Hi guys

I need some know how from anyone who has experience in using intensifiers. By that I mean a shape that is put into the carbon stack before you close it up with the vacuum bag. This shape forces the fabric into impossible tight corners by the pressure exerted by the vacuum bag on it.

I would like to know.

1. How is the shape made? (my guess - sheet wax to take up the space the fabric occupies, then pour in silicone over this to make your intensifier)

2. What materials can be used for an intensifier?  (my guess - silicone, wood, metal, rubber....) 

3. Can intensifiers be used for infusion, prepreg and wet layup?

4. Will they introduce a greater possiblity for pinholes?

5. Can the intensifier be used outside of the bag and clamped to apply pressure.

If you go to youtube and select "Making a carbon fibre cello" you will see they used a intensifier in the kneck.

I can find painfully little on the net about this.

What about you Matt? Whats your experience on this?

Thanks as always.

Fred 

Mybe I can help you...

sorry for my english!

this is my last carbon fiber part

it is not lacquared yet but you can see the detail of my work

I use only infusion process and in this case I have use an little intesifier to help the pressure to push well the fiber into the concavities





giuseppe
sorry for my english

Thanks for the info star!

Hi Star

Thank you very much for this knowledge and experience. That part looks great! The small indentation by the penny looks impossible, but there it is.

Is this dental silicone much different than casting silicone. (Perhaps the softness.)

Would it be the resistance you would get squeezing an pencil eraser? ( or softer)

I would really like to see more pictures of your work using intensifiers. ( do you have pictures with the intensifiers being used?)

I ran into a guy who said you could use intensifiers with a double vacuumbag system and soapy water to aid in slipping the intensifier around under the second bag. (the idea of the second bag is that once you infused with the first bag you pulled full vac on the second bag and cut the vacuum line and resin feed line from the first bag, which lets the second bag squeeze the excess resin from the stack under the first bag. They claimed a resin fiber density almost equal to full blown prepreg autoclave stuff.) Any of you guys heard of this?

Thanks

Fred

Thanks Fred
About the dental silicone it looks putty, so it is very easy to mix (base and hardner) and you can find many kind of hardness (from soft to very hard)

I never heard about double bag with water inside used as intensifiers, I am sorry!
Double bag is a good system to make a perfect infusion without (or very few) pinholes.

giuseppe

Hi Giuseppe
It is just a spritz of soapy water between bags to aid in sliding the silicone intensifier into position. This overcomes the bag friction.
Sure hope you can show us some pictures of you using intensifiers!
Thanks
Fred

Hello Star

Was hoping to see those pictures of your intensifiers. A picture is worth a thousand words.

Fred 

Ciao Giuseppe,
stupendo quel pezzo con quegli intagli! Riesci a farli utilizzando un singolo pezzo di tessuto oppure devi usare più pezzi? Sembra impossibile fare entrare il tessuto in quei due buchi così profondi...
Se tu potessi postare qualche foto in più sarebbe di grande aiuto per quelli che hanno ancora tutto da imparare come me!

Hi Giuseppe,
that part is wonderful, with those indentations! Can you make it with one piece of fabric or you use more of them (it seems so deep!). Please post some more photos for students like me!


Alessandro