Hi all, i need some help getting the wet layup of carbon fibre process right. as there is no tutorial for this on talkcomposites ive been snooping around on various youtube videos so i just need to confirm a few things.

1. after the mould has been prepped with wax and pva release agent the tutorer used epoxy straight onto the mould as a sort of clear coat. he then used the same mix of epoxy to wet out the cloth? i presumed there would of been a specific gel coat or clear coat epoxy for this. i think easy composites has this product for sale, can anyone confirm?

2. after laying down this first epoxy "clearcoat" he immediatly put down the first layer of cloth. he didnt wait until the clear coat became tacky. this doesnt really sound right so im just double checking.

3. after laying down the first layer of fabric he wetted it out with a squeegee (is this better than using a brush?). he then did the next layer and wetted that out, and so on and so forth. i think there were 4 layers alltogether. so numero uno, if he is putting down individual layers of cloth then also wetting out individually is it not necessary to let each layer of epoxy dry to a certain amount of tackiness? or is it unnecessary to do each layer individually, can you just lay down the 4 layers and then wet out? my first instinct is that if this were done there is a chance of pooling on the resin especially on a complex part but since he did each layer individually wouldnt there be a chance of pooling anyway? correct me if im wrong but doing each layer individually and allowing it to dry a certain amount, i would imagine is the best process.

(this is probably a stupid one but are laminating and wet layup one in the same?


looking forward to your replies

This should answer all of your questions I would guess: https://youtu.be/4ND2WtEZatY

laminating is a somewhat overarching term and wet layup is a specific technique where you impregnate a reinforcement fabric by hand.