This is for anyone that is thinking of using carbon fibre cloth for building something for your bike. This is a quick and easy method of cutting a piece of carbon where you want the edge to be clean and visible in the final product. This works equally well for both twill weave and plain weave cloths. You will need tissue glass and spraytac adhesive for this to work.
1. Remove a couple of threads running across the carbon fibre. This will give you a straight line in relation to the actual weave of the cloth. If it appears to be curved in any way manipulate the cloth until it is straight.
2. Cut in the centre of the removed threads that you have just pulled out.
3. Cut a piece of tissue cloth approx. 1" wide and trim the end length to the width of the piece of carbon that you have cut.
4. Spray a light coat of spraytac along the edge. Make sure that you have some sort of backing board for the over spray.
5. Making sure that you have the weave straight, apply the tissue glass to the edge and roll down firmly. Allow a couple of minutes for the spray tack to dry.
6. Turn the piece of carbon over and trim along the weave to form a straight line.
7a. For a dry stack only - Apply a light coat of spray tac to the surface that you are going to apply it to and apply the carbon to suit. The side with the tissue on it should be upright (facing you).
7b For a wet application - Apply a layer of resin to the surface and apply the carbon dry with the tissue glass facing you. Carefully use the brush to wet out the carbon but stay away from the tissue glass. Apply the next layer laminate and use a dabbing action with the brush to wet the laminate out. Carry on with successive layers of laminate as per normal.
Done.
You can use this method for both wet and dry laminating stacks but be care fully not to work the carbon to much with a roller if you are wet laminating.
