Hi, I usually make a bag of the vacuum screen when the shape does not have flanges.
Then just put the mould into the bag and seal it with tape, dont forgett to do it big....

Overall a better part but those problem areas are still haunting me. So what are the tricks to flattening folds when dealing with uneven compound radii? Do I just try to "rub" across the fold to lay it down or do I need to pull on a different part of the fabric to "stretch" it out? 

Is there a adhesive I can use to "pin" the carbon down or is that pre-preg?

I think my next step is to make another mold with a HUGE flange so I can lay a large square piece of carbon to work with.

 

To be fair, apart from the defects youve highlighted, youre probably not that far from getting a decent surface finish. Just practice now getting it into all the corners.

Remember its a non stretch fabric, therefore it will try and ripple/fold when put onto a complex mould like yours.  Even distorting the fabric will still risk creases.

You can use spray tacks, but it will effect surface finish slightly meaning youd have to lacquer the part.

I still think you need cut lines at the very least horizontally across the light openings.  Imagine viewing the part from above and trying to place a piece of kitchen towel or similar on top.  It has to drop a long way between the top and bottom of light appertures so will cause creases/folds at the edge if you force it in.   You are already trying to stretch the fabric around the curves as it is.

I wouldnt throw away mould just yet!! remember you can use a big piece of carbon then trim it and use tape to hold the edges in position, although not too much tape as you want a bit of movement when you pull a vacuum.

Remember youre doing a complicated shape for a first part.  Had you done something simple, youd be there by now. But dont get too disheartened as by the time you get it right you will have learnt a lot more than doing a simple panel.

to add...

you can cut up infusion mesh into pieces or use cut lines in it so it doesnt fold.  Same with the peel ply too.

Also make your bag bigger so youve got more movement in the bag for you to manipulate the stack.

Its easier to do the manipulation under only slight vacuum, slowly building vacuum, then doing it again, then repeat.  Sometimes whacking on the pump and yanking full vacuum is just too quick so a more gentle approach may work better.

thumbs up , keep it going , you are earning a lot of experience there , everytime it doesnt work it gets you closer to be a pro my freind , in my country we have no epoxy and no one who does carbon other than me and guess what i bought the carbon from easy composites and still working with polyester resin and i did plenty of good work after i did lots of bad , but now i do all of them right (overlaying only) , last month i started vacuum infusion , thanks to matt and his videos the second part turned good and im still trying to get better,

best regards mhd alghoul mhdghoul@hotmail.com youtube channel :atmospherejo link is http://www.youtube.com/user/atmospherejo?ob=0&feature=results_main

I used (and broke) the actual bezel last night and it was WAYYY easier! The creases were easier to deal with and the tight "valleys" were now "mountains" if that makes sense. Instead of trying to tuck in the carbon I could just roll it over the side and clip it. I'm going to try to use a large styrofoam block to keep the bottom from breaking again and I'm going to tape the bag to my table as a flange.

What can I use for a spray tack? Something like a Super77 spray glue or is there a specific type I should use?

This SUCKS! 5 failed attempts and I'm no closer. I just want to buy some pre-made ones from APsis or someone of the like. I just cant bring myself to do it. I need to make my own, I just cant figure it out.
I wish I could pay to see someone make one in front of me. Everything on the Internet is so simple, flat panels or mildly contoured parts. These headlights are insanely hard!

you need to cut the fabric dude, i know you don't want to but just try it

 my advise is not to use carbon straight away use a woven fibre glass cloth its cheaper to get wrong! lol, thats what i'm using.

make a template from some peel ply of the flat surface (a little extra on top of the headlight so you can fold it over)  then of the headlight valleys, use some spray glue on the woven cloth (it helps to hold the weave) then cut the patterns, you can hold the pieces in the mould with a little spray glue. don't forget to cut the peel ply in sections when your getting ready to bag it up, same with the mesh (like others have said it helps!) 

Hey there 383!