moulding kevlar/carbon sheeting

[jake]

im interested in making a kevlar/carbon fibre genny cover protector. something that i could just glue to or bolt over the genny cover to protect it from spliting open. They seem to be getting fewer and fewer, last couple i seen went for 40+ squids.

anyone done anything like this? where do i start? is it like doing fibre glass?
could i just lay it over a spare genny cover, and work it up in layers, then do i have to cure it somehow?
any pointers appreciated!

[zimm]

carbon sheet can be layered up just like fibreglass, pre-preg stuff with an autoclave is for F1 and the ££££ crowd. Most carbon bike bits just wet lay.

got a linky here somewhere if you'll bear with me.

[zimm]

http://www.mci.i12.com/carbon/index.htm




check out the stuff on the rest of this guys site if you you have a few minutes .. he's quite obviously somewhere between eccentric/genius/bonkers/ and probably dead boring down the pub, but seems to know his stuff.

[mukka]

first you need to make a mould, this can be a plug/male mould or a female, you then need to be sure you can remove the item,
you can use prepreg without an autoclave cure and this maybe slightly easier than obtaining resin and catalyst mixing it up etc, the amount you need is not going to cost very much, might be worth contacting advanced composites, or sp technologies, even maybe find a local composite manufacturer and they may give you a few offcuts, i know loads so just let us know where you are, if your serious i can guide you through it over the phone.
just remember epoxy is nasty stuff so find out!!!

[kwackkev22]

i work for advanced composites lol i run one of the hot melt lines ive been thinking my self about a genny cover after seeing my mates genny cover spliting after a slow speed spill but its not easy working with the stuff ive only just managed to make flat things out of carbon. i was thinking of getting an old genny cover and mixing some car body filler quite a bit and pushing the genny cover into it thus makeing a tooling block .

[thermal]

make 2 and sell me one

[will#224]

Hoping someone is going to make one and tell all about how to do it

[jake]

has'nt happened im afraid
cost of the stuff is a bit pricey....so im gonna get some 5mm ally plate sheets and bash fook out of them to fit around a spare genny cover ive got, then weld them to my good covers.. well, thats the plan anyhow

[zimm]

the RMKD fairings cover the genny btw.. how protective they are i dont know.