Thanks, that's definitely an option. At one time I remember people still filling their case inside with expanding foam. Do people still do that? Does it work?
Thanks, that's definitely an option. At one time I remember people still filling their case inside with expanding foam. Do people still do that? Does it work?
OK, thanks for the suggestions. At one time I had thought about making a carbon fiber plate to go with the bottom, but cutting all the holes and perfecting filing all of them is dangerous work due to the way tiny carbon fiber shards work their way under your skin...and have to be surgically removed :eek: But the Ti plate will be just as cool I think. :thumb:
Sounds like I definitely ought to steer clear of foaming the inside and just use sorbithane or shelf liners. You guys are great! Thanks for the advice! :llama:
Any other comments or suggestions?
...
Are carbon fiber shards harmful?
...
Are carbon fiber shards harmful?
Dude, they are seriously bad. Inhaled even worse! Masheth forth:
http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/composites-fabrication-repair-97/634298-carbon-fiber-hazard.html#post634298
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=311845
Hi, guys, I'm always looking for anything I can do to lighten my load when I'm out and about. I have this quasi-bipolar taste of leather/canvas and carbon fiber/brush metal. Don't know what to do with that sometimes.hmmmm.... why don't you start with a fiberglass phenolic G10 or G11 base and see what it feels like? otoh the pcb will probably already be G10/FR4, but it's going to be very thin compared to the 1/8"+ you could make yourself (and YES, wear a respirator WHENEVER you're cutting glass or carbon fiber composites!!! the particles are exactly the worst size for lung cilia (the cell formations that pull oxygen out of the air). they're too small to eject via the bronchial tubes, but too large to pass into the blood stream. the result is damage to lung cilia, and lung cilia, like corneal cells, are very fast growers. what that means is that when you damage them, they duplicate and grow back very quickly. it also means that when you damage the RNA carriage mechanisms or base dna they're carrying and they become malignant cancer, they grow _fast_. late stage lunch cancer is almost always terminal.
Anyway, many years ago I built a carbon fiber shell for my Macbook that you can read about here (http://forums.bit-tech.net/showpost.php?s=7f42d1ab51eacc2ce6484719ea7ee9cb&p=1918490&postcount=11). Man, that was a long time ago. I've been thinking that it would be cool to have a carbon-fiber base (not shell on an existing base, mind you) for my Poker. It will also have a titanium plate (http://geekhack.org/index.php?topic=54757.0) (thanks mkawa and The_Beast), so that goes along with the "light but awesome" theme.
My question for you guys is this: would a plate make up for the crappy feeling that often accompanies plastic/lightweight bases? Would I be shooting myself in the foot by going through all this trouble (and working with CF is a LOT of trouble) just to end up with a keyboard that sucks? Could I do something like a foam fill or a silicone insert that would counteract that feeling?
What say you, geekhackers?
hmmmm.... why don't you start with a fiberglass phenolic G10 or G11 base and see what it feels like? otoh the pcb will probably already be G10/FR4, but it's going to be very thin compared to the 1/8"+ you could make yourself (and YES, wear a respirator WHENEVER you're cutting glass or carbon fiber composites!!! the particles are exactly the worst size for lung cilia (the cell formations that pull oxygen out of the air). they're too small to eject via the bronchial tubes, but too large to pass into the blood stream. the result is damage to lung cilia, and lung cilia, like corneal cells, are very fast growers. what that means is that when you damage them, they duplicate and grow back very quickly. it also means that when you damage the RNA carriage mechanisms or base dna they're carrying and they become malignant cancer, they grow _fast_. late stage lunch cancer is almost always terminal.
_always_ be careful around materials with small hard fibrous formations. lung cancer and emphysema is NO JOKE. whatever the work is, it's not worth your life.
wait, sorry, i was talking about g10 bases.
yah, why not pick up some GPO3 or G10 or G11 for a nice thick, but lightweight bottom plate.
