I was thinking about starting to make some small custom carbon parts for myself and maybe others and wanted to see what ideas people had for creating custom parts out of carbon fiber composite. I have yet to invest in the equipment and material to properly make custom carbon parts as the cost will be around $400+ for the equipment (vacuum pump, resin, fiber, etc) and was looking for ideas. I would probably not want to do any structural parts yet until I was more confident with my ability. I was thinking maybe custom arm rests, covers for parts of bikes…
As background I am a mechanical engineer so I understand the theory about composites but have never manufactured any by hand. I plan on using vacuum bag compression and room temperature setting resin initially as that is the least expensive initial investment.
Anyways, please post some ideas of what people might want made and I might be able to help out.
Thanks
I do some carbon stuff on my own.
So far I have made CC size bottle openers, coasters and I am currently playing with how I will make tracks to go on the bottom of shoes for the cleats. I eventually plan on making my own CF cycling shoes, but it is a long process with the limited time I have.
As far as $400, you will have more then that invested, pump and vacuum chamber was like 150-175 off ebay, CF supplies from compositeenvisions.com was about 200 the first round.(Uni and weave, peel ply, coremat, vacuum bag, etc) Resin I bought locally at a shop (same price as on the websites but no shipping), and I use West Epoxy systems (so far I like the system, really like the metering pumps, makes things easy)
I probably have about $1000 into my CF stuff right now, but have enough to still go for awhile. I would suggest buying more then you think and then experimenting with how it lays/number of layers, etc. I was surprised when I needed something like 9 layers for the bottle opener (solid CF, lighter fabric because if lays/molds easier). I think my coasters have like 6 layers, but I also used a coremat as well on those.
The tracks I attempted yesterday and was unsucessful in my first attempt (wont flow like I need them to, and I pulled them out to early). Next project before I actually work on the shoes is going to be a bento box style container to go under my FC25, that way I can get an idea of the curves and layers I need for strength I need/want in certain areas.
Right now I just use a laminated board (like for the cheap shelving) as my molding table, cant get a perfect seal, but can get a pretty good seal. I do plan on upgrading and getting an actual workbench to do this on but trying to find a relatively cheap material that is non porous and resists cutting really well. When I figure that out, I will build a bench (hopefully make it a 4’x8’ top), with racks underneath to feed the fabric to the top for cutting, right now I have to pull the rolls out of the box and cut what I need everytime which can be a pain.
If you want to PM me with any ideas, or to ask my name so you can use it as a ‘how you found out about us’ for the composites (doubt either of us will get a deal, but I like to let people know I feel they are doing a good job through referrals), let me know.
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I make a lot of my own stuff. I don’t have a vacuum bag system unfortunately so a lot of it is either just letting it set or taping it up. Still, I’ve made quite a bit of stuff I’ve been happy with. Carbon crank covers are the easiest thing to make (imo) since you basically lay the crank down, layer some non stick plastic above it, then start laying down carbon. I made molds of my elbows for my latest pads. Fun stuff to play with, just use the proper precautions.
I have made some carbon parts and done some repairs using the “hillbilly” carbon method, which is a 30$ basic carbon kit off EBay and a roll of 3M tape (don’t skimp on the tape). You don’t need an expensive setup.
I have used it to make custom aerobar extension and smooth and reinforce parts for less flex and better aerodynamics.
THey sell super cheap ‘vacuum bags’ in the supermarket for storing food in the freezer. You use a hand pump to make the vacuum. It is not perfect, but it is cheap and it does work…but does NOT provide enough compression for structural carbon projects. With that said I have used it with pretty good results.
Wow, thanks for all the thoughtful responses and ideas. I am willing to spend a decent amount of money on startup costs so I think I will go with the electric vacuum pump and all the accessories to properly do vacuum repairs. I was thinking of maybe trying to do carbon bike repair as well as that seems like a good market. Has anyone tried to do their own repairs? Right now I would not want to learn how to do painting/color matching as I know that is hard for car repair shops to get right.