carbon skinned teardrop

[Larry C]

On small parts, I actually go out of my way to sand into the carbon. Once buried in epoxy, it really makes the carbon sparkle and jump out at you. However, I would not do that for large surfaces as it would not look good. If I was doing a window trim or edge molding, in carbon cloth, I would sand into weave to get this sparkle look. This is someone elses published method, not mine. I like the sparkle look, you may not. try a test comparison on a small job first.
Carbon Fiber is cool stuff. I'm glad to see theres some interest for Tear building. I plan to use carbon or carbon/kevlar for all trim on my build. I think a small amount of carbon on a wood strip built tear should look good and eliminate the need for aluminum or other type edge trim.
Getting the weave to look good on large surfaces is tricky. I am not confident enough to try it on the whole build, plus I am still leary of the heat build up on the black surface. Cured epoxy softens at 175* F. I do like the idea of rolling the cloth on 2 sticks like a scroll if your going to apply large pieces.

[afreegreek]

On small parts, I actually go out of my way to sand into the carbon. Once buried in epoxy, it really makes the carbon sparkle and jump out at you. However, I would not do that for large surfaces as it would not look good. If I was doing a window trim or edge molding, in carbon cloth, I would sand into weave to get this sparkle look. This is someones elses published method, not mine. I like the sparkle look, you may not. try a test comparison on a small job first.
Carbon Fiber is cool stuff. I'm glad to see theres some interest for Tear building. I plan to use carbon or carbon/kevlar for all trim on my build. I think a small amount of carbon on a wood strip built tear should look good and eliminate the need for aluminum or other type edge trim.
Getting the weave to look good on large surfaces is tricky. I am not confident enough to try it on the whole build, plus I am still leary of the heat build up on the black surface. Cured epoxy softens at 175* F. I do like the idea of rolling the cloth on 2 sticks like a scroll if your going to apply large pieces.

interesting idea sanding into the carbon on purpose.. I can imagine how the cut ends would catch the light like little facets. I think I'll give it a go.. I assume the effect would work best on curved surfaces

[Larry C]

Afreegreek,
You are correct, the effect is best on curved surfaces, but it does work on flat surfaces to a lesser degree. When you walk by it in different types of light the carbon can look like diamonds. I suggest you layup some carbon on 2"X2" squares of thin plywood and sand each one progressively more. Record your data on each sample. Expose each sample to to the type of light you would like to present your project and pick the sample that suits your taste. The amount you sand into the carbon affects the result. This is a highly specialized technique used buy the pros. If you get it right, it's trully amazing. I have only scratched the surface so far The picture below dosen't represent the true look. it was taken indoors with flash and is quite harsh, but it does highlight the effect. Outdoor sunlight is much nicer. Ain't carbon lots of fun???

[Noob]

LOL, most carbon bycycle owners "flip out" when they get a scrach in the clear coat of their bicycle frames ...