UHMW and delrin/acetal GF20 or GF30 are also really good materials that are lightweight but very strong and abrasion resistant.
the titanium is actually going to be a little more springy than stainless (400 series anyway) at the same thickness, so the main benefit is lightweight, and all the materials above keep the weight down while maintaining about the same tensile and young's modulus.
the terrible feeling mostly comes with very weak plastics like ABS formulations. you don't _have_ to have woven carbon to get a strong light composite. in fact, glass fibered thermoplastics tend to be stronger than anything but very high end carbon fiber because they maintain about the same isometric tensile, while a single layer carbon weave will only have high tensile along the grain of the weave.
I love the idea of a cf case. But if you are going light weight plate mount an aluminium plate would actually be lighter than titanium and depending on the alloy could be stiffer. That is if I remember my material properties right.
I love the idea of a cf case. But if you are going light weight plate mount an aluminium plate would actually be lighter than titanium and depending on the alloy could be stiffer. That is if I remember my material properties right.
I'm not totally convinced of that. Anyhow, an aluminum plate wouldn't protect the side of the PCB so that's a no go.
One issue I'll have to deal with is that CF is electrically conductive. What other issues can you guys think of?
I love the idea of a cf case. But if you are going light weight plate mount an aluminium plate would actually be lighter than titanium and depending on the alloy could be stiffer. That is if I remember my material properties right.
I'm not totally convinced of that. Anyhow, an aluminum plate wouldn't protect the side of the PCB so that's a no go.
One issue I'll have to deal with is that CF is electrically conductive. What other issues can you guys think of?
I was speaking for the mounting plate. Not for the case. But titanium is heavier than aluminum in this case since the part dimensions are not going to be altered here like they are in other industries. Aluminum is about 168 pounds per cubic foot depending on alloy, and titanium is about 235 pounds per cubic foot.
http://mobilitymgmt.com/Articles/2010/03/01/Aluminum-vs-Titanium.aspx?Page=2
Also here is web page relating to wheelchairs comparing aluminum to titanium. A lot of tubing tech in wheel chairs comes from the trickle down concept from the bicycle industry. In that industry aluminum, titanium, and carbon fiber have been used for a number of years. To get the same stiffness in a titanum frame that you would get with an aluminum frame you have to make the tubing a lot larger and go with a thinner wall to increase the surface area enough to get to the same stiffness. A number of years ago I was lusting after a specific MTB frame from a company named Ibis. The frame was the Bow Ti. It was a unified rear triangle setup with a simple air shock for rear suspension damping only. To actually hold the weight of the rider it had a pair of tubes on either side of the frame that went from the headset to the rear dropouts uninterrupted that acted as two leaf springs.
Plus, I have experience in bending aluminum, and a bit with titanium. This comes from working as an Aviation Structural Mechanic in the Navy, working on H-60 Seahawks. These are the Navy's version of the Blackhawk. The only major differences being the addition of a rescue hoist and a lot of avionics packages available.
One other nice advantage of aluminum is price. Check mcmastercarr.com and compare some raw material prices.
Not a problem man. I don't have an issue with either material. But titanium is a massive pain in the ass to work with unless you have good high quality tooling. But stronger isn't really the word that I would use here. Depending on the shape and if you can reengineer the part for the physical properties, neither really is stronger. But given the same shape and dimensions aluminum is generally stiffer. I wouldn't hesitate to make a case out of CF if you have to tooling and the experience with the stuff. But in the op you mentioned that you wanted to make it as light as possible and was thinking of going with titanium for the plate. I just wanted to correct you on some very wide spread misconceptions.
I have a plan, and I'm planning on it being awesome. I won't be able to work on it until June, though. Will probably go with a mdf mold with channels for interior ribs, kevlar first (inside of case and electrically inert), then short-cut fiberglass (to absorb a lot of resin and give it some rigidity, then 2-3 layers of CF. I'll post here when I start on it.
Thats almost as sexy as machining porn.LOL
Nice work. I love using kevlar, but totally agree on how hard it is to cut.
Curious, how are you going to finish the top edge of the case?
Nice work. I love using kevlar, but totally agree on how hard it is to cut.
Curious, how are you going to finish the top edge of the case?
My first choice is to fold over and clamp the last layer of carbon, using superglue to hold it before the epoxy. It's a rather light 5.7 oz 3k tow 2x2 twill. The tiny bend radius can work to my advantage by making a little rounded edge, as long as it doesn't splinter. What do you think?
