Carbon Fiber fabrication

[Koji2528]

Ok, I've used vacuum forming with fiberglass, but is it the same concept as with carbon fiber? Also, carbon fiber is damn expensive, how many layers of carbon would I need for say a hood of a super beetle? Would 5.7 oz. carbon be sufficient? One last question, since carbon fiber is indeed so expensive, do yall end up testing the gel coat by making a fiber glass part before the carbon is laid? Any insight would be greatly appreciated, thanks~

[Ian66]

I used the lightest weight carbon I could with 1 layer of fiberglass in the middle, not vacuum formed to make dashboards, engine bay firewalls and heat shielding. The sheet of carbon that I made was made on a sheet of glass.

I used a 3" cut hole saw to cut a hole for the air intake in the firewall. This created a cool 3" disc that could be used as a drink coaster, and a conversation piece for people too. I'd dare anyone to try and break it using only their hands, and they couldnt!

If your vacuum bagging you could use 2 layers of glass and 3 layers of thin carbon for a near bullet proof result. The idea is to use glass chop as a means of providing more surface area for the resin to adhere to, and bond the carbon material too.

I hope that helps.

Cheers,
Ian