Lots of time spent in the garage this last week, good progress but unfortunately nothing that warrants pictures.
The tank base underside has been trimmed down to within about a millimetre of the flash line formed by the tank top mould. This got rid of a large proportion of the needle sharp CF strands that have been puncturing my skin every time I handle it. I will not do the final trim until the tank top is laminated as I do not know how thick the tank top will be (between 3 and 5 mm depending on how many laminates I lay up). The underside was also repaired which took absolutely ages and is now ready for a coat of primer (which will undoubtedly highlight where further repairs are required).
I worked out the size and shape of the fore and aft baffle, which was not easy at all. What I should have done some long while ago was to make some templates of the tank inner profile at defined datum points within the length of the tank. But I didn’t. So I spent a long time measuring depth of the tank top from guesstimated positions hanging in the breeze, approximately 90 degrees below the upper surface of the mould. Accuracy + or - 20mm in 2 dimensions?
First I cut a cardboard template and using masking tape defined a profile that pretty closely fitted the tank base, then I cut the pre-made CF sheet to fit the base profile. The upper profile was drawn (generously) by hand to approximate the inner surface of the top mould and the CF sheet was cut accordingly.
When cut the top profile was offered up to the tank top mould and progressively over about 4 hours “adjusted” to be a pretty close approximation of the tank top profile. I then CF’d one side of the baffle to the tank base upper surface. To hold it in a vertical position I hot glue gunned some foam to one side, being careful to ensure that the foam had a 90 degree angle above the base and left the first side of the CF and resin to cure. When I came back next morning it was obvious that the CF moves as it cures because the baffle was variously 0, 5 and up to 10 degrees out of vertical. This is not a real problem as the fore and aft baffle does/ will not be bonded to the tank top but I do intend to have fore and aft baffles in the tank top which will have to have cuts in them to accommodate the fore and aft baffle. Working out where to cut the tank top baffles to accommodate the wonky base baffle will be a complete nightmare.
Another earlier cock up has come back to haunt me a second time. When making the headlamp shell mould I “forgot” to ensure that when viewed from the front the indents to accept the headlamp supports had both to be completely vertical. They were each about 10 to 15 degrees out, I ”adjusted” the threaded inserts bonded into the headlamp shell accordingly. Today I realised that not only were they out from the front but also about the same amount out from above. I have spent an awful long time building a light CF shell that will be unlikely to sit squarely pointing forward.
I am not about to modify the mould and re-make the headlamp shell and a good few hours were spent trying to work out how to make an attachment mechanism that will accommodate my two fold cock up.. I have a way forward now based on welding a penny washer to a 25mm length of 8mm studding and bonding this into the headlamp shell. Two trial pieces were knocked up but the angles were too acute. Tomorrow I will get the angles right and the problem will be solved (bodged). Having the studs attached to the headlamp shell will mean a bit more time will be required to fit the headlamp as one of the support plates will have to be removed to fit or remove the headlamp shell.