If that doesn't work, I can either round the edges off with a dremel or last resort use some tiny c-channel molding from McMaster: http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber-molding/=sun8vb (I would prefer to avoid that as it won't be as clean).
I'd love any feedback or opinion, I'm totally not an expert at this but enjoy learning.
Nice work. I love using kevlar, but totally agree on how hard it is to cut.
Curious, how are you going to finish the top edge of the case?
My first choice is to fold over and clamp the last layer of carbon, using superglue to hold it before the epoxy. It's a rather light 5.7 oz 3k tow 2x2 twill. The tiny bend radius can work to my advantage by making a little rounded edge, as long as it doesn't splinter. What do you think?
If that doesn't work, I can either round the edges off with a dremel or last resort use some tiny c-channel molding from McMaster: http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber-molding/=sun8vb (I would prefer to avoid that as it won't be as clean).
I'd love any feedback or opinion, I'm totally not an expert at this but enjoy learning.
If the weave is small enough, definitely try to wrap the finishing layer over the edge to get a nice rounded edge.
Nice work. I love using kevlar, but totally agree on how hard it is to cut.
Curious, how are you going to finish the top edge of the case?
My first choice is to fold over and clamp the last layer of carbon, using superglue to hold it before the epoxy. It's a rather light 5.7 oz 3k tow 2x2 twill. The tiny bend radius can work to my advantage by making a little rounded edge, as long as it doesn't splinter. What do you think?
If that doesn't work, I can either round the edges off with a dremel or last resort use some tiny c-channel molding from McMaster: http://www.mcmaster.com/#rubber-molding/=sun8vb (I would prefer to avoid that as it won't be as clean).
I'd love any feedback or opinion, I'm totally not an expert at this but enjoy learning.
If the weave is small enough, definitely try to wrap the finishing layer over the edge to get a nice rounded edge.
Thanks. Any concerns over the superglue (dried) interacting with the epoxy resin?
Thats almost as sexy as machining porn.
3k 5oz twill carbon.
What about fiberglass keycaps? Stem would have to be made of plastic and connected somehow, but still.How to Get Fiberglass Out of Fingers - eHow (http://www.ehow.com/how_7404088_fiberglass-out-fingers.html)
What about fiberglass keycaps? Stem would have to be made of plastic and connected somehow, but still.How to Get Fiberglass Out of Fingers - eHow (http://www.ehow.com/how_7404088_fiberglass-out-fingers.html)
Looking great! Nice to see the project is going well!
are you from sweden? :)What about fiberglass keycaps? Stem would have to be made of plastic and connected somehow, but still.How to Get Fiberglass Out of Fingers - eHow (http://www.ehow.com/how_7404088_fiberglass-out-fingers.html)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Fh3J0UZ.gif)
Who me? No, I am Dutch. A bit further to the South I'm afraid. ;)are you from sweden? :)What about fiberglass keycaps? Stem would have to be made of plastic and connected somehow, but still.How to Get Fiberglass Out of Fingers - eHow (http://www.ehow.com/how_7404088_fiberglass-out-fingers.html)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Fh3J0UZ.gif)
Aah Okey! That guy from the gif is a YouTube celeb from Sweden :) IjustWantToBeCoolWho me? No, I am Dutch. A bit further to the South I'm afraid. ;)are you from sweden? :)What about fiberglass keycaps? Stem would have to be made of plastic and connected somehow, but still.How to Get Fiberglass Out of Fingers - eHow (http://www.ehow.com/how_7404088_fiberglass-out-fingers.html)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Fh3J0UZ.gif)
Haha I know. I came across him several years ago.Aah Okey! That guy from the gif is a YouTube celeb from Sweden :) IjustWantToBeCoolWho me? No, I am Dutch. A bit further to the South I'm afraid. ;)are you from sweden? :)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Fh3J0UZ.gif)
Yeah I likes his videos a lot!Haha I know. I came across him several years ago.Aah Okey! That guy from the gif is a YouTube celeb from Sweden :) IjustWantToBeCoolWho me? No, I am Dutch. A bit further to the South I'm afraid. ;)are you from sweden? :)Show Image(http://i.imgur.com/Fh3J0UZ.gif)
His videos are quite funny.
