My purchase of a 2x23 X-Winder is still about three and a half months away. In the mean time I've been searching the internet for specific information about what exactly would be the best Carbon Fiber filament and the best Bonding Agent/Resin/Epoxy for the projects I plan to be working with.
I have inquired directly from others who are working with similar projects but these businesses are reluctant to give out such information to someone attempting to get their foot in the door of the same business that they are in. I can't really blame them I guess. I might be inclined to do the same if I were asked to give up information that might jeopardize my bottom line.
Being that at this stage of my foray into Carbon Fiber wrapping, my inquiries directed at the manufactures of various bonding agents have also given the distinct impression that they have no time for a starry-eyed one man-show upstart like myself. I know that there are supplier out there who cater to upstarts but I have yet to find one.
Can anyone here point me in the right direction? I will be working mainly with Carbon Fiber Wrapped stainless steel that will be subjected to high temperatures. I'm in search of the optimum epoxy-resin and Carbon Fiber type to handle this application and the vendor supplier that I can get it from.
Tim M.
Replies
Hi Gary:
And thanks very much for taking the time to reply to questions that most likely are some of the same old questions that have been asked many times before. I really appreciate that.
Frankly, I had begun to think that this was a dead or dying forum so I moved on and kept searching for the answers I was looking for elsewhere. It was my original plan to purhase one of the X-Winder units but I feared there would be little to no support judging for the lack of activity on the X-Winder website.
I re-designed my project to enable to me to move forward by using pre-made Carbon Fiber tubing with the right characteristics rather than winding my own tubes, otherwise my project would be at a complete stand still. I will archive this/your reply for future reference should I ever decide to go ahead and fabricate my own winding jig or purchase one of the X-Winder units
Thanks again for your reply.
Tim M.
What temp are we talking about? Most high temp epoxy require a post cure at elevated temp like in a oven. I find good deals on carbon tow on ebay. Also check out a company called Fiber- Line for filiment needs. Epoxies are everywhere, Pro-Set, ebay, Rockwest, West Systems,... All have good epoxy, but it really depends on your application. Pay paticular attention to pot life and how long your winding takes. You dont want it to gel before your winding is finished. Thin viscosity also.