hi im after some advice im wanting to make a splitter out of carbon iv already made a template out of mdf and sealed it with pva im not wanting the carbon to stick to the mdf so id be needing the laminating kit  iv downloaded the laminating guide but it the wrong way round for me  my finish surface will be last  what would the process be to made one

strenght wise what would i be needin

 iv looked at the carbon 2/2 twill 12k 650g as a base layer only 1 layer

and the 2/2 twill 3k 195g as the final layer same again 1 layer  would the be strong enough

looking at the kit iv worked out what i think id need is this correct

Carbon Fibre 2/2 Twill 3k 195g 1.25m Wide    £30.68     * *     £61.36    
Epoxy Laminating Resin 1kg SLOW    £16.75     * *     £16.75    
Professional Composites Snips    £8.27     * *     £8.27    
PVA Mould Release Agent 1litre    £6.55     * *     £6.55    
Mirka Waterproof Wet and Dry Combination Pack    £19.95     * *     £19.95    
Mirka P2000 Waterproof Wet and Dry Abrasive Sanding Paper 10 Sheets    £3.65     * *     £3.65    
Carbon Fibre 2/2 Twill 12k 650g 1m Wide    £25.00     * *     £50.00    
Epoxy Coating Resin 1kg Pack

many thanks chris

Hi Chris,

Thanks for the post.

The first thing to point out is that PVA won't stop the epoxy from sticking to your MDF pattern. It might help a little but you'll be in all sorts of a mess if you just PVA the MDF and hope to get a release. You would need to either paint your pattern in 2 pack polyurethane filler/primer (our favourite method) seal it with resin (like epoxy or vinylester), or seal it with Shellac sanding sealer.

The next thing I would say is that I honestly think you would find it quicker, easier and you'd have a better finished product if you use your pattern to make a mould and then use the mould to make your part, rather than try to work by laying up your part onto your pattern and then trying to re-surface the part so that it's 'B side' can look good enough to be your visible face. It's very tempting to think it will be quicker and easier to skip the mould making step but in my experience it very rarely works out that way.

My suggestion would be to seal your MDF pattern with filler/primer, flat and polish it, Easy-Lease it then #8 wax it then use Uni-Mould to make a mould. Then Easy-Lease your mould and lay up your part into the mould. You mould will have an 'A' finish on the inside meaning that your part will have an 'A' finish on the outside (much better!).

For the part itself, it really depends on the shape of the splitter - this can have a huge impact on how much reinforcement is required to get the stiffness you need. For a shape that is naturally very stiff (lots of double curves etc.) then 1 layer of 200g and 1 layer of 650g might be enough, that's still under 1mm of reinforcement though and so without any core material you might find it a bit too thin. Maybe post up a photo of your pattern?

Best regards, Matt

Matt Statham
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Sales