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AWOL - 2/28/2018 12:07:39 AM

Here's a pic - probably should mention we're doing hand layup, and its 480gsm 2/2 twill
The areas where it has repelled the epoxy show up as great gaping voids 



Hoping to resurrect it - or even lay up a new attempt, because it's going to look cool - for a mate's 70 Mach 1 

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matthieutje65 - 3/1/2018 8:56:58 AM

Did you try using a plastic roller to remove air/spread excess resin. 
I see you add multiple layers of carbonfiber. I assume you wet the mould with epoxy, put down the first layer of carbonfiber, wet it out, add new layer of carbon fiber, wet it out again? 
  

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AWOL - 3/1/2018 9:18:02 AM

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matthieutje65 - 3/1/2018 8:56:58 AM

Did you try using a plastic roller to remove air/spread excess resin. 
I see you add multiple layers of carbonfiber. I assume you wet the mould with epoxy, put down the first layer of carbonfiber, wet it out, add new layer of carbon fiber, wet it out again? 
  

Thanks for the reply Matthieu,
No we haven't tried a plastic roller yet, we will source one out for sure, especially if it will improve our chances - I'm not going to pretend we are experts, still learning (perhaps too impatient)
Yes, we did attempt to wet out the mould first with epoxy, (it seemed to repel away - like water on wax, literally runs away from the surface .. unless our wax buffing needs work 'OP quietly questions his wax & PVA methods')
We then lay the first layer of cloth, we hoped we could wet it out enough to wet right through to counteract the repelling resin, and actually looked to cover quite well 
We let this tack off a bit then laid some more cloth, wetting it out also

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Matthieu Libeert - 3/1/2018 9:32:52 AM

hmm strange! I would recommend you to try the same technique you are using on a glass plate! that way you can do every step and try to analyze now and then through te glass wat is happening on the surface. That way you will already be able to see if the carbonfiber is wetting out enough and if the resin is working ok to go through the fibers till mould surface 

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AWOL - 3/1/2018 10:11:45 PM

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Matthieu Libeert - 3/1/2018 9:32:52 AM

hmm strange! I would recommend you to try the same technique you are using on a glass plate! that way you can do every step and try to analyze now and then through te glass wat is happening on the surface. That way you will already be able to see if the carbonfiber is wetting out enough and if the resin is working ok to go through the fibers till mould surface 

That's a great idea - I'll try that for sure (on a smaller scale haha)
Thanks again for the advice .. stay tuned 

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Dravis - 3/5/2018 5:00:57 PM

Hi!

I used to do hand  wet-lays with West Systems 105 and they never turned out well without vacuum, especially on moulds with a lot of contours like yours, 105 is simply too runny for that! (too low viscosity)

All surfaces that are  not almost horizontal will have the resin running off them and pooling in the low areas, even when laying up one layer at a time and. I do not think you will ever get a good result without vacuum bagging it.  where the resin runs off, there will be voids in the fibre, when cured these will not really let new resin bond to them.

You could try to use som way of mechanically compressing the layup in the mould, I've used plastic bags of hot water to do this, since they will conform to the mouls shape, and speed up the cure to boot :-)