I can understand parts of it and I grew up with a mixture of American, British and several Scandinavian children's series.
Da Lotte blev usynlig (Lotte stays invisible), Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstockings), Ronja Rövardotter (Ronja the Robber/Brigand's daughter) and several others. :)
Definitely looking forward to seeing the finished project. Surprised that this wasn't done sooner, honestly.
Haha I know. I came across him several years ago.
His videos are quite funny.
I can understand parts of it and I grew up with a mixture of American, British and several Scandinavian children's series.
Da Lotte blev usynlig (Lotte stays invisible), Pippi Långstrump (Pippi Longstockings), Ronja Rövardotter (Ronja the Robber/Brigand's daughter) and several others. :)
Ok. On to the progress.
After the thick CF layer in the last step it was apparent that I needed to level out the base. So I mixed up a batch of epoxy and poured it on, making sure the whole thing was sitting level, and used a piece of peel-ply to add texture so the next layer would have a good surface to adhere to.
Here's how it looked after curing:MoreShow Image(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/11/a9cc6e4470fc34e28d15802c0574b3fb.jpg)
I had to do some repair work. Due to this little nub in the original mold the material was pushed too far out and did not form properly around the area for the USB connector. So, I cut this area and remade it using short cut carbon fiber tow mixed with epoxy. That enabled the rear corner to conform to the side of the mold without lifting.
Here's the offending bit:MoreShow Image(http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/14/10/11/e5905628283a22b20e6244c007a44649.jpg)
More coming!
So after it all cured, now comes the finishing and polishing stage. Not so great at this, as you will see...I'll post that in the next few days along with the (tragic) ending.No Spoilerz plz! :'( :'( :'(
Thanks for the updates, I was really looking forward to this. Carbon fiber is extremely difficult to work with, so I commend you on this journey. Very tragic ending indeed, but like you said the next round will be a lot better and easier for you I'm sure. And I would LOVE to see that.
i havent read the whole thread so maybe someone mention this already, have you looked into bitumen mats for stiffening up the design?Bitumen will work pretty well for dampening the case but they are also quite heavy.
i havent read the whole thread so maybe someone mention this already, have you looked into bitumen mats for stiffening up the design?
i havent read the whole thread so maybe someone mention this already, have you looked into bitumen mats for stiffening up the design?Bitumen will work pretty well for dampening the case but they are also quite heavy.
i havent read the whole thread so maybe someone mention this already, have you looked into bitumen mats for stiffening up the design?
I've not even heard of bitumen mats, thanks for the heads up.
I think the design is sufficiently stiff. It's already at least as strong stock plastic case and I suspect quite a bit more (though I have no way to test this).
JaccoW is right, though. I'm trying to keep weight to a minimum.
Man, and I just hit up that group buy, too! IT NEVER ENDS!
Would it be faux pas to ask how much we'd be looking at per case? I'm guessing these will be pretty pricy considering the intensive labor of working with this stuff. I'm still definitely excited for the CF-LX case, but it's pretty awesome to see other innovative cases made out of CF coming around! You've done excellent work on so far and it was enjoyable seeing your progress (until the unfortunate end of your first case, that is).
Looking forward to seeing these, man. :) The uniqueness of each case as you say and the blending of other composites into the framework is really neat, and I might not have much of a choice but to buy into this when you set up shop.
Will definitively be looking to buy one when you sell them, the open case style was what stopped me from getting a CF-LX and once I saw your thread I was hoping you'd start selling some. :thumb: :thumb:
Man, thank you so much for the interest and encouragement. I'm sorry to offer yet another thing to buy, but I really wanted to honor Hwood's initiative and passion. It's part of what makes this community as amazing as it is. :thumb:
I don't know yet how much these will cost; I'd like to get an accurate fix on exactly how much hands-on time each one takes, and I'm making some improvements in the process that will lessen the need/complexity/length of finishing. I do know that they will be substantially more than Hwood's case. My materials cost as much as his finished product does. So maybe it's good that you didn't wait on this one. :))
Will definitively be looking to buy one when you sell them, the open case style was what stopped me from getting a CF-LX and once I saw your thread I was hoping you'd start selling some. :thumb: :thumb:
Thanks, dude. Like I said I'm really excited about some of the ideas I have; if I can pull them off then I think these will be highly functional while at the same time being aesthetically gorgeous.
