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I wasn't quite sure where to post this question at, so I'll try here:

I recently was able to get a good amount of carbon fiber for free from an old employer of mine and only yesterday tried to figure out how I could use it to make parts. I tried a simple spray-can-lid taped some carbon fiber in a crescent shape around the lid and began to use "Liquid Hardener - Resin" from Home Depot that costed $3.58 (just for the practice until I figured out the process). Anyways, I coated it ~3 times using a foam brush until I figured there was an even enough coat on the surface. I looked around and the best information I could find suggested that that was the process and it would take ~24hrs to dry/solidify. So I waited...

24hrs later..

NOTHING CHANGED!

What did I do wrong? Do I need to add anything to the resin to get it working? I saw somewhere something about adding hardening-something-or-another to the resin, but have no idea what that something-or-another is. Any help is appreciated, thanks.

-Mike

 
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err....try that something-or-another thats next to that whatcha-ma-call-it thats in asle thingy-ma-bobers

 
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a fello riversidian
well id think it alot like other fibers. does that hardener work for carbon fiber? I mean hardener for bondo isnt the same as hardener for jb weld and so forth. Maybe its something simple. Do a google search on laying carbon fiber and see what you find. theres alot of info on there. I hope that resin you tried is for fiberglass or something i mean that would make sense to me.

 
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If I remember correctly, you need heat to fully cure it and vacuum source to avoid voids that can cause cracking under stress.

 
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= pain in the *** kind of work. SOunds like a fun endevour to get into tho if you have time

 
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think about it like this, to make sure a CF hood is made properly, then shape it, then put it in this "room" and suck all the air out. then they heat it to a hellish high degree, and an some x number of hours later when it cools you get a hard substance.

 
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you use hardner, or leave it alone for a day or two. if it's flat, cover it with waxed paper or parchment and put weight on it.

 
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Well... from what I gather, some catalyst is needed. A "How to build your first surfboard" web site explains that there are various catalysts and need to be mixed in the proper amounts... will keep looking; ya'll should too!

-mike

 
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Use to live there, Before i Moved to Vegas..... *tear*. I Miss it

 
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depends on if you're gonna do dry carbon or not

dry carbon requires using massive ammounts of pressure and heat to fuse and harden multiple layers of carbonfibre...thats why dry carbon parts if its availible for your car is so expensive

wet carbon you can lay on a mold with fiberglass resin...you can use regular resin u gotta use fiberglass resin which u can find at any autoparts stores

its easiest to buy carbon fiber mat which isnt woven but more like fiberglass sheets than apply it to make a base and sand it smooth after its hardened, than get your woven cf and put it on top resin that on but do it quickly so the resin doesnt get chunky and hard to put on (or you can add less hardener than usual) than after that is apply'd clearcoat with many many layers of clear
this is one technique which is the hardest to do but will give good results

 
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i do something very similar to this.
The hardener that we use is mixed with a resin. Otherwise the hardener is no good. As far as applying the resin to the fiberglass that we use, we have to make sure that the fg is fully whetted before applying it to anything, which means that the resin is more than just sitting on the surface of the material and fully empregnates.
Using the vacuforming is also suggested, using a book wont give you the pressure you need to properly mold something...at least not to my knowledge.
I know when I vacuum it creates around 2000lbs of pressure per square foot.
and as far as heating the resin to cure, its something around 130 degrees C for 6 - 8 hours.

 
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thats about what i said^^

 
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Exactly... You could always do it the mythbusters way and you a vacuum bag with a heating blanket along with the resin to harden it. Then just follow the DIY on reclearcoating Carbon fiber and you should be fine.