are not long lived and also will loose adhesion when resin is applied over the top.
After watching this video over 10 times I summed up the courage to mod my bmw s1000xr motorcycle faring. ordered the kit followed this video to the letter and come out with a amazing carbon faring. But as this guy says its very important to mix the right amount. For someone like me that is no good with numbers it would have been nice if they could have put a mixing chart in the kit box. But a really good product achieved great results. Personally I think I did a better job then this guy😂.
Good video guys. It would of been great to see how you actually got it to fit nicely around all of the small corners. Ive spent the last month making a fiberglass dash and now want to skin it in carbon. Although I'm not sure the fabric will lay over some of the compund bends without pulling the weave apart. Where could I get some advice on my specific project? Thanks
Sure, if you send us some pictures and a description to technical@easycomposites.co.uk we will try and offer advice as best to do the part you are skinning.
Hey guys, maybe by any chance you're planning on doing a video on moldless construction? I'm getting an itch to try composite construction, but not on production scale, one-off, two-off things, with carbon over foam, so building molds doesn't look as an interesting proposition...
Yes, we'll certainly do some of this in the future. We might join up with a formula student team or greenpower team to do a mouldless construction on a bodyshell or similar. For one offs, especially on a budget, this can be a sensible option.
Very well explained thank you. But I had a doubt, is there any difference in epoxy gelcoat you applied as first layer and epoxy you applied after wrapping carbon fiber other than difference in pigment colour? Also if I have to apply 2 layers of carbon fiber how will I be able to do that given I don't want to lay them up seperately by curing every single layer
The basecoat and the topcoat are very similar, the difference is the black pigment and the basecoat is more thixotropic (less runny). Usually in skinning you would not add more than one layer but if you want or need to do that then the two layers can be added at the same time.
@@easycompositestv thank you for the clarification. I was worrying about the fact that second layer might not join to my core as epoxy coat might not reach it due to absorption by first layer itself. Anyway thank you so much you guys are great and has helped me a lot in creating my project
Is there a risk of the carbon being not properly wet out with the epoxy using the technique of applying the carbon to tacky resin? Would that result in reduced strength compared to a conventional laminating and vacuum process?
The carbon is only applied to the tacky basecoat as a way of holding it in position whilst being wet out. Once in position and held in place by the tack form the resin, it's then left to cure until it reaches the 'B' stage. This is a semi cured state which will still cross link with the resin which is then used to wet out the fibres. Hand laminating does produce slightly heavier and less consolidated parts but we have found that trying to use a vacuum technique when skinning results in a more wrinkled and distorted weave.
I’m a noob - is making carbon fiber with a vacuum bag and peel ply better for the following reasons? Looks - the resin is flatter without any bubbles - strength - there are no dry spots as the resin is distributed evenly - and because there is less time sanding needed? Cheers
The vacuum bagging process can result in better finished parts when done correctly. However, wet laid parts, when properly laid up can still have good cosmetic results.
Turned out really nice, wish her luck... and it is a lot lighter than her fully equipped piece plus now has a stronger covering indy 500 of guns lol Thank you for sharing
Sir, didn't realize some people also commented on her riffle and made a funny, seemed to her it was lighter, and it was in sense because it didn't have all the components attached to it as it would be for competition. And or she thought it felt lighter because it was made out of carbon fiber rather than wrapped in it... But either way it was theoretically felt lighter... and turned out really nice
Yes, you can carbon fibre wrap around plastic items. You would need to do some surface prep and it's probably worth checking the strength of the bond to your plastic first - epoxy will bond to some plastics and not to others.
This video is absolutely incredible, thank you. I am wondering if this process will work for my application. The object in question are carbon fibre bicycle rims, they have a matte unidirectional finish. I would like to skin them with a carbon-kevlar fabric, will it be possible to achieve a nice finish? If so then I will be ordering one of your kits, thanks very much.
It should be possible to skin such a shape no problem, albeit a bit fiddly. The bigger issue is balance on the wheels. You would have to get the carbon layer and resin perfectly evenly around the wheel to keep it in balance.
@@easycompositestv Hey my apologies I did not see your response. Thanks for the tip, I did not think of that before. If I suspend the rim to dry this is going to cause resin to run from the top of the rim down to the bottom where it will drip off and create an excess. I'll have to think of how to deal with that or get around it. Anyhow I'm definitely going to try my hand at skinning, you make it look so satisfying. Thanks again for the videos :)
Looks really effective. Would it be possible to use multiple layers of carbon fibre with this wrapping method for example with a foam core mold that would remain in place once the part is finished? Or is it still better to use pre preg and vacuum bagging with a heated curing cycle as I would be making parts that needed excellent structural strength.
Yes you can wrap multiple layers of fabric around a foam core. This can be a good method for prototyping or one off projects. You can leave the foam in situ or dissolve it out with a solvent afterwards.
Hi there! Please, how would you make matte or semi-matte finish? Would you paint it with matte transparent at the end or would you use different resin (resin with matte finish)? thx
Hi, why is it necessary to leave it to cure after the first coat of epoxy? And will it be wrong to do the four coats of epoxy at once with 2 hours interval between them and then to sand it down before the last coat?
Great question. Actually, both ways are OK and you can choose. In the full instructions for the XCR Skinning Kit we do describe how you can do either. Usually, it's best to sand after the first coat if you have high spots or stray fibres or other little nuisances which would be better to get rid of at the start of the process, this way - once they're gone - the new resin can be a smooth continuous layer over the top of them. If you have such stray fibres and you continue to build up resin over them, then when you flat them down at the end of the process you're likely to sand into the fibres and expose them, which is not ideal.
Very good video with clear and precise information. Question: If you use a foam core instead of a wood core, would it be strong enough for a rifle stock?
