I Need Some Help - Newbie Alert - Pics - FAIL!


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MovingOn
MovingOn
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Posts: 3, Visits: 41
Hello all~!

As you are about to see - I am very new to making carbon fiber parts. I have a sailboat that I need to make some fairly large pieces for and right now just can't get out of the gate! One issue after the other and I'm sure it is all on me.

I've vacuumed bagged multiple pieces and they all come out the same, shitty. The carbon fiber doesn't form to the mold very well and carbon itself is very dry - like the resign was sucked out of it.

What I did in this latest fiasco was:
Mold release
Mixed the epoxy and put a thin layer - let it sit for 20 minutes (using 207 hardener)
Laid the first 200g carbon fiber cloth on - put a lot of epoxy.
Laid the second - put a lot of epoxy on - and then laid the third and final - with more epoxy.
Placed a piece of peal ply.
Placed a breather cloth.
Put on the vacuum bagging and attached.

Before the real crappy end result I have a few questions:

Could my vacuum pump be pulling too hard? It isn't huge but maybe a little too big for this job. It is a 5 CFM 2 stage 1/3  hp Robinair. Tons of resign ends up in the breather cloth... The Carbon Fiber feels very dry and has a mate finish. Is there a specific number I should pull instead of letting it drop all the way to 30?

The carbon fiber doesn't get down in the corners very well - comes out of the mold rounded with just resign in the corners. Could the breather cloth be too thick? Or am asking my setup to do something it just can't.

Thanks all for your comments / suggestions / jokes. Communities like this make the world a hell of a lot better as it gives people the confidence to go out and do somethingthey never thought they could!

http://www.talkcomposites.com/Uploads/Images/83c8fd20-ea5b-4296-8147-fbfa.jpg
http://www.talkcomposites.com/Uploads/Images/d2b638c1-8a4a-4343-86d5-12a4.jpg
http://www.talkcomposites.com/Uploads/Images/637de523-0b81-4c97-abbb-0ea3.jpg
http://www.talkcomposites.com/Uploads/Images/891fa0ff-5c2a-4ff5-b4af-ed07.jpg
http://www.talkcomposites.com/Uploads/Images/dd8243ed-4c3a-4167-a73f-7a33.jpg
This was the first go - and the plexiglass we had under it was way too thin and bowed. We have a gauge and regulator on the new setup that we used for the above hosed pieces. 
http://www.talkcomposites.com/Uploads/Images/03caa0b6-0a85-4fce-b49e-c004.jpg
GO

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