Maybe I'm reading too quickly, but I don't get what's wrong. The screwed up parts are not going to be visible, and it's not as if keyboard becomes ultraflammable or something thanks to a poor job, so heedpantsnow can just continue using his keyboard base can't he?
Maybe I'm reading too quickly, but I don't get what's wrong. The screwed up parts are not going to be visible, and it's not as if keyboard becomes ultraflammable or something thanks to a poor job, so heedpantsnow can just continue using his keyboard base can't he?
I think it might just be more so the disappointment of having all that work end up below his expectations. As an artist and someone who works with giving ambitious projects a shot, I'm used to things not being as perfect my vision, myself, at least not on the first attempt. Some people demand perfection though. I believe a true "perfectionist" is never happy when it comes down to it.
It seems fine functionally despite being "overcooked"! There's not really much to a case as it is, so it doesn't seem like it harmed anything structurally.
Still, I'd imagine it's disappointing when an accident like that happens, but it's not a total wreck at all.Maybe I'm reading too quickly, but I don't get what's wrong. The screwed up parts are not going to be visible, and it's not as if keyboard becomes ultraflammable or something thanks to a poor job, so heedpantsnow can just continue using his keyboard base can't he?
So I didn't mention this earlier but it is really important to keep everything WARM when lacquer coating. Both the part and the lacquer need to be above about 70F. Most of the time this isn't a problem but I was doing all this in the winter. Yes it is Florida but it still gets down in the high 30's and 40's and the spraying had to be done outside.
So throughout the whole process I was keeping the lacquer can in a bowl of hot water and before each spraying I would put the part in the oven for 3-5 minutes to get it nice and warm.
And you might imagine this is where disaster struck. Each time I put the part in the oven I never set the temp... The part was only in there for the first 5 minutes of preheat so it was never really an issue. Except one time.
I had just put the part in when my son came in, excited about his new level unlocked in Mario Kart 8. I figured, "I have 5 minutes, no problem." 30 minutes later, while he was dominating me on our third race, I smelled smoke. Uh oh. It then hit me: my part was getting cooked at 350 degrees!
Here's the carnage. It's not pretty.Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/25/3876dca3a4ec931ec81512bb230a52ab.jpg)
So, yeah, the part was ruined because of a stupid mistake. All is not lost though.
I learned sooo much this time around. The next time will be better, smoother, and hopefully require less finishing.
And my part turned out amazingly light.
Here's the stock plastic case:Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/25/871b51c909a960fcf57f9f980c43c722.jpg)
Here's the titanium 60% plate:Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/25/a784cb06323e44a86531f97dcafa5d68.jpg)
And here's my case:Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/25/b48ea749fa38d01d5e6148aece178864.jpg)
All in all I'm pleased with the result. I'm still going to try to sand off the burnt parts and see if I can salvage much of my case. But I've also got some cool ideas for the next iteration!
Thanks for reading!
You are right about the normal manufacturing. But in this case the plastic is burnt and bubbled all the way down to the carbon.So I didn't mention this earlier but it is really important to keep everything WARM when lacquer coating. Both the part and the lacquer need to be above about 70F. Most of the time this isn't a problem but I was doing all this in the winter. Yes it is Florida but it still gets down in the high 30's and 40's and the spraying had to be done outside.
So throughout the whole process I was keeping the lacquer can in a bowl of hot water and before each spraying I would put the part in the oven for 3-5 minutes to get it nice and warm.
And you might imagine this is where disaster struck. Each time I put the part in the oven I never set the temp... The part was only in there for the first 5 minutes of preheat so it was never really an issue. Except one time.
I had just put the part in when my son came in, excited about his new level unlocked in Mario Kart 8. I figured, "I have 5 minutes, no problem." 30 minutes later, while he was dominating me on our third race, I smelled smoke. Uh oh. It then hit me: my part was getting cooked at 350 degrees!
Here's the carnage. It's not pretty.Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/25/3876dca3a4ec931ec81512bb230a52ab.jpg)
So, yeah, the part was ruined because of a stupid mistake. All is not lost though.