In this case, the wood is not really a core, it IS the rifle stock. We have done some repairs and changes, but primarily the repairs were strong in themselves. The cosmetic layer of carbon fibre does add some strength but its purpose here was to smarten up the rifle and cover over the previous repairs - as well as being something different to feature in the video of course.
Awesome and informative video! I have a carbon fiber dive fin that has a running crack up the middle. I used epoxy resin and fiberglass to try to patch it but the crack has opened again. How can I fix this and keep the crack from continuing to run up the fin? Any guidance would be most appreciated.
Yes, you could use more than one layer. The time to do it would be when you add the first layer, you just add additional layers to create more strength. This is then more of a laminating process over a 'male former', rather than a skinning process.
Hi, you guys come highly recommended amongst those already in the profession! I can see why. I'd like to DIY a few car parts. Such as door handles, bumpers, etc. I'm a little concerned about the added thickness. How much thickness does it add? Should I be looking at moulds rather than skinning?
Skinning adds approximately 1mm overall by the time you have your basecoat, carbon and top coats. Skinning is generally used for aesthetic purposes and doesn't require any specialist tools or equipment however, if you want to make a bespoke carbon replacement part then you'd need to make mould tools. The process is a little more involved but once you have the tooling, you can make dozens, if not hundreds of parts out of the same mould.
If I wanted to paint a portion of a project, at what point would one begin the painting process? Seems like the best time is the after the final clear layer.And can you apply automotive clear over the epoxy?Great video, thanks!
I’m a certified automotive painter. I would paint the part before your final clear. When all the flaws are sanded out and the part is straight, go ahead and paint it, and feel free to use automotive clear coat from a gun for a beautiful finish. The bonus to that is if you spray it nice and clean, no buffing necessary 👍🏻
Hello quick question. I am planing on skinning a part to match my dash which has a matte finish. To get the matte finish would you skip the polish phase and shoot the part with matte clear coat? Thanks in advance and amazing tutorial!
Hi Jon, you have two options - wet sand up to around 1500 grit to achieve a matte appearance and forgo the final polishing stage OR as per your suggestion, go with a matte/sating finish clear coat. Both will achieve much the same aesthetic but the preference would be the clear coat as it adds additional thickness and gives a 'deeper' looking finish to the piece.
One question...the next thing I have to skin is my dashboard "in situ", are there any tricks and tips to reduce resin dripping off on the various surfaces under the dashboard? I can cover these areas with plastic sheet etc, but some is bound to get through in various places which I want to minimise.
Good masking is the only real solution. You can brush coats on thinner to minimise running and drips but that might mean more layers needed to get to a decent thickness for sanding purposes.
Hi guys I’d like to say what a great video and I have a very similar project but the stock is far more complicated in that is has two large holes that would need to be skinned also do you have any videos that explain that process or do you take on skinning projects I could happily send it to yourselfs for you to make a video on the subject ?
Thanks Chris. I'm afraid we don't offer a skinning service ourselves, we just create the kits and provide the advice and support for it. We don't have any different skinning videos covering anything closer to what you're doing but if you want to send us some photos we'd be happy to give you a few pointers. You can use technical@easycomposites.co.uk or get in touch through our Facebook page.
I would like to re-skin a Carbon Fiber dash from a Caterham 7, The idea is to create a blank dash and start again by skinning over the whole dask and cutting out the circular openings as needed while eliminating the small switch cut outs (2x3cm). As I need to eliminate various switches on the dash, do I need to add support behind those cutouts such as a strip of masking tape to add support? Will the mat sink into a small openings or is is stiff enough to lay across them? (What weight Mat should I use) As the dash is CF should I still use a black base coat or clear? Lastly are there any issues laying up over existing CF Thanks
Your AMAZING and ur video very inspiration to me :D I would like to do some part but during this time i don't have the all required material.i would like your help about base coat can i use epoxy resin as base coat ? rather than epoxy gelcoat ?
I have got one question is the carbon fibre sheet flexible as in if I want to round it around an edge will it get the job done without losing its weave pattern?
Hi Shoumik, yes, carbon fabric is flexible and can go round corners pretty easily. If you've watched the video though then you'll see several parts of the tutorial where we wrap fabric around some of the tight angles of this gun stock.
very interesting. is it possible to skin just a portion of a stock? are there quantitative measures of increased strength for weight-neutral skinning of wood structures?
Hi Randy, yes you can skin just some areas, just be careful with treating the edges neatly so it looks good. We do not have any specific figures for the effect of one layer of carbon
The clear layers are cosmetic; the structural work is done by the carbon fibre - adding additional layers of resin does little to increase the strength but it does mean there's enough thickness there to allow flatting back to a flat finish.
"I can see that a smooth surface is important in this case for handling." actually depending on use its quite the opposite. a rough surface, specially on a gun stock, can add a much better grip and handling. some people actually add a "rough coat" type finish to stocks for this exact reason. in this case its more looks over function caus polished carbon had that lovely bling everyone loves
The video was great but I have a question. How did you identify all of the areas that needed to be cutout through the carbon fiber? Seems like it would be easy to miss a bolt hole .
