Update - loving working with carbon! Made some mistakes I’ve learnt from.

Some questions -

Who uses the XCR basecoat and do you rate it? I personally don’t - it takes hours to get to the tacky point just to be able to lay the carbon on which is time consuming in itself. And it doesn’t stick half as good in my opinion as the sticky spray glue (carpet tile type glue). Especially for intricate detailed areas. Anyone give their opinions?

Next important question is who polishes and who laqeurs ? I want to try using laquer I think it’ll save a lot of time on wet sanding up to such a fine grit and all the polishing too? If so which is the best laquer to use? How many coats is usually needed? And does the laquer need to be wet sanded and polished aswel?

Many many thanks for any input I can get. This is all a big learning curve for me.

So I’ve had a bash today with just a plain square clock so it’s very easy just one piece to layer which I’ve done and all went perfect (obviously as it’s so easy) and the next piece I’ve done is a cup holder that sits in the van that was custom made. A LITTLE bit more intricate but nothing major. This has had its 3rd coat of resin so I’ll be doing the cut outs in the morning and sanding it down and trimming the overhang bits and then it’s final coat .

All I can say is this is INCREDIBLY enjoyable to learn all of this. I look forward to doing some very intricate dash panels and using the vacuum bagging kit that I’ve boufht off easy composites. Not to put resin in but to make sure the carbon sticks to the base coat perfect in all the little crevices and stays there until cured . Will update and the bedrooms getting changed into the carbon room. En suite knocked through to two cupboards that aren’t beside it and a long ‘urinal’ style looking sink for all the wet sanding work. Should be sweet . Also in order an extraction system so that any odour (I can’t even smell it tbh so far) and dust from dry sanding will go straight outside through a filter . Got the idea from what bodybuilding tanning companies use.

Welcome to the forum!  working in the house can be difficult.  Epoxies have a very slight odour when in liquid form and while curing and it does depend how sensitive the nose is.  Despite working with resins everyday, I can still smell it in a room but rarely further than that.


Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant

Start in the bedroom and see how it goes. You can always move out if the smell is too much :-)

+x

 

Steve Broad - 10/13/2018 10:27:40 PM

+x

 

Kieren1234 - 10/13/2018 9:45:39 PM

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Steve Broad - 10/13/2018 8:32:25 AM

I found out about the conductive properties of carbon when my TIG welder exploded!
Although low, the stuff used still has a smell and will pervade the whole house. A friend (owns Carbon Weezel) worked in a shed and only kept finished parts in his house but it still stunk of resin.

Ah this is a big problem for the plans I had . I do bodybuilding and when you go for your tan they have a big extracter fan that takes all the overspray and smell in the massive room out of the window. Surely something like that would be sufficient? Obviously don’t want the house to smell. I did spray my kitchen cupboards recently in the garage with cellly paint and the WHOLE house stunk of it and actually had overspray in every single room somehow lol

Do you not have space for a small shed? A large fan and sealing the room from the rest of the house will make a big difference, but can't guarantee no small escaping into the house. I guess it depends on how sensitive your, or your guests', noses are :-)

I could build one no problem but did want it in that bedroom. It is only epoxy that I’ll be using.

If you're only working with epoxy then it really shouldn't stink the house out. You will be able to smell it in the same room while it is curing, but you must have a VERY sensitive nose to smell epoxy after it has cured.

Polyesters and vinylesters, very different story as they are solvent-heavy.

+x

 

Steve Broad - 10/13/2018 8:32:25 AM

I found out about the conductive properties of carbon when my TIG welder exploded!
Although low, the stuff used still has a smell and will pervade the whole house. A friend (owns Carbon Weezel) worked in a shed and only kept finished parts in his house but it still stunk of resin.

Ah this is a big problem for the plans I had . I do bodybuilding and when you go for your tan they have a big extracter fan that takes all the overspray and smell in the massive room out of the window. Surely something like that would be sufficient? Obviously don’t want the house to smell. I did spray my kitchen cupboards recently in the garage with cellly paint and the WHOLE house stunk of it and actually had overspray in every single room somehow lol

I found out about the conductive properties of carbon when my TIG welder exploded!
Although low, the stuff used still has a smell and will pervade the whole house. A friend (owns Carbon Weezel) worked in a shed and only kept finished parts in his house but it still stunk of resin.

+x

 

Hanaldo - 10/13/2018 2:43:05 AM

I'd avoid making any dust inside. Not only is it very unhealthy in an enclosed space, but it will migrate throughout the house and it is conductive, so the possibility of destroying TV's and computers and any other electronics is very real. Wet sanding is obviously fine.

You dont need much really, just a workbench or two and some wall racks for storing fabric. Couple of drawer units or other storage solutions for things like scissors and knives and you're ready to roll.

Thanks so much for the reply. I was going to get an extraction system built in so that any sanding it would have a moveable tube and extract it outside as I do my sanding and would make sure the door to that room was sealed ? It could be done in my garage I suppose but will have other things going on in there (kitchen resprays business).

Work bench is my main thing I need. The bedroom has the en suite which can convert to the wet sanding room and it’s got two big cupboards built in either side too which would be perfect for storsge.