Hello from Derbyshire and Aude, France

Firstly I am 65 years old and don't learn as quickly as I used to. Having spent a lot of years working with wood I have ventured into CF. Without the Easycomposites course and Paul guiding us through I would have been lost. Thanks guys for a good course. So now I am up and away (well nearly as a few mistakes have hopefully been learnt from) and after doing a couple of hinge fairings for a Sequoia Falco aircraft I am venturing out from the beginning and creating an instrument panel with a few tweeks. Started using MDF and Celotex foam board as its freely available. Worked well and have bonded MDF onto it where it is required to be flat and Bondo'd all the curvy bits. The Pattern primer and High Gloss are really so good too.
Here are a few things I did not learn on the course.
1) connecting up the silicone connectors for infusion is easy but when attached to the resin pot there is sufficient play for them to even leak after applying gum tape. Very frustrating when it started pulling air in after the infusion had begun. So answer is use an O ring an R-07 will work as this is then pulled down against the silicone connector.
2) I dont have the luxury of a well ventilated workshop without the doors being open which means the temperature is below 20C so Dunelm sell a single bed electric blanket for £22. Raid the airing cupboard for an old Duvet and throw them over the infusion setup and turn on. Don't tell Dunelm or the wife about the missing duvet.
3) Don't let your grandson pick up your sanding machine and turn it on when applying gelcoat!
4) Cheap Nylon brushes from Wickes are just fine unless you leave them soaking in Acetone. It melts the glue!
5) Cutting CF off the roll can be quite tricky so I work out the size I want by cutting a paper pattern and apply masking tape around the perimeter onto the cloth. Then cut the cloth with very sharp scissors down the centre of the tape. When I am happy with its position in the mould I can then trim off the masking tape to leave a minimally frayed edge. Yes you waste a bit of cloth but not nearly as much as cutting it freehand off the roll.

Retired - Thank heavens, and still don't have enough time during the day