You're quite right, we need to produce a new tutorial for the laminating starter kit, this is on the list of videos we want to make very soon. In the meantime we do have our *very* old Carbon Mods tutorial which we made years ago. The Laminating Starter Kit has not changed much since then but thankfully our video production skills (and haircuts) have improved. Here's the old video we made: th-cam.com/video/IAdVO8Rkv6c/w-d-xo.html - If you need any other advice, please just contact us directly through our support email: technical@easycomposites.co.uk
You're quite right, we need to produce a new tutorial for the laminating starter kit, this is on the list of videos we want to make very soon. In the meantime we do have our *very* old Carbon Mods tutorial which we made years ago. The Laminating Starter Kit has not changed much since then but thankfully our video production skills (and haircuts) have improved. Here's the old video we made: th-cam.com/video/IAdVO8Rkv6c/w-d-xo.html - If you need any other advice, please just contact us directly through our support email: technical@easycomposites.co.uk
I wrote you an email to change my order #114280 into this XCR Skinning kit.. If it hasn't shipped yet is it possible to send that instead? I wrote all the detail in the email, sorry for the inconvenience :( Thank you
Saved myself about $7000 fixing a prosthetic leg socket. Thank you!
Did you really?! Thats great!
Sounds like you might of found yourself a business idea either way the satisfaction completing a risky project after some TH-cam classes is priceless and the possibilities are endless cheers
@PHP777 we NEED more infos on that please! 😮
And now, you have a carbon fiber leg 😎
same here
I've been working with composites since college, and this video had many very useful tips I've never heard of before. Very excellently done.
Appreciate the comment, thanks for the great feedback!
Dđ
The punchline about how light it is ties it all together.
At last I found a fantastic explanation of what I plan to do . Fab a spoiler for a kit car. Thanks
This is a fantastically brilliant video - i literally watched it, made my order on the website and then managed to do a brilliant job on skinning my car rear hatch in carbon fibre like a pro. Much props to the presenting and walk-through on this video.
Wow, that’s great feedback, thanks very much. Glad we got the video right and even more pleased that you were able to follow it through and get good results yourself 👍.
U got a picture or ?
@@easycompositestv , my
That finish it out of this world!
I don't even own a gun, and yet I want one now - just to see this magnificent result.
Thanks for sharing
Man, this video is excellently edited and thorough in explanation and reasoning behind the processes.
Agreed, one of the best I've seen
Really very interesting channel... And you speak a very clear English, easily followed by non- native English speakers. Thank you, great content !
The knowledge, demonstration, and even the step on the side of the screen are top notch. This Channel is very well done.
Thanks, I'm glad we're getting it right :)
Wow just wow, your video answered my question I had on skinning parts with carbon fibre. The easycomposit kit has everything required for a small part project. Thank you again for your instruction.
This guy is a real professional presenter ! Very Thorough !
Thanks for the kind comment David, I'm glad you enjoyed the presenting style!
Thank you for sharing such an organized presentation! I have been interested but intimidated to approach carbon fiber and am glad I came across your video. It is not complicated but there is a sequence to be aware of. Valuable video.
Thanks very much Ali, that's exactly right. Broken down, each step is straightforward enough. What's important is following the process, methodically.
This might be the best carbon fiber skinning video. Excellent. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful!
No way im a Biathlon athlete and rn working on my rifle and finding this video is an absolute gold for me. Thank you ❤️
It should be heavier than the original. The pistol grip is thicker. The glossy carbon must be slippery. All fine for you?
Recently I have 3D printed an AFO braces from ABS plastic material to use on my leg that usually wouldn't last very long due to the properties of ABS plastic.Normally I made them from handlay carbon fibre ,the preperation time was really really long process(Don't mind waiting for the resin to dry part).But with your Carbon fibre skinning/wrapping method will give me some hope for 3D printed more AFO braces to be given to the Disable Kids foundation around the country here in Thailand.My questions are 1.Will the ABS plastic melt when reacts to the resins? 2.With PLA filament,will it works on that? Thank you very much indeed for inspiring videos I've been watching over three years.Fantastic team.
Epoxy resin will not harm ABS so you should be fine with that. The same is true of PLA.
Making foils for wind, wing and pump foiling. Your video is first class. Thanks.
Any succes? :)
great tutorial ive just carbon fibered my mk6 fiesta boot i kept going back to this tutorial to get it all right it was my 1st time i used this and came out good
"Feels lighter"
And it is: Ms. Hopkins was handed her rifle, disassembled to about half it's weight. I would have answered the same.
🤠
But we all know what she meant. She just assumed that just cause it's covered in CF, it's gonna be lighter
This video helped get my head round the process. You huys should do more..... alot more.
no, they should make less videos... much much less... every video i watch i think of a new, usually mostly useless thing to make out of carbon.... the madness needs to stop and i have no free will of my own.... :)
also in advance before i forget ive mentioned your company to a few racing company's that i know off. And specially mentioned and to a famous racing team about all the great advice support. you have given me You really are a great company to deal with and very knowledgeable..
Mark Grevatt Thank you very much for the kind words, we appreciate it :)
"its so light.." lol i died, but i do applaud how kindly he explained it to her, simple mistake but a funny one. very nice video overall! thnks!
Nic Wright haha. 😂😂😂
It didn’t have all the accessories on at the time he handed it to her.
@@Letsgobrandon827 plus I bet she was expecting it to increase in weight due to the additional carbon fiber that was added to the stock
Did they change the balance of a biathlon rifle? I'd never dare.
He added 100 grams x 3 coatings to the stock. It should be heaveyer but they may have removed mass prior to the coating in addition to sanding.
excellent process demonstration w/clear notes on how to accomplish this task, congrats!
Thanks for watching and the feedback.
I really wish Easy Composites had a North American distributor. The hazmat shipping to the US costs more than the kits when I price it out. Of course there are other domestic suppliers but I really like your approach and support.
This shows why your products are worth the price. A lot of effort and expertise goes into it. Salud 🥂
Thanks Burt, appreciate the great comments :-)
Quality video as usual.
Thanks, it was good to get this one done because we still get comments on the old Carbon Mods skinning video that we did from people saying that the sound quality and background music are unbearable (which they are) so at least now we can offer a skinning video done properly this time :)
just completed my first skinning of automotive parts with this guide and with their kit and its just wonderful. Thanks for this easy composites, really.
