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aidanh
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Fairly new to all this skinning business etc, all the parts ive done so far have been just skinning, I am taking on a project to do a motorbike fuel tank. would it be beneficial to vacuum bag this tank to ensure the fabric stick to all the edges and curves properly? if so, any tips for bagging would be greatly appreciated! I have a bagging kit and vacuum on its way from easy composites. thanks in advance! 
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Steve Broad
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+xFairly new to all this skinning business etc, all the parts ive done so far have been just skinning, I am taking on a project to do a motorbike fuel tank. would it be beneficial to vacuum bag this tank to ensure the fabric stick to all the edges and curves properly? if so, any tips for bagging would be greatly appreciated! I have a bagging kit and vacuum on its way from easy composites. thanks in advance! Vacuum bagging will certainly help in pushing the carbon into the edges and curves. However, a word of caution. I wouldn't go to a full vacuum as there is a good chance that it will deform the thin metal. Think about it, nearly 15lb of weight would be pressing down on every square inch of the tank! Just pull enough vacuum to ensure that the carbon is snug againt the tank and no more.
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Hanaldo
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As long as the tank was sealed and you werent evacuating the air from the inside of the tank, the pressure would be even on both sides of the walls and you wouldnt crush it. Should be possible to completely seal a fuel tank.
That said, vacuum is completely unnecessary for skinning and generally causes more problems than it solves. Use the tack of your base coat to ensure the carbon stays in place and that is all you need.
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Steve Broad
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If you can seal the tank then, yes, Hanaldo is correct. However, getting the cloth to adhere tightly to the fuel cap resess may be a challenge without the aid of a small vacuum.
I would use a partial vacuum to ensure complte adhesion, but I have all the equipement so this isn't a problem. However, Hanaldo is way more experienced than me with this stuff.
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Warren (Staff)
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Its 6 of one half a dozen the other when it comes to skinning under vacuum. Generally avoid it wherever possible as for most cases good results can be achieved relying on the tacky basecoat and taping the fabric over any edges/undersides.
Ignoring the tank crush issue, the main problem with vacuum bagging is keeping the vacuum level low enough to work but not crease or crimp the fabric. Get the vacuum too high, even slightly, and you will get the fabric creased or crimped in various places which will ruin everything.
Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant
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Sam Walker
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 As you can see, the tank will collapse under vacuum! 😆 And that was using a regulator at 10% too. My advise is to ensure the tank is sealed and add a vent tube to it. Sam
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Sam Walker
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Steve Broad
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+xAs you can see, the tank will collapse under vacuum! 😆 And that was using a regulator at 10% too. My advise is to ensure the tank is sealed and add a vent tube to it. Sam If you add a vent tube the tank won't be sealed. ?
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Sam Walker
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+x+xAs you can see, the tank will collapse under vacuum! 😆 And that was using a regulator at 10% too. My advise is to ensure the tank is sealed and add a vent tube to it. Sam If you add a vent tube the tank won't be sealed. ? Well, the thing is, as much as you attempt to seal the tank, it is very difficult to get it completely air tight and in turn stopping the air from being evacuated from the inside of the tank whilst pulling the vacuum. If you can ensure it is completely air tight then a vent tube isn't required as the only air being evacuated when pulling the vacuum is that which is within the vacuum bag. From my own personal experience, it doesn't take much vacuum for the tank to collapse, so even if there is a tiny pin hole in the tank, as you pull the vacuum it will be in turn removing the air from the tank. This is why my recommendation is to vent the tank, through the vacuum bag.
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Steve Broad
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Group: Forum Members
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+x+x+xAs you can see, the tank will collapse under vacuum! 😆 And that was using a regulator at 10% too. My advise is to ensure the tank is sealed and add a vent tube to it. Sam If you add a vent tube the tank won't be sealed. ? Well, the thing is, as much as you attempt to seal the tank, it is very difficult to get it completely air tight and in turn stopping the air from being evacuated from the inside of the tank whilst pulling the vacuum. If you can ensure it is completely air tight then a vent tube isn't required as the only air being evacuated when pulling the vacuum is that which is within the vacuum bag. From my own personal experience, it doesn't take much vacuum for the tank to collapse, so even if there is a tiny pin hole in the tank, as you pull the vacuum it will be in turn removing the air from the tank. This is why my recommendation is to vent the tank, through the vacuum bag. Not with you here. If you vent the tank, you are allowing air to escape from the tank, yes? In that case there will be no contained air inside the tank to resist the vacuum pressure and it will collapse the same way as if you simply left the cap off.
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