I learned sooo much this time around. The next time will be better, smoother, and hopefully require less finishing.
And my part turned out amazingly light.
Here's the stock plastic case:Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/25/871b51c909a960fcf57f9f980c43c722.jpg)
Here's the titanium 60% plate:Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/25/a784cb06323e44a86531f97dcafa5d68.jpg)
And here's my case:Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/25/b48ea749fa38d01d5e6148aece178864.jpg)
All in all I'm pleased with the result. I'm still going to try to sand off the burnt parts and see if I can salvage much of my case. But I've also got some cool ideas for the next iteration!
Thanks for reading!
I may just be confused but aren't carbon fiber items usually sanded and polished after production to remove imperfections like this. I might be underestimating the extent of the bubbling, but couldn't you sand the whole exterior down a bit to remove the imperfections while still leaving a decent layer of epoxy?
You are right about the normal manufacturing. But in this case the plastic is burnt and bubbled all the way down to the carbon.So I didn't mention this earlier but it is really important to keep everything WARM when lacquer coating. Both the part and the lacquer need to be above about 70F. Most of the time this isn't a problem but I was doing all this in the winter. Yes it is Florida but it still gets down in the high 30's and 40's and the spraying had to be done outside.
So throughout the whole process I was keeping the lacquer can in a bowl of hot water and before each spraying I would put the part in the oven for 3-5 minutes to get it nice and warm.
And you might imagine this is where disaster struck. Each time I put the part in the oven I never set the temp... The part was only in there for the first 5 minutes of preheat so it was never really an issue. Except one time.
I had just put the part in when my son came in, excited about his new level unlocked in Mario Kart 8. I figured, "I have 5 minutes, no problem." 30 minutes later, while he was dominating me on our third race, I smelled smoke. Uh oh. It then hit me: my part was getting cooked at 350 degrees!
Here's the carnage. It's not pretty.Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/25/3876dca3a4ec931ec81512bb230a52ab.jpg)
So, yeah, the part was ruined because of a stupid mistake. All is not lost though.
I learned sooo much this time around. The next time will be better, smoother, and hopefully require less finishing.
And my part turned out amazingly light.
Here's the stock plastic case:Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/25/871b51c909a960fcf57f9f980c43c722.jpg)
Here's the titanium 60% plate:Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/25/a784cb06323e44a86531f97dcafa5d68.jpg)
And here's my case:Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/25/b48ea749fa38d01d5e6148aece178864.jpg)
All in all I'm pleased with the result. I'm still going to try to sand off the burnt parts and see if I can salvage much of my case. But I've also got some cool ideas for the next iteration!
Thanks for reading!
I may just be confused but aren't carbon fiber items usually sanded and polished after production to remove imperfections like this. I might be underestimating the extent of the bubbling, but couldn't you sand the whole exterior down a bit to remove the imperfections while still leaving a decent layer of epoxy?
Showing my continued support. Did you ever sell the prototypes?
About the short chopped CF filler:
This is a relatively new development in the composites industry. The marketing term is "forged composite", which is dumb because it's not forged. It's basically molded composite. Here's a decent article about how it's being used by Ferrari and Callaway (http://www.caranddriver.com/features/forged-composite-tech-department). I think it can be beautiful on its own (https://www.google.com/search?q=forged+composite&newwindow=1&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS655US655&es_sm=93&biw=2003&bih=1228&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAmoVChMIpMLYkP_EyAIVD_CACh2K1Que), but it's also the perfect technique for leveling out the surface of the keyboard base before I apply the final layer of woven carbon fabric. Basically I'm putting down several layers of the "forged carbon" and then sanding it back down level and smooth.
As you can see the sanding generates a lot of dust. This dust is a mixture of cured epoxy and carbon fiber. Basically the nastiest stuff from any phase of this somewhat nasty process. Before each session of sanding I have to "suit up" as mentioned above: I put on a full tyvek suit (with booties and hood), nitrile gloves taped to the suit at the wrists, respirator, and goggles. After each session I have to get our vacuum cleaner and thoroughly vacuum the work surface, tools, floor, and any surfaces in the vicinity. Then I vacuum myself. Then I can unsuit. Then I have to empty the vacuum cleaner, clean all the filters for it, and wipe down the insides so that there's no chance of this stuff blowing back out into our house while my wife or kids use the vacuum.