Don, you're very welcome. It's great to hear you got on well with it; we love this system too but it's always welcome when we hear it from customers too.
Me too. This video is critical viewing for a successful job. My car parts are looking absolutely terrific. I started with the simple flatter surfaces whilst returning to this video a few times. Really helpful guy when I bought the gear too. Oh, more cups please ;)
Hi! Love all your videos, their all very clear and informative. But I'm having a little trouble finding out how hollow parts are made, such as a the koenigsegg wheel or such where the interior is completely sealed. thanks a lot!
Often hollow parts are made from 2 halves bonded together. Where a single piece is needed, often specialist bladders and specialist pre-preg vacuum bagging techniques are used adapted for the specific job in hand. Koenigsegg themselves did a very good video series giving insight into the methods they used, however for the actual carbon wheels, the exact method was custom made by them.
Easy Composites Ltd ok thanks a lot :)
Question because I'm a newbie and I like picking your brain with all the great videos you post No matter if you're carbon fibering skinning metal fiberglass or say like a leather steering wheel it all has to be sanded and scuffed correctly now does the grit of the sandpaper have to be different with the different types of base you're doing thank you for your time
Generally a minimum of 120 grit but the coarser the better for the basecoat.
@@easycompositestv awesome thank you!
Dear Team a few questions. I was very excited when ordering it coupl of days ago and I already used it. I was laminating a little interior car part. my questions are
1. - When putting the first epoxy resin coat on and waiting 8 hours at least it was still a little sticky or felt a little soft of thr surface i waited a few more hours and it was still like this. When touching it with blank hands its a tiny stick to my skin - Normal ? Circumstance are perfect 20° and air ventilation.
2. -can you save the brush or do i realy have to use a new brush for each coat, cause the epoxs on the brush turns it into almost a stone
3. - I am using it to custimize a car part - is the epoxy resin UV protected or is it becoming yellow by time ? - What about the hot temperatures you can have in a car - is the epoxy temperature stable or will it become sticky again in hot summer days ?
4. - you should ad a few more gloves and cups to the package also a polish towl this is what i am missing
5. - is it absolutely needed to to 3 layers of Epoxy - It makes the part "even thicker".
But in summary I am very happy looking realy forward - your video helped a lot
But you should may tell people it can dry much quicker thant you said in your videos - the base coat was dry quiet fast so I almost missed the point to atouch the carbon.
no answer?
James E unfortunately - no :(
@@nico.s7333 did you find any solution for saving brushes?
Sorry, missed this comment. When you posted this we received 170 comments on our channel, sometimes it's hard to keep up. Remember, for technical support you can always contact our technical support through our website or email, that way we won't miss your question(s).
1. No, that's not normal. So in the end you waited more than 10 hours and the resin was still tacky? - That would usually indicate some mixing or measuring problem. It's worth triple-checking your mix ratios (check you're mixing by weight, not volume, check your calculations, consider the thoroughness of the mixing).
2. The brushes can be reused but you would need a strong solvent to clean them, usually acetone is used. Keep your acetone in bucket with a lid on, use it to wash the brush and then retain the acetone, otherwise you'll end up spending as much on acetone as you would on brushes!).
3.a. XCR has the best UV protection of any epoxy on the market. We've never seen any discolouration of XCR, even after a long time and a lot of exposure. That said, just about all materials do change appearance slightly over enough time and enough sunlight, including most of your car interior and the paint on the outside of your car!
3.b. Car interiors can get hot, especially in hot countries. They shouldn't reach temperatures that would cause problems for the XCR providing that the skinned parts have been suitably 'post cured' before they experiences those temperatures in the car. The best way to do this would be to put the skinned part into an oven, taking the temperature up from 40 to 70C over a number of hours. This should be done before the final flatting and polishing. By doing this, you will expose the resin to these higher temperatures; it will soften and move slightly but then it will reset at the higher temperature meaning that it won't soften the next time it is exposed to these high temperatures. By flatting and polishing after it has been post cured at the higher temperature you will avoid the risk of the skinned part losing its surface finish when the resin first softens at the higher temperature.
4. OK, thanks for the feedback, we'll have a think about this.
5. Generally, yes, 3 layers is recommended but remember that the majority of what you add you end up taking away again when you sand the part. The point of the 3 layers is to ensure that the resin can be 'flatted' down to the highest point of the carbon fabric without breaking through. In some cases, if the carbon is down very smooth and you manage to get the resin down very consistently then you might find you can get away with 2 layers.
Anyway, thanks again for all the feedback, it's appreciated and will help us to improve either the product or our advice/instructions for the future. And don't forget, if you do *need* a reply, please just contact us through our technical support email, website or technical support forum, TH-cam comments can be tricky to keep track of for genuine tech support enquiries.
Good luck!
Sorry to be commenting so late in the game, but would it not have made sense to add a layer or 2 of clear paint as a "sunscreen" to keep the epoxy from yellowing over time? And even if you would not consider it to be a necessity here, would you add a clear coat to something like auto or motrocycle parts to keep them from being affected by the UV light?
Some people do that for that reason. It depends on the climate the part is exposed to. eg in sunnier climates the time exposed to high levels of UV is much higher than here.
@@easycompositestv Thanks for the quick reply. I will be ordering from you when I am ready to begin with my project (Porsche GT2RS replica bits :-p)
so the black base coat is just epoxy resin with a black pigmeant? i do like your epoxy resin though. i like hows there is no air bubbles. i was waiting to see air bubbles when you were mixing.
