Hi,

I would  like  to get started making stuff for my motorcycles in carbon fiber, but I am a total newbie and need some advice on  exactly what materials and tools I need.

My first project will be a cafe racer style seat and the biggest I have in mind is a fuel tank. I know that a cafe racer seat isnt a good beginner job so I will do some experiments first, but the seat is the need I have now. My plan with the seat is to make a plug in some foam material and "skin" the plug to make the seat. So to get a newbie like me started on a project like this, what would you recommend of material and tools? Is prepeg the way to go? Do I need a vacum pump and bags? What else?

Please descibe the materials and tools best suited for me, the newbie, maybe with links to the actual product.

Thank you
Søren

Please some help here, anybody? If my question is vague or wrong, please let me know, I need help getting started.

Hi Soren,

If you go down the skinning route, you will in essence be doing a hand lay up over the top of the pattern.  Something like styrofoam would be a good choice as it is cheap, easy to shape, firm enough to withstand the skinning process and once done, easily broken out or dissolved out using solvents.

You are going to need several layers of cloth at least to make something strong enough.  I would make the basic seat, remove the foam, then add extra reinforcement inside where needed. eg fixing points, contact points, where the load goes etc.  You can even use thin layers of foam laminated into the structure as a foam core to stiffen things up.

I would watch the skinning video to get you started but in simple terms you need a carbon cloth of your choice, sandpapers and polishing compounds, brushes and consumables and the XCR Epoxy Coating Resin

Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant

Thank you Warren Carbon cloth of my choice.. Yes, it is my first so I have no preferences, it will be painted so the visual look is not important, could you point me in a good direction here?

What do you mean by "consumables"?

Do I need a vacuum bag and pump also, or can it be done without?

Thank you
Søren

consumables are throw away things like cups, brushes, sand paper etc. Typically you would go for a 200g (or thereabouts) twill weave cloth for ease of draping over the shape.  Your inner layers of cloth can be thicker heavier weight cloths to reduce the total number of layers you need. 

You dont need a vacuum bag or pump for skinning.

Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant

So my list is this, can you please verify that it is good (not counting the consumables)?

The carbon fiber cloth:
https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/honeycomb-bonding-epoxy-adhesive

The resin (how much is needed for a seat and a little experimenting)?:
https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/model-board-tooling-board-block

I am planning to have a aluminium sheep/plate attached under the seat to provide stability and have something that can better withstand fastening with bolts, should I coat that asluminium with the following and bound it to the carbon, or just bolt it on after the carbon has cured?
https://www.easycomposites.co.uk/black-epoxy-pigment

Do I need to cover the styroform plug with a release agent, or does it not matter since I can just remove/dissolve the plug after the job has been done?

Thank you
Søren

Hi Soren,

The fabric and resin is fine.  You will use the weight of the cloth as the weight of resin to wet it out, so 1sqm of 210g cloth needs 210g of resin.  You also want around another 500g per square meter of panel to do the outer layer of resin.

You do NOT need the basecoat. It is just XCR pigmented so just use the normal resin to laminate the plate. 

You don't need to cover the plug with a release agent.

Warren Penalver
Easy Composites / Carbon Mods - Technical Support Assistant