So basically I can only sand when I have a large chunk of time, which isn't often these days.
I'm sorry the progress is slow right now.
Heedpantsnow, these boards will be amazing once they're completed! You're like a wizard or something. When I saw your prototypes I thought they were nice enough to sell, as is.
I can't wait to see how these are going to turn out :thumb:
Heedpantsnow, these boards will be amazing once they're completed! You're like a wizard or something. When I saw your prototypes I thought they were nice enough to sell, as is.
I can't wait to see how these are going to turn out :thumb:
Thanks bro. You're the only other GH'er whose seen them in person!
I hope you're well. We need to grab coffee again sometime soon!
I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?
ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)
I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)
Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so. Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery. Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/07/5cbdd40b9909ee8e1218ac197462e8cf.jpg)
I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!
I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)
Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so. Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery. Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/07/5cbdd40b9909ee8e1218ac197462e8cf.jpg)
I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!
I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)
Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so. Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery. Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/07/5cbdd40b9909ee8e1218ac197462e8cf.jpg)
I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!
Woah that looks pretty wicked... how does it work?
Okay, Silvia side project completed. Will post a work log in a few days. This thing works like a dream.Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/12/35cec21fdc30d0fe2c4178378d0a9e42.jpg)
Okay, Silvia side project completed. Will post a work log in a few days. This thing works like a dream.Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/12/35cec21fdc30d0fe2c4178378d0a9e42.jpg)
Okay, Silvia side project completed. Will post a work log in a few days. This thing works like a dream.Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/12/35cec21fdc30d0fe2c4178378d0a9e42.jpg)
It looks beautiful!!! Can I come over and makes some drinks haha
Okay, Silvia side project completed. Will post a work log in a few days. This thing works like a dream.Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/12/35cec21fdc30d0fe2c4178378d0a9e42.jpg)
heedpantsnow -- you have my full attention. We have an older model here at the office and I'd LOVE to see what you did!
Okay, Silvia side project completed. Will post a work log in a few days. This thing works like a dream.Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/12/35cec21fdc30d0fe2c4178378d0a9e42.jpg)
It looks beautiful!!! Can I come over and makes some drinks haha
Of course, but I think you need to focus on exams now, right? :thumb:
we have one at my office. they are not as great as you might think.
I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)
Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so. Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery. Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/07/5cbdd40b9909ee8e1218ac197462e8cf.jpg)
I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!
I had no idea WHAT that thing was until you mentioned espressos. The instant thought that came to mind was a Nissan Silvia, since it looks like it would fit right in under the hood of a car #notamechanic
That's crazy though! Seems like time well spent nonetheless, good sir. Coffee is an important commodity!
I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)
Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so. Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery. Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/07/5cbdd40b9909ee8e1218ac197462e8cf.jpg)
I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!
If mine ever goes South, looks like I'll be taking it south to visit you!
I can't believe I'm just seeing this now. Hows progress on it going?ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGEMENT ENCOURAGMENT! ;)
Thanks guys for the interest and encouragement. I've been sidetracked by another project for the last month or so. Found rust on the bottom of Silvia while doing brain surgery. Had to rebuild her frame and rewire her. Soon she will be giving me god shots of espresso again!Show Image(http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/12/07/5cbdd40b9909ee8e1218ac197462e8cf.jpg)
I'll have a work log on that soon, and will pick up where I left off on the carbon fiber goods. I had to take care of Miss Silvia so I could have fuel for the CF!
Woah that looks pretty wicked... how does it work?
Prototype VIShow Image(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160913/adcd2d0a44df1c440aaaafe1ae27ec46.jpg)
Prototype VIShow Image(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160913/adcd2d0a44df1c440aaaafe1ae27ec46.jpg)
Yeeeeee looks good :D
Prototype VIShow Image(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160913/adcd2d0a44df1c440aaaafe1ae27ec46.jpg)
Praise all that is delicious. :D
Glad to see you back, man!
Prototype VIShow Image(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160913/adcd2d0a44df1c440aaaafe1ae27ec46.jpg)
Looking forward to seeing results.