It's almost the same but it is slightly slower to allow more tack-time. It also (of course) has the heavy black pigment it and a little thixotropic agent to make it less prone to draining off. If you have black parts already then it's quite possible to use the clear resin as a basecoat.
The cost of this excellent kit is more than doubled by the actual shipping to the US (43L + 55L, Mar 2021). The invisible hand of the free market beckons me to look elsewhere. Thank you for the excellent video, Easy Composites. Presented with confidence and very succinct, this is how tutorials should be done.
Beautiful work! Personally I would do the final coats in a 2K clear, but other than that I loved the techniques done here.
Personal preference - many of our customers lacquer their skinned parts.
Hi Easy Composites, the only thing i would do differant to the above video is wet out the carbon cloth on a hard piece of plastic like a cutting up board first, pick the wet out carbon up and place it on the job. I do it like this all the time, you end up with no excess reson and you can apply a couple of coats of reson later for sanding
Hi William, there's no issue in doing it that way some people actually prefer to laminate this way too, its usually referred to as "wet preg" it's really a case of what method suits the individual or application.
Im about to order a kit and use it on my teeth lol can't wait.
Although w're all in favour of people coming up with imaginative things to use our Carbon Fibre Skinning Starter Kit on, we really wouldn't recommend skinning your teeth!
Hi, Thanks for the enquiry. Due to the nature of the uncured resins and the potential health hazards associated with skin contact and "internal" contact with uncured resins, we would NOT recommend using the skinning process or any other composite process directly in contact with any part of the body. However if you really wanted a set of cosmetic carbon teeth, you could use a medical grade dental casting material to make a copy of your teeth and use that mould for the composite process.
I would not recommend getting a composite set of teeth, yes, it would be harder but you need to make sure all of your teeth are carbon fiber or the carbon fiber teeth would make quick work of your remaining teeth.
@@easycompositestv What makes dental resins safe?
hahaha
Mate what a great great video. very detailed and concise. With the help of this video I will be wrapping my 2012 Cadillac CTS sedan interior trim and steering wheel and will post the results when they are completed. Many many thanks!
That poor girl is so nervous in front of a camera. Obviously has no problem with performance anxiety though. 🏅🥈🥉 Awesome tutorial.
Nice video guys!
Is this method usable for making kind of "industrial" carbon pieces that can handle stress? Via making a polyestirene piece and wrapping it with several carbon layers. I mean about resultant carbon/resin proportion and how much the layers can be pressed.
Thank you for your help!
The more layers the stronger the part so with careful design it can be made into a structural part.
I love how she thinks it's lighter :D
Actually, it's strange but it does *feel* lighter when you pick it up. I think it's because it looks like it would be heavier.
I was actually curious about that myself because most competitors really know their tools and notice minor changes.
+Easy Composites Ltd
actually its much simpler than that. she would be used to picking the whole rifle up because that is what she does 99% of the time so once she pics up just the empty stock without the heavy metal barrel/action it would seem much lighter than she is used to.
Actually, this is totally right. Sofie's dad is an ex-military sniper and generally takes care of the rifle. I do think it's pretty rare for it to be stripped down. And yes, so much of the weight is in the action that the stock on its own does feel very light.
yep , of course its light , its a plastic coated stick ,,, the heavy parts at home ,,, still , it does look pretty
Great job!. I have a question: is it possible to carbon skin an object and put minimal resin/top coating? The idea is to leave the carbon fiber itself exposed or semiexposed in a way that the fiber strands can be felt when you slide your fingers through it. I think it'll be a nice look for some applications I'm thinking about
Hi Samael, yes, absolutely. In fact, this would really only be a case of sticking the fabric down and then using a single, thin application of resin to wet the fibres out with nothing more required after that.
So easy.. :) now everything in my home will be carbon fiber.
TrumpCorp. Just got there kit, I'm carbon fibers G my donger tonight.
Pffft! I'm building a house out of carbon fiber right now!
Great! That will match all of your rose marble and brass objects. btw: you're fired.
Fascist
👍🏾💯🏍🇬🇧🏍💯👍🏾
My first amazing videos I had ever watched about composite process. Great job
Any plans for affordable US distribution?
Exactly what I was thinking, I'd buy it to do my mirrors, my center console and my front fog light bumper covers.
Can this be done over polymer?
No plans to reply it seems
Years later still a top shelf upload.
🇦🇺🤜🏼🤛🏼🤓🍀🍀🍀😎
awesome tutorial
thanks for the video! should the item be wiped off and cleaned with water after every sanding session?
can you get the black polishing compound all by itself? is there anything comparable that you can get at say autozone?
We do sell the polishing compound on its own. It's called NW1 BLACK from Pai Cristal. It's quite a specialist product, designed for carbon fibre, so it's not something that you'll find something too similar to in a conventional auto store but a polishing compound designed for paint or plastic (like Faracla or Mirka Polarshine) would be an alternative - just watch out for white compounds (such as those mentioned) getting stick in microscopic pin-holes and spoiling the appearance of the part.
Easy Composites Ltd
can this and the fusionfix gp spray adhesive be shipped to the usa?
@serg sroble >Depending on the part, wet sand it with 400 grit, wear latex gloves to keep hand oils off, but if not equipped, make a deal with a local body shop who shoots a quality 2 part clear coat everyday almost. They will use a tack rag, hang it and spray it aside a vehicle in the same booth. Once mixed, anything left over is dumped as it’s pot life is four hours. Hope that help!
Awesome detailed video can I add 3 layers of 3k carbon with this method and release it from the mould and have a strong part? This method really helps for complex shapes without vacuum bag so I thought for some big parts that I can’t manage my time enough for laminating, instead I use this method
wow ! and it is ligher " my god that made my day.
Anti gravity epoxy.
