Hey guys, novice here with some questions... I recently bought a front lip for my car which is made of unpainted polypropylene plastic.

Instead of making a fibreglass mould from it. Is it possible to laminate carbon fibre directly onto it after applying a release agent?

Would it damage the front lip if i remove the carbon fibre from it do you think?

Would these be the basics steps?:

- Release agent - single wax layer or single pva layer? or both? (wax layer and then pva layer) ? which is better
- epoxy resin layer
- wait til tacky
- carbon fibre cloth
- epoxy resin
- wait to fully cure
- sand low grit to high grit
- and then one last epoxy resin layer? wait to fully cure
- sand again low grit to high grit

how do i know when to stop applying layers of epoxy resin layers? until it’s completely smooth/flat?
and if another resin layer is added. does it end with sanding again or is the resin layer the last step?

does it then need a uv resistant clear coat because it’s exposed to the sun? or will the epoxy resin be enough?

do i then go ahead and use detailing compound/cut and polish/wax for the perfect glossy look?

thanks guys

If it is smooth glossy polypropylene then epoxy resin will not stick to it, so demoulding should be quite easy. 

I suspect you would want more than 1 layer of cloth - a typical 210gsm cloth is around 4 layers per mm thickness.

If you follow our skinning video - in essence the resin build up process is the same, you would hit it with 3 coats then sand it flat.

Lacquer or polish is personal preference.  In very sunny or hot climates, a lacquer will offer more UV stability.

Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant

+x

 

Warren (Staff) - 5/26/2020 3:37:10 PM

If it is smooth glossy polypropylene then epoxy resin will not stick to it, so demoulding should be quite easy. 

I suspect you would want more than 1 layer of cloth - a typical 210gsm cloth is around 4 layers per mm thickness.

If you follow our skinning video - in essence the resin build up process is the same, you would hit it with 3 coats then sand it flat.

Lacquer or polish is personal preference.  In very sunny or hot climates, a lacquer will offer more UV stability.

Hey Warren, thanks for the info. How many layers of CF would you recommend for a car front lip?

What would be the first thing you apply after applying the release mould?
Straight to the resin/hardener mix? and then lay your CF cloth?

Thanks

Depends on the shape and how big it is.  A shallow lip would only need around 4 layers.  A bigger lip with some curve to it or some angles/bends would be ok at that as the curves will add stiffness due to the shape.  If it is more splitter or sticks out far, then go for a foam core for weight reasons and added stiffness  -  we sell flat splitter panels ourselves but use a foam core with a couple of layers of fabric either side.

Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant