Hello from Derbyshire and Aude, France

Firstly I am 65 years old and don't learn as quickly as I used to. Having spent a lot of years working with wood I have ventured into CF. Without the Easycomposites course and Paul guiding us through I would have been lost. Thanks guys for a good course. So now I am up and away (well nearly as a few mistakes have hopefully been learnt from) and after doing a couple of hinge fairings for a Sequoia Falco aircraft I am venturing out from the beginning and creating an instrument panel with a few tweeks. Started using MDF and Celotex foam board as its freely available. Worked well and have bonded MDF onto it where it is required to be flat and Bondo'd all the curvy bits. The Pattern primer and High Gloss are really so good too.
Here are a few things I did not learn on the course.
1) connecting up the silicone connectors for infusion is easy but when attached to the resin pot there is sufficient play for them to even leak after applying gum tape. Very frustrating when it started pulling air in after the infusion had begun. So answer is use an O ring an R-07 will work as this is then pulled down against the silicone connector.
2) I dont have the luxury of a well ventilated workshop without the doors being open which means the temperature is below 20C so Dunelm sell a single bed electric blanket for £22. Raid the airing cupboard for an old Duvet and throw them over the infusion setup and turn on. Don't tell Dunelm or the wife about the missing duvet.
3) Don't let your grandson pick up your sanding machine and turn it on when applying gelcoat!
4) Cheap Nylon brushes from Wickes are just fine unless you leave them soaking in Acetone. It melts the glue!
5) Cutting CF off the roll can be quite tricky so I work out the size I want by cutting a paper pattern and apply masking tape around the perimeter onto the cloth. Then cut the cloth with very sharp scissors down the centre of the tape. When I am happy with its position in the mould I can then trim off the masking tape to leave a minimally frayed edge. Yes you waste a bit of cloth but not nearly as much as cutting it freehand off the roll.

Retired - Thank heavens, and still don't have enough time during the day

Welcome to the forum David!

Perhaps try using more gum tape on the silicons. I have not heard of many problems with the silicons except where the bagging film is creased under the gum tape.

Electric blankets do work very well! With a duvet you can get a nice toasty  temperature.


Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant

Hi David

I agree that the EC course is excellent and Paul really does put a lot into making sure that it's useful and very worthwhile

Leaks around your connectors can sometimes be cause by the bag being creased up, especially if some is pulled into the hole by the tube when inserting. I'm not certain of your preferred technique, but winding a length of tape around the tube after inserting it and pressing it down into place (rather than applying tape to the tube prior to insertion) might offer a little more control. Also, a small 'donut' of tape applied to the top of the connector prior to bagging can help prevent it creasing up too much when putting in the tube. Just lightly press the bag down over it when you reach that part of the mould when bagging-up the perimeter. It'll also ensure that the connector doesn't move prior to fixing the tube

Cutting templates are very worthwhile also. To aid your cutting and speed things up a little, I'd highly recommend getting a large self-heal cutting mat and an Olfa roller cutter. It really does help make quick and sharp cuts in even the thicker fabrics.
A mist of spray tack over your intended cut line will also help to prevent the fabric falling apart when handled. For stability, you'll find that the 240g twill fabric is so much easier to work with than regular 200g cloth, albeit a touch more expensive. It'll also be less likely to distort and give you a better looking finished part, especially as the fabric is closer woven and less likely to appear 'gappy'.

Mark, Many thanks for your invaluable advice. Still learning!

Retired - Thank heavens, and still don't have enough time during the day