Project: OSIDIAS (SFF taken to the extreme)

[Wezly]

This is amazing!

It's nice when things work out. Any luck with the resin? Oh no! I bet he's stuck somewhere!

[craigbru]

wow, looks fantastic! I've always been curious with bending, how do you know where to bend and at what angle?

Thank you. I always bend on the center point of the radius, so I usually have to do a little math when I'm marking my material. You have to account for the thickness of the material as well. For example, if you want to make a 'U' shaped channel with 20mm between the sides, you can't just make marks 20mm apart and bend. You'd actually end up with less than that depending on the thickness of the material you are bending. If you are using 1mm material, you'd end up with 19mm. If you are using 2mm, you'd end up with 18mm. So, you have to account for the material thickness from the beginning, and mark accordingly.

As far as the angles go, I've got a gauge I can use to get things just right, but I've got a pretty good eye for angles. (I grew up with a dad who was a carpenter, and am pretty experienced with carpentry myself.) I can almost always get it right the first time, but adjust if needed.

That is pure perfection, Craig! Amazing start of new project, I'm happy to see the first bends Sweet model shaping.
One question - what is "sawhorse"? Don't know that word

Thank you Mike. Lol, I never thought about what a sawhorse might be called over there.

craigbru, Off to an awesome start.

I get the feeling that even though you like the new brake, your gonna wish you'd gotten a box & pan model with the stuff you get yourself into.

Thanks man. You're right, I might wish I had box and pan too. Things do seem to get a little complex for me. Lol.

This is amazing!

It's nice when things work out. Any luck with the resin? Oh no! I bet he's stuck somewhere!

Thanks Wezly. I took a look at the resin this morning, and it's about 95% cured. It's still got a very slight tack. Not enough to dent or fingerprint, but just enough to let me know it's not completely cured. I've got no doubt about my ratio being correct. I'm going to assume it's just a little humid in the basement and see how it looks tonight. I also may need to raise the temp a little bit. The hardener I'm using has a sweet spot between 80 and 85 F, any lower and curing may be affected. There's no way I'm going to wrap until I know the resin will work perfectly.

[craigbru]

Ready guys?

Well, working with the carbon fiber was an interesting experience. I got completely prepped and ready to go last night, so that I could start wrapping first thing this morning. I'll admit to being a bit nervous. I didn't have any room for error, and with my OCD about having things perfect, the pressure was on.

I woke up this morning, headed to the shop, and cranked up the music. A little Zune Pass with Breaking Benjamin as the starting point, and things were underway! What you'll see here is the mold ready to go, with the carbon fiber strips sitting on a tube right behind it. This would allow me unroll the CF onto the mold with minimal handling.



It was now time to mix up the resin. I was using a marine grade clear epoxy with a 109 medium hardener. This stuff has a pot life of about 30 minutes, so there was no time to do anything but get underway. With the resin mixed I was on the clock. I slipped on my rubber gloves and hit the mold with a layer of resin from a 4" lint-free roller. The first layer of CF was on soon after.

I continued wrapping and rolling, taking extra care not to deform or stretch the CF in any way. I also had to be sure that all the corners had the fiber nestled in them without issues. I thought I was making good time until I went to apply a little more resin, and the roller started to pull up on the CF. Crap! That meant my resin was hardening. Had it really been 30 minutes already? Well, it didn't matter. I couldn't do anymore at this point. I needed to wrap peel ply around it and get it bagged. I still had one layer to go, but there was no way I could get it on without causing serious issues. So, bag it, I did...



I smoothed the bag out a little and left it under vacuum for about 2 hours.



Now, aren't you all excited to see what's next? Yeah, I am too, but I had to head out of town for the rest of the weekend. The next update will likely be late Monday or Tuesday night.

So, overall, the experience wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, but I was cutting it close with the resin cure time. I also know I'll have a few ridges in the resin from the bagging process, but that's really not an issue right now. I can sand and add more resin. In addition, I'll likely go ahead and add the last layer of missing fiber. I'll update early this week guys!

[craigbru]

I apologize for not updating last night guys. I've been struggling with a pinched nerve in my neck, and subsequent pain in my right arm. It was really bad yesterday, and I didn't even make it down to the shop. I'll be having an MRI done tomorrow, and likely have a surgery in my future. It sucks, but I'll keep plugging away. Despite being in a little pain, I'm gonna show you the CF. What you are looking at is the final layer of fiber needed on the case. I'll have to lightly sand a few small air bubbles, but otherwise it's cosmetically pretty darn good. I'm also going to apply one more layer of resin before I remove the mold. I want to be sure the CF is well protected from damage. It's a whole lot easier to sand and fix resin than have a blemish in the fiber itself...

[D1RtY AssASS1n]

They always say "No pain, No gain". Looks very neat so far. Cant wait for the next update

[josk1]

+1 good job man!!

