Final repair gloss coat
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Photo info
- Album
- DIY-Carbon-Repair
- Category
- Broken Bikes/Parts
- Date Posted
- Mar 28, 2016 at 18:39Mar 28, 2016
- Location
-
Roseville, California, United States
Photo details
- Photo Size:
- Camera
- Apple iPhone 6s
- Shutter Speed
- 1/30
- Aperture
- 2.2
- Focal Length
- 4.2 mm
- ISO Speed
- 200
- Date
- 2016:03:28
- Time
- 15:02:33
3 Comments
- 1 0
no... actually I only took it down a very minimal amount enough to make it all the same level, but not more than about 1-2 mils. The damage was not deep. It was mostly into the clearcoat... and a few minor spots had some cracking longwise. It was not severe even though it looked bad. I do not believe we'll ever have any issue with the downtube ever again. It's not subject to the highest stresses during riding, and if the frame were to fail- I would expect a joint to suffer more stress and fail than the broad side of this downtube. It smoothed it out with 320 Grit, and then coated it generously with the high quality 2 part Epoxy (Tap Plastics, Highest grade Marine Premium A/B 4/1) and then put a good piece of high grade Carbon Fiber (again the best I could source through Tap Plastics) and then wrapped it with Vinyl nonstick backing paper (wax side down) and then used Gorrilla Tape around the entire tube with super good wrap tension. It squeezed out some of the excess through the edges (which I cleaned up later). Then applied heat with electric heater 90deg) but not too close) and let ti cure most of the night.
After that it i took off the wrapping - which came off very nicely, revealing a smooth tight and straight fix. It's no worse than anything I expect CalFee could have done, minus the high ....well... FEE. I will keep you all informed, but I SERIOUSLY doubt I will have anything else to add except it just worked!
The bike has been ridden very hard since, and not a bit of sign that it's doing any thing but what it should... staying put. The Marine Grade Epoxy is tough as nails, and so is the carbon. It's probably not the most brittle version, which should make it stronger than an ox - expecially since it's got all that expoxy compressed into the wound, and the carbon fiber mesh over the top with another 1mil coating for good measure. It's not going anywhere.
I fix stuff.
After that it i took off the wrapping - which came off very nicely, revealing a smooth tight and straight fix. It's no worse than anything I expect CalFee could have done, minus the high ....well... FEE. I will keep you all informed, but I SERIOUSLY doubt I will have anything else to add except it just worked!
The bike has been ridden very hard since, and not a bit of sign that it's doing any thing but what it should... staying put. The Marine Grade Epoxy is tough as nails, and so is the carbon. It's probably not the most brittle version, which should make it stronger than an ox - expecially since it's got all that expoxy compressed into the wound, and the carbon fiber mesh over the top with another 1mil coating for good measure. It's not going anywhere.
I fix stuff.
- 1 0
Hey, you should use the reply button on my post, so it notifies me you replied.
That sounds like you did a solid fix, I'd do the same personally if I had a carbon frame damaged.
I had some co-workers that didn't believe in CF at all, a cross bike with a carbon fork and alloy steer tube came in to the shop one day with a bent steer tube. They proceed to say "Oh man imagine if it was all carbon, it would have exploded!"
So I had the idea of destruction testing the carbon parts of the fork... and they were completely sold on carbon after that.
I have a piece of that fork leg on my keychain for the last 5 years now, and I always demonstrate it to people who are scared of carbon. It's very thin in one part, about 1mm thick, and 2.5mm at the thickest part.
I've had 250lb+ men stand on that little oval piece of carbon in it's most vulnerable position, and nobody has been able to break it or make it crack yet. If it was made from steel, aluminum, or titanium, it would have been flat by now.
Carbon is a beautiful thing, it's too bad so many people are ignorant about it, and it's great that there is more Chinese companies perfecting it, making it available to people who can't afford to spend $8,000 on a bicycle.
That sounds like you did a solid fix, I'd do the same personally if I had a carbon frame damaged.
I had some co-workers that didn't believe in CF at all, a cross bike with a carbon fork and alloy steer tube came in to the shop one day with a bent steer tube. They proceed to say "Oh man imagine if it was all carbon, it would have exploded!"
So I had the idea of destruction testing the carbon parts of the fork... and they were completely sold on carbon after that.
I have a piece of that fork leg on my keychain for the last 5 years now, and I always demonstrate it to people who are scared of carbon. It's very thin in one part, about 1mm thick, and 2.5mm at the thickest part.
I've had 250lb+ men stand on that little oval piece of carbon in it's most vulnerable position, and nobody has been able to break it or make it crack yet. If it was made from steel, aluminum, or titanium, it would have been flat by now.
Carbon is a beautiful thing, it's too bad so many people are ignorant about it, and it's great that there is more Chinese companies perfecting it, making it available to people who can't afford to spend $8,000 on a bicycle.
Nice work, hope it holds up for you!
Did you remove a bunch of material and build it back up?