Will epoxy have good adhesion to a plastic stock? What plastics should I choose for 3D printing in combination with carbon lamination? Or should I rely only on the mechanical connection? In the case of the stock, we need to select plastic with a wide temperature range of operation and high impact strength like PC, PET or Nylon.
Most plastics with a very rough key will be ok. Even hard to bond plastics will be mechanically locked in by the skinning process.
@@easycompositestv Thank you!
This would be really cool on a guitar top.
Yeah I was thinking back and sides for an Acoustic, blend the two worlds!!
Currently doing this process with my motorcycle fairings. Will let you know how it turns out
Great stuff !
Buying this is gonna be like when I got my first dremel, looked around the house for things to fix. With this the dining table, curtain rails even the toilet seat aint safe theyre all going on a high fiber diet!
🤣😂🤣
Thank you for the wonderful video. Is there any functional difference between the specialty base coat and regular coating resin, besides the black color? Would the regular coating resin perform just as well in adhering the ply to the part?
Its also slightly thicker in terms of viscosity but the regular coating resin should work just as well and in fact, if the part being covered is already black (or very dark grey), you could just use the coating resin instead of the black basecoat - the main purpose of the base coat being black is to mask any underlying colour from showing through the weave of the carbon.
Yeah I am gonna wrap the toilet in carbon fibre to freak out my mum.
Sold on that idea!
I am wondering why you need to use the thick black base coat for this, but in other videos where customers are using your products they use a spray adhesive to apply the carbon fiber before they begin the resin/epoxy process. What is the benefit of the base coat over the spray to "set" the carbon on the piece? THANKS! Great video!
The resin for using a black base coat is to seal the surface underneath as well as provide a black coloured base to hide the colour of the part. Many spray tacks are not long lived and also will loose adhesion when resin is applied over the top.
Now she turns the gun on him, "you've seen my face, nothing personal"
WE'RE ALL NEXT
@W, O'Keeffe lol!!!! ain't they got no homes to go to of their own?
@lahokc59 I rather go to a strip club me self like!
Watching again in 2022... I used your technique right after this video came out.
I learned so much back then.
Thank you 🇦🇺🤜🏼🤛🏼🍀😎🤓
Thanks for watching the video again, I'm glad the video was still useful 6 years later!
After watching this video over 10 times I summed up the courage to mod my bmw s1000xr motorcycle faring. ordered the kit followed this video to the letter and come out with a amazing carbon faring. But as this guy says its very important to mix the right amount. For someone like me that is no good with numbers it would have been nice if they could have put a mixing chart in the kit box. But a really good product achieved great results. Personally I think I did a better job then this guy😂.
Good video guys. It would of been great to see how you actually got it to fit nicely around all of the small corners. Ive spent the last month making a fiberglass dash and now want to skin it in carbon. Although I'm not sure the fabric will lay over some of the compund bends without pulling the weave apart. Where could I get some advice on my specific project? Thanks
Sure, if you send us some pictures and a description to technical@easycomposites.co.uk we will try and offer advice as best to do the part you are skinning.
Any photos / video of the finished dash?
I like hearing him explain things in his cute British accent! This is porn for moms! 💁🏻♀️
Hey guys, maybe by any chance you're planning on doing a video on moldless construction?
I'm getting an itch to try composite construction, but not on production scale, one-off, two-off things, with carbon over foam, so building molds doesn't look as an interesting proposition...
Yes, we'll certainly do some of this in the future. We might join up with a formula student team or greenpower team to do a mouldless construction on a bodyshell or similar. For one offs, especially on a budget, this can be a sensible option.
Very well explained thank you.
But I had a doubt, is there any difference in epoxy gelcoat you applied as first layer and epoxy you applied after wrapping carbon fiber other than difference in pigment colour?
Also if I have to apply 2 layers of carbon fiber how will I be able to do that given I don't want to lay them up seperately by curing every single layer
The basecoat and the topcoat are very similar, the difference is the black pigment and the basecoat is more thixotropic (less runny). Usually in skinning you would not add more than one layer but if you want or need to do that then the two layers can be added at the same time.
@@easycompositestv thank you for the clarification.
I was worrying about the fact that second layer might not join to my core as epoxy coat might not reach it due to absorption by first layer itself.
Anyway thank you so much you guys are great and has helped me a lot in creating my project
Is there a risk of the carbon being not properly wet out with the epoxy using the technique of applying the carbon to tacky resin? Would that result in reduced strength compared to a conventional laminating and vacuum process?
The carbon is only applied to the tacky basecoat as a way of holding it in position whilst being wet out. Once in position and held in place by the tack form the resin, it's then left to cure until it reaches the 'B' stage. This is a semi cured state which will still cross link with the resin which is then used to wet out the fibres.
Hand laminating does produce slightly heavier and less consolidated parts but we have found that trying to use a vacuum technique when skinning results in a more wrinkled and distorted weave.
I’m a noob - is making carbon fiber with a vacuum bag and peel ply better for the following reasons? Looks - the resin is flatter without any bubbles - strength - there are no dry spots as the resin is distributed evenly - and because there is less time sanding needed? Cheers
The vacuum bagging process can result in better finished parts when done correctly. However, wet laid parts, when properly laid up can still have good cosmetic results.
Turned out really nice, wish her luck... and it is a lot lighter than her fully equipped piece plus now has a stronger covering indy 500 of guns lol
Thank you for sharing
What do you mean with "and it is a lot lighter than her fully equipped piece" ?
Sir, didn't realize some people also commented on her riffle and made a funny, seemed to her it was lighter, and it was in sense because it didn't have all the components attached to it as it would be for competition. And or she thought it felt lighter because it was made out of carbon fiber rather than wrapped in it...