[craigbru]

They always say "No pain, No gain". Looks very neat so far. Cant wait for the next update

+1 good job man!!

Thanks guys! You know, I was just in the shop and I was hoping to get another layer of resin on the case. Unfortunately I forgot to shut the air conditioning vent last night, and it was too cool to cure as it should. Things will be fine by tomorrow, but I lost a day of work. I hate it when that happens... Anyway, to my point... It does look good I'll agree. I was just fondling it. Is that wrong?

[nlancaster]

Fondling is not wrong, sleeping with it may be questionable.

Licking it will make it better..... won't it?

[craigbru]

Lol, I'll not lick it until there is at least one more layer of resin on it. You do not want one of those splinters in anything...

[randomhro]

I'm enjoying watching this project progress a lot, sub'd keep up the great work! Can't wait to see where this thing goes.

[craigbru]

With the weekend come and gone, it's time I update all of you on my progress. It's not much, but as always, it's still a step forward. So, how about we get the case out of the mold? I designed the mold so that not only would it be reusable, it would be easy to remove. The first thing I did was to set the case on the workbench, and start tapping the core from one side to the other.





A few more taps...



The core removed.



Now it was a matter of removing the aluminum shell.



It's finally free! The case is completely removed from the mold. You can see a few small voids on the interior, but those are a non-issue at this point. Anything that remains after the exterior holes are cut, will be filled in with resin and leave a smooth surface behind.





Now, I'll add a few comments about the case itself. It's strong! In fact, it's shockingly strong. Sure, everyone knows carbon fiber has excellent strength properties, but until you experience it for yourself, it's a little hard to quantify. This case has almost no flex or deflection. I can press on the center of both sides with about all the strength I can muster, and it just barely moves. It's just that solid. On top of it's strength, it's also incredibly light. Also, I'm saving the rest of the surface work until after all the holes are cut. This thing will be as smooth as glass once completed. All in all, this was the perfect building material for this case, and I can't wait to start making my first cuts in it. Stick around for the fun coming up next!

[josk1]

have always wanted to build myself a CF case... am really eagger to see what's next!!!
i got some CF parts on my motorcycle and i confirm: light and strong! no wonder they use it building formula 1 !!!

[craigbru]

have always wanted to build myself a CF case... am really eagger to see what's next!!!
i got some CF parts on my motorcycle and i confirm: light and strong! no wonder they use it building formula 1 !!!

Thanks! I really like my experience with CF so far. It's initially a little more complex to work with than aluminum, but after you've got a solid piece, it's really quite easy to cut and file. I'm already going to change most of my interior parts over to CF. This will require some complex molding, but it should be great fun! So...

Time for another update!

Now that the case is out of the mold, I need to get it cut down to size. I use my trusted tape marking method, and prep the Dremel. That's really the only practical way to cut the case with it's uneven contours.



The first cut done. Would you believe that the CF cuts like butter with a reinforced disc? You can't drop the disc in and do a continuous cut without binding, but it you drop in every centimeter or so, it works very well.





Not only does the fiber cut extremely well, it takes to filing beautifully too. This pic was taken after filing and a quick bout with a fine grit sand paper. After cutting, I could finally get a measurement on the actual cross section of the case. It measures just under 2mm. That's even better than I thought.





With the first side done, it was time to mark the other side.



All done! The case now measures the perfect 40.6cm I needed. Up next, I'll be marking out and cutting all the holes needed in the case. Until then!

[shazza]

Interesting stuff with the Carbon Fiber, Craig

[Black Tears]

Very nice,can't wait to see the outcome!

[craigbru]

Interesting stuff with the Carbon Fiber, Craig

Thanks shazza!

Very nice,can't wait to see the outcome!

Thank you! I'm excited myself!

Well guys, I've got some bad news, my quest for perfection is going to cause a delay in moving in with part of this project... I've decided I'm not happy with a few things. I don't feel the outer edges are 'sharp' enough. I think a side effect of the initial multiple layers of CF and the resin hardening too soon, have left things more rounded than I would like. The only way to fix this is to sand the case down, and add another layer of fiber. I can't just sand down what I have and resin because I'll have to sand through a little CF to get it flat. Obviously that will kill the cosmetics. While most of you think it looks great, it's just something that I've decided will bug me. I can't put countless hours into it, only to wish I had fixed it. So, what now? Well, luckily I still have work to do... I'll go ahead and start on the side panels. I've got to order more fiber, and the side panels will allow me to fill the time until it arrives.

[josk1]

i get what you mean by 'not sharp enough'... and we can see it on this photo:



the ouside edges are roundish compared to the inside ones...
but does that really matter?
i'm not sur you could get a much better result.
you'd have to have thiner walls (less CF) otherwise you'll always end up with this result.
anyway, good luck with it!!!

