Hi all,  really making progress with some foam based patterns, however I'm still having issues with air bubbles forming when covering the foam pattern with woven cloth for strength,

can anyone suggest where I'm going wrong? I've tried laying down the resin first, and I've tried wetting the cloth from above - but still seem to end up with airbubbles that are near impossible to shift even with a bristle roller - I also have issues with the cloth lifting in corners   Would I be better with chopped strand?

Many Thanks,

James

when you make your resin, wet out your FG cloth as in this CF video(it will then be Prepreg) .
if you cut your FG closer to the final shapes you need it will be easier to handle.
i got the idea from a guy i worked with who did heavy truck hood repairs in this way. faster and less mess
to use a pre wetted out piece of cloth  vs brushing down resin first and then adding dry cloth and then re brushing and
chasing the air pockets out.
also FG strength is very dependent on the density of what you are making, IE it must be as consistent as you can get it.
bad to have 3mm areas and then 10mm areas.

and then i discovered the CF makers have been doing this technique for many years.



also try different cloth types. some conform well to different shapes than others, and also the weight of the cloth can help. lighter weight is easier to make it conform to the shapes .

CarbonFiberCreations

worth a go!