But either way it was theoretically felt lighter... and turned out really nice
@@nancysmith9487 tx
omg i love it...i bought a sako finlight and the dame finish peeled...this will make it 1000% better than it was to begin with
And lighter!!!!😂
And this is great !!!!!! Can be used in polymer ??
Yes, you can carbon fibre wrap around plastic items. You would need to do some surface prep and it's probably worth checking the strength of the bond to your plastic first - epoxy will bond to some plastics and not to others.
This video is absolutely incredible, thank you. I am wondering if this process will work for my application. The object in question are carbon fibre bicycle rims, they have a matte unidirectional finish. I would like to skin them with a carbon-kevlar fabric, will it be possible to achieve a nice finish? If so then I will be ordering one of your kits, thanks very much.
It should be possible to skin such a shape no problem, albeit a bit fiddly. The bigger issue is balance on the wheels. You would have to get the carbon layer and resin perfectly evenly around the wheel to keep it in balance.
@@easycompositestv Hey my apologies I did not see your response. Thanks for the tip, I did not think of that before. If I suspend the rim to dry this is going to cause resin to run from the top of the rim down to the bottom where it will drip off and create an excess. I'll have to think of how to deal with that or get around it. Anyhow I'm definitely going to try my hand at skinning, you make it look so satisfying. Thanks again for the videos :)
Looks really effective. Would it be possible to use multiple layers of carbon fibre with this wrapping method for example with a foam core mold that would remain in place once the part is finished? Or is it still better to use pre preg and vacuum bagging with a heated curing cycle as I would be making parts that needed excellent structural strength.
Yes you can wrap multiple layers of fabric around a foam core. This can be a good method for prototyping or one off projects. You can leave the foam in situ or dissolve it out with a solvent afterwards.
@@easycompositestv Great that looks perfect for what I had in mind.
Hi there! Please, how would you make matte or semi-matte finish? Would you paint it with matte transparent at the end or would you use different resin (resin with matte finish)? thx
Paint it with a matt/satin lacquer is generally the easiest way to get a good finish.
@@easycompositestv thanks :)
Amazing work .
What would the thickness added here by the skinning ?
Typically under 1mm overall.
Hi, why is it necessary to leave it to cure after the first coat of epoxy? And will it be wrong to do the four coats of epoxy at once with 2 hours interval between them and then to sand it down before the last coat?
Great question. Actually, both ways are OK and you can choose. In the full instructions for the XCR Skinning Kit we do describe how you can do either. Usually, it's best to sand after the first coat if you have high spots or stray fibres or other little nuisances which would be better to get rid of at the start of the process, this way - once they're gone - the new resin can be a smooth continuous layer over the top of them. If you have such stray fibres and you continue to build up resin over them, then when you flat them down at the end of the process you're likely to sand into the fibres and expose them, which is not ideal.
Awesome awesome video, had no clue how easy this and cutting carbon fiber was. Thanks a million.
Carbon Fibre is cool! Lindsay Sterling has a CF violin and it’s sick!
Very good video with clear and precise information. Question: If you use a foam core instead of a wood core, would it be strong enough for a rifle stock?
In this case, the wood is not really a core, it IS the rifle stock. We have done some repairs and changes, but primarily the repairs were strong in themselves. The cosmetic layer of carbon fibre does add some strength but its purpose here was to smarten up the rifle and cover over the previous repairs - as well as being something different to feature in the video of course.
Thes guys are the best in carbon fibre.
Great work man. How much better dos the aluminium components/inserts look contrasting to the CF?
You can see the visual comparison at the end of the video with the completed gun.
Awesome and informative video! I have a carbon fiber dive fin that has a running crack up the middle. I used epoxy resin and fiberglass to try to patch it but the crack has opened again. How can I fix this and keep the crack from continuing to run up the fin? Any guidance would be most appreciated.
Hi Joshua, if you could send some photos to our technical@easycomposites.com inbox we'll take a look and advise as best we can on a fix.
Hi , great tutorial. Can you show in detail the overlapping of the fiber carbon.? Thanks.
can you use multiple layers of carbon fiber during the 5th step??? for the sake of more reinforcement?
Yes, you could use more than one layer. The time to do it would be when you add the first layer, you just add additional layers to create more strength. This is then more of a laminating process over a 'male former', rather than a skinning process.
Best video ever step by step well done 👏
I have an SKS stock I'd love to see you do your magic on.. Amazing work mate!
Thanks, glad you liked it :)
Hi, you guys come highly recommended amongst those already in the profession! I can see why.
I'd like to DIY a few car parts. Such as door handles, bumpers, etc. I'm a little concerned about the added thickness. How much thickness does it add? Should I be looking at moulds rather than skinning?
Skinning adds approximately 1mm overall by the time you have your basecoat, carbon and top coats. Skinning is generally used for aesthetic purposes and doesn't require any specialist tools or equipment however, if you want to make a bespoke carbon replacement part then you'd need to make mould tools. The process is a little more involved but once you have the tooling, you can make dozens, if not hundreds of parts out of the same mould.
If I wanted to paint a portion of a project, at what point would one begin the painting process? Seems like the best time is the after the final clear layer.And can you apply automotive clear over the epoxy?Great video, thanks!
I’m a certified automotive painter. I would paint the part before your final clear. When all the flaws are sanded out and the part is straight, go ahead and paint it, and feel free to use automotive clear coat from a gun for a beautiful finish. The bonus to that is if you spray it nice and clean, no buffing necessary 👍🏻
Wow these guys make a kit ! & ITS CHEAP, im definitely trying this
We do indeed; great to hear you're going to get involved :)
@@easycompositestv thanks for making it easy
Hello quick question. I am planing on skinning a part to match my dash which has a matte finish. To get the matte finish would you skip the polish phase and shoot the part with matte clear coat? Thanks in advance and amazing tutorial!
