clear coat for carbon fibre

[E1A104]

Hi.

Any idea as to what "clear coat" I can use to cover stone chips etc. on carbon forks and frame??

[DRIVETRAIN]

smileys/smiley4.gif

Ask......Linnega..P/M him..

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[HomerSimpson]

You should be able to use any clear coat.  Originally the carbon fibre/epoxy matrix would have been primed or etched to accept the clear coat.  To touch up you can use any good quality clear coat paint.  To test this, buy a can of clear lacquer spray paint and a small paintbursh (like the stuff you use to paint model aircraft with).  Spray some of the paint into the plastic cap of the can.  Use the brush and apply some of this to a damaged area.  You'll see quickly if the stuff works or not.

 

[linnega]

Easiest is just don't clean your bike and then chips aren't very noticeable. smileys/smiley2.gif

Or you could do what Homer says...

[Mudsimus]

Or you can try clear cutex..

[DRIVETRAIN]

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I have a slight scratch on my fork..thanks to the lbs...would the clear coat not be too obvious if I attempt this ??

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[E1A104]

Will try the clear lacquer route on the weekend and see how it looks.

Thnaks for the input, appreciate it.

[AndreZA]

Fill in the scratch with clear paint. Let it dry for a few hours. Sand it lightly with very fine water sand paper intil flat. Use Duco or Plascon (or Tamiya from hobby shop) spraycan clear coat and do the whole surface. Let it dry again. Pollish it with pollishing compound or good car pollish.

[R2S2]

If the scratch hasn't gone through the clearcoat and right onto the fibre, it can easily be removed by wet sanding it CAREFULLY, first with 600grit sandpaper, and then with 1200 or even 2000 grit.  Use lots of water!  Once the scratch is gone, you can buff the sanded area back to a gloss using brasso.

If the scratch is through onto the  carbon, then the best to do is to use a polyurethane based clearcoat, as sold at automotive paint suppliers.  It consists of a clear resin, which is mixed with a hardener.  Usually only sold in larger quantities, but asking nicely could get you a small enough quantity to patch the scratch up.  Your friendly panelbeater will probably also be willing to help you out with a couple of cc's of the stuff, as most modern cars have a clearcoat layer.

I have quiet a bit of the stuff lying around, as well as a handy airbrush, so if all else fails, feel free to PM me!