[craigbru]

The corners you see in the quoted pic aren't that bad. It's more of an issue with the corners on top of the case. Since there isn't much room between the two angles on each side, it's all together more rounded than I would prefer. The following pic best shows the issue...



I've already sanded the case, and I think I'm going to get the results I want. I just need to get some more CF ordered now.

[craigbru]

Although it's not quite as large an update as you all were expecting, I did manage to get a few things done over the weekend. A lot of people have questioned why I wanted to bother sanding down the case and adding another layer of fiber. Well, I've got a few pics that can hopefully show you in more detail why I wasn't happy. At this point, the case is sanded and ready for it's last layer of CF. It's nowhere as pretty as it was before the sanding, but that will be remedied soon. Trust me...



Now, here is the best way I can show you the before and after examples of the 'rounded' edges I was speaking of. This should make things pretty clear. This is a before pic, taken of the excess I cut off of one of the ends...



Now take a look at the after. You can see there is no more rounded edge, and I'm much happier.



Okay, now with that out of the way, it's time to move on to the side panels. I'll be working on them until I have more regular CF arrive to finish the case itself. As you are about to see, making the molds for these panels is a whole lot easier than before. Two bends and I was golden. This nice piece of aluminum will be the basis of what is to come.



A few bends later...



Now I've just got to get the CF/Kevlar blend cut to size, and I can get the fiber laid down. Hopefully tomorrow!

[craigbru]

Well, I've got a little more work done on the side panels. I'm using the same molding process as the case, but it's nowhere near as complex this time around. Here is the Kevlar/carbon fiber blend laid out and ready for marking... Isn't it pretty?



I've marked out the fiber, and am making my cuts here. This stuff truly sucks to cut. Even with a specialty shears, it has a tendency fray and not cut cleanly. I wouldn't ever attempt this with regular scissors. I would imagine you would slit your wrists in frustration.



Now finally, here are 5 layers of fabric freshly removed from the vacuum bag. I've still got plastic peel ply on it, but that will come off tomorrow. I'm going to sand a little, and add one more layer of Kevlar. The same procedure I used on the rest of the case, should get me pretty good results. The trick will be in finding the perfect piece of fiber for the top layer. The weave on this blend is very sensitive, much more so than with regular carbon fiber. Every little flaw or misalignment seems magnified 10 fold. I'll manage though... or go insane trying!



Tomorrow I'll get the other panel started, and sand this first one. Then I've got to get an end mill or two ordered for the Romaxx CNC. I'll be using it to cut out the side panels. I'll do a few test runs first, since I don't want to screw one of these up. Mistakes would be costly...

[craigbru]

If it weren't for pictures like the following, I'd take the Kevlar/CF blend, and make it disappear... Yes, it's a royal pain to work with. I knew it would be, but until you are actually working with it and trying to make it do what you want, you have no idea...







It doesn't like to cut cleanly, no matter the process. The Kevlar fibers really have a mind of their own. I've found that I get the best results if I start cutting with a metal carbide cutting wheel. That cuts quickly, but not cleanly. I then followup with a reinforced cutting disk. This cuts much more cleanly, but it's slow. I can't take much material off with each pass. After that, I use a file to straighten the cuts. Then finally, I finish up with a 320 grit wet/dry sand paper. This does a decent job of cleaning the edge up, but it takes a light touch. So, that's one heck of a process for a single cut!

Time to cut! I used a yardstick as a straight edge, and followed up with my line taping method.



An hour later I had two sides done... This is gonna take a while. Lol.

[ipuoL]

so amazing. Great work at the carbon fibre love your build and want to see more pictures

[maped]

This truly is amazing work, both in design and execution. I read your build log for the Rogue some time ago and thought that was simply astonishing but this is taking modding to the next level.

I think I've read somewhere that electric power scissors like these work wonders for cutting the carbon fiber fabric, maybe something similar might be worth a try. I also hope you use a proper respirator when cutting the finished panels, the dust from the fibers and resin is pretty nasty stuff.

[craigbru]

so amazing. Great work at the carbon fibre love your build and want to see more pictures

Thanks ipuoL! I'll have more updates this week!

This truly is amazing work, both in design and execution. I read your build log for the Rogue some time ago and thought that was simply astonishing but this is taking modding to the next level.

I think I've read somewhere that electric power scissors like these work wonders for cutting the carbon fiber fabric, maybe something similar might be worth a try. I also hope you use a proper respirator when cutting the finished panels, the dust from the fibers and resin is pretty nasty stuff.

Thanks maped! I find that with each build I have to take things a little bit farther than the one before. It's a little scary to think about what might be in the next one!

Someone on another forum suggested similar power scissors. I'm not sure if I'll just stick it out with what I have, or try something new. The regular CF fiber cuts really well. It's just the Kevlar blend that's a pain. I do use a proper respirator. That dust is fine, and gets everywhere!

[miahallen]

Amazing dude....totally love it