Hi Jon, you have two options - wet sand up to around 1500 grit to achieve a matte appearance and forgo the final polishing stage OR as per your suggestion, go with a matte/sating finish clear coat. Both will achieve much the same aesthetic but the preference would be the clear coat as it adds additional thickness and gives a 'deeper' looking finish to the piece.
One question...the next thing I have to skin is my dashboard "in situ", are there any tricks and tips to reduce resin dripping off on the various surfaces under the dashboard? I can cover these areas with plastic sheet etc, but some is bound to get through in various places which I want to minimise.
Good masking is the only real solution. You can brush coats on thinner to minimise running and drips but that might mean more layers needed to get to a decent thickness for sanding purposes.
Hi guys I’d like to say what a great video and I have a very similar project but the stock is far more complicated in that is has two large holes that would need to be skinned also do you have any videos that explain that process or do you take on skinning projects I could happily send it to yourselfs for you to make a video on the subject ?
Thanks Chris. I'm afraid we don't offer a skinning service ourselves, we just create the kits and provide the advice and support for it. We don't have any different skinning videos covering anything closer to what you're doing but if you want to send us some photos we'd be happy to give you a few pointers. You can use technical@easycomposites.co.uk or get in touch through our Facebook page.
I would like to re-skin a Carbon Fiber dash from a Caterham 7, The idea is to create a blank dash and start again by skinning over the whole dask and cutting out the circular openings as needed while eliminating the small switch cut outs (2x3cm).
As I need to eliminate various switches on the dash, do I need to add support behind those cutouts such as a strip of masking tape to add support?
Will the mat sink into a small openings or is is stiff enough to lay across them? (What weight Mat should I use)
As the dash is CF should I still use a black base coat or clear?
Lastly are there any issues laying up over existing CF
Thanks
The carbon may sink so filling in the holes first will solve that problem.
Your AMAZING and ur video very inspiration to me :D
I would like to do some part but during this time i don't have the all required material.i would like your help about base coat
can i use epoxy resin as base coat ? rather than epoxy gelcoat ?
The basecoat is pigmented epoxy. It is not a gelcoat as such.
I have got one question is the carbon fibre sheet flexible as in if I want to round it around an edge will it get the job done without losing its weave pattern?
Hi Shoumik, yes, carbon fabric is flexible and can go round corners pretty easily. If you've watched the video though then you'll see several parts of the tutorial where we wrap fabric around some of the tight angles of this gun stock.
@@easycompositestv Thank you so much request you to upload some more videos related to carbon fibre your content and explaination technique is amazing
Awesome job! Sure the sports personality liked it really.
Just amazing explanation !
very interesting. is it possible to skin just a portion of a stock? are there quantitative measures of increased strength for weight-neutral skinning of wood structures?
Hi Randy, yes you can skin just some areas, just be careful with treating the edges neatly so it looks good. We do not have any specific figures for the effect of one layer of carbon
Great video. Are the clear layers cosmetic or structural? I can see that a smooth surface is important in this case for handling.
The clear layers are cosmetic; the structural work is done by the carbon fibre - adding additional layers of resin does little to increase the strength but it does mean there's enough thickness there to allow flatting back to a flat finish.
"I can see that a smooth surface is important in this case for handling."
actually depending on use its quite the opposite. a rough surface, specially on a gun stock, can add a much better grip and handling. some people actually add a "rough coat" type finish to stocks for this exact reason. in this case its more looks over function caus polished carbon had that lovely bling everyone loves
I sanded my carbon fibre sea kayaking paddle for extra grip. The rest is shiny and looks brilliant.
@@GRPLiningServices did you make your paddel
I am making a wooden whitewater rafting paddle - would wrapping it with this on high-stress areas be wise or just stick to fiberglassing as planned?
Carbon fibre would give you more strength and more stiffness for a given weight so yes, it would make sense.
@@easycompositestv OK, thanks!
The video was great but I have a question. How did you identify all of the areas that needed to be cutout through the carbon fiber? Seems like it would be easy to miss a bolt hole .
Take a photo and measurements if not sure. However generally you can see a faint line for the larger holes so it is easy to locate them.
I bought the laminating starter kit.. can you do a tutorial also for that please?
Are there many differences with skinning?
You're quite right, we need to produce a new tutorial for the laminating starter kit, this is on the list of videos we want to make very soon. In the meantime we do have our *very* old Carbon Mods tutorial which we made years ago. The Laminating Starter Kit has not changed much since then but thankfully our video production skills (and haircuts) have improved. Here's the old video we made: th-cam.com/video/IAdVO8Rkv6c/w-d-xo.html - If you need any other advice, please just contact us directly through our support email: technical@easycomposites.co.uk
You're quite right, we need to produce a new tutorial for the laminating starter kit, this is on the list of videos we want to make very soon. In the meantime we do have our *very* old Carbon Mods tutorial which we made years ago. The Laminating Starter Kit has not changed much since then but thankfully our video production skills (and haircuts) have improved. Here's the old video we made: th-cam.com/video/IAdVO8Rkv6c/w-d-xo.html - If you need any other advice, please just contact us directly through our support email: technical@easycomposites.co.uk
I wrote you an email to change my order #114280 into this XCR Skinning kit.. If it hasn't shipped yet is it possible to send that instead? I wrote all the detail in the email, sorry for the inconvenience :(
Thank you
Really enjoyed this one! I do a lot of composite work and this was very helpful to answer some questions about which I was unsure.
Glad you enjoyed it Brian, we're all still learning everyday so wherever we can share our own knowledge, we'll continue to do so! :)