Post curing mould (and the part)

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Post curing mould (and the part)

Post curing mould (and the part)

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okkim	o okkim posted 5 Years Ago HOT Topic Details
o Group: Forum Members Posts: 14, Visits: 102	Hi, I have searched a lot, but I can't find a clear answer to my case. I am making moulds for the carbon fiber fenders. The moulds are almost ready and I started to wonder if I need to post cure them? They are made from vinylester gelcoat, and polyester resin with fiberglass. If I need to post cure the moulds, how should I do it and do I need to leave the original fender inside the mould while doing it? And the same applies to curing the parts. I will make the parts from carbon fiber and epoxy using infusion. How those should be cured? Parts inside the moulds or not? I will use this resin: https://composite24.co.uk/infusion-epoxy-resin-1-5kg Also, how much resin I need? I am guessing that 1.5 kg/fender?
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Steve Broad	Steve Broad posted 5 Years Ago HOT Post Details
Group: Forum Members Posts: 408, Visits: 4.1K	+x okkim - 6/23/2020 8:06:29 AM Hi, I have searched a lot, but I can't find a clear answer to my case. I am making moulds for the carbon fiber fenders. The moulds are almost ready and I started to wonder if I need to post cure them? They are made from vinylester gelcoat, and polyester resin with fiberglass. If I need to post cure the moulds, how should I do it and do I need to leave the original fender inside the mould while doing it? And the same applies to curing the parts. I will make the parts from carbon fiber and epoxy using infusion. How those should be cured? Parts inside the moulds or not? I will use this resin: https://composite24.co.uk/infusion-epoxy-resin-1-5kg Also, how much resin I need? I am guessing that 1.5 kg/fender? If using resin infusion then I wouldn't bother as very little heat is involved in the curing process.
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Post curing mould (and the part)

okkim - 5 Years Ago

If using resin infusion then I wouldn't bother as very little heat is involved in the curing process.

Steve Broad - 5 Years Ago

Although Steve is technically correct, sometimes it is nice to be able to post cure carbon car panels to help avoid any softening when first exposed to a hot sunny day. Although in most climates, at....

Warren (Staff) - 5 Years Ago

Thanks for the reply! I could cure the parts in the sauna :), but I would like to use 3 kW infrared heater if that is sufficient? And do I need to rise temperature gradually, or can I heat it straigh...

okkim - 5 Years Ago

The OP was asking about post curing the moulds, not the items :-) Post curing the carbon parts is a good idea if there is any chance of them being exposed to the sun for long periods, as you say. If....

Steve Broad - 5 Years Ago

I'm sure Warren understood the OP's question, but it is always better to post-cure the carbon part BEFORE demoulding; in which case the mould also needs post curing prior to making the part. When...

Hanaldo - 5 Years Ago

Of course, keep forgetting that we aren't talking prepreg here.

Steve Broad - 5 Years Ago

I was talking of curing both, the mould and then later the actual part. I can't find good data sheet for the epoxy resin, but in the web page photo in the bottle is short guide. So If I read it...

okkim - 5 Years Ago

I'd post-cure it for longer than that. Maybe 2 hours at 80 is ok, but generally at 60 you're looking at 12 hours minimum. The longer the better anyway. Leave it overnight if you can, but make sure...

Hanaldo - 5 Years Ago

Ok, thanks! I will do that.

okkim - 5 Years Ago

Maybe this does not belong to this thread, but my fender is now stuck in the mould badly :( I got the flanges out, but the paint is sticking to the mould. I'm SO annoyed. I used plastic wedges to pry...

okkim - 5 Years Ago

Wax release agents are usually known for their problem with elevated temperatures. The one in your link explicitly says that it's for room temperature use only. And the sun heats things up very...

oekmont - 5 Years Ago

Yes, I can see that now. But how can I remove the fender without bending or breaking the mould?

okkim - 5 Years Ago

Oh dear... This is heartache. The heat won't be the issue if the gelcoat cured at room temperature. If you accelerated the cure of the gelcoat by applying heat before it cured, then this could mess....

Hanaldo - 5 Years Ago

Gelcoat was cured in a room temperature (about 20C). I didn't heat it. So then it must be the paint I used. I'm so pissed right now :( I will try to heat it and then maybe add some thinner to break....

okkim - 5 Years Ago

I got the fenders off! They were super tight!! The paint wasn’t stuck as I thought. I used wooden long wedges to pry those off. First I heated the fenders but it didn’t help.

okkim - 5 Years Ago

So it released ok but was mechanically tight?

Hanaldo - 5 Years Ago

Yes, but I don't understand why. The fenders go in and out in the mould easily now.

okkim - 5 Years Ago

It looks quite tight on some of the curved wing edges - but hard to see properly so may just be the photo's. Also you can get vacuum that is hard to break sometimes. Also consider possibly the resi...

Warren (Staff) - 5 Years Ago

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