With yesterday’s experience of making the CF sheet, the result being this:
Obviously, I have a lot to learn and this first effort will definitely be used for tank baffles/ internal bracing of the mounting points where no one can see it. There are surface defects in the gel coat where it has not adhered properly to the release agent on the glass and where the uneven, lumpy thickness is clearly evident. In order to get a good even finish with the gel coat in future I think I will have to either spray it which means it will need to be thinned down by at least 20% or just thin it say 10% and try brush painting it. Whichever I use, brush painting or spraying, the act of thinning the gel coat I am sure should definitely help with both the surface defects and the uneven coverage issues.
Clearly also the weave is distorted and shows where I snagged it while cutting it to shape with the scissors before laying it up. Remedying this defect will obviously need some alteration to technique but I am not sure what yet. (certainly more care and possibly sharper scissors with a round ended leading edge on the two blades?).
Also with 2 laminations the completed sheet is not stiff enough even for tank baffles and so I will add another 2 laminations which should do the trick. This sheet 500mm x 750mm will then have cost 2 linear metres of CF mat which at £100 for 10 linear metres means it cost £20 in CF alone let alone the epoxy and gel coats. I think the tank will take about £100 in CF mat to manufacture.
In order to get more experience of CF laying up, I shall concentrate on making those pieces where looks would not show, the battery holder, the inner head lamp ring, the rear part of the chain oiler reservoir and the lower headlamp retaining bracket using brush applied thinned gel coat.