Last week at a swapmeet I found a new, unopened roll of graphite fiber (not cloth, but similar in size/weight to fin rope). Since the guy wanted $1 for it I bought it, then got home and started trying to think of uses for it. Anybody got any ideas? Seems like it might be useful for reinforcing ding-prone areas, eg. fin edges or rails. Or maybe not (gee I wasted a buck.) Herb, ever used something like this?
You probably lucked onto some cheap carbon fiber tow rope. It’s used for joining tubes, dowels, etc. You wrap it around one tube, then the joining tube. Change patterns and repeat until you’ve made a fillet structure.
I’ve only been instructed in CF joinery… never done it. Apparently tow fillets are so thick that you have to wet the tow with epoxy as you wrap. Plus, you have to maintain tension on the tow through wrapping until the epoxy hardens. I haven’t really found enough hands to juggle the operation. If anybody wants to show me, I’d be interested.
Could you use a thin roller tool to make depressions along the sides of your stringer, then fill with epoxy and your tow fibers to create I-beam stringers?
Now there is a thought. Could probably pre-wet the fiber, use a grooved roller (like the type used for putting window screens together), and do it all in one shot. It might look cool too… I was trying to think of an application for filleting around dowels/tubes, but unless I get to building an outrigger canoe w/ an ama, I don’t know where it would be on a surfboard. Wonder if I could weave the stuff on a pegboard or simple loom, impregnate it and make a wicked stomp patch…
A window screen roller - perfect!
We have used it effectivly in rail channels, mostly on boards for Hawaii. Works quite well.
Thanks for the input. How much fiber did you use? Single strand, triple, more?
Keith, Carbon Tow comes in a variety of different thicknesses so it would be impossible to answer that question unless you had a better description of your carbon. This would be done using the letter K. 3K, 6K, 24K, 80K, etc… the higher the number the thicker the tow. It is a little more complicated than that, but you get my drift. Sluggo
Hey Sluggo, thanks. What I have is Hexcel type IM4-GP 12K, there is also a marking WT/LBS: 1.9 It’s on a spool about 10 inches wide and 4 inches across, seems like it was meant to be used on a machine. I’d guess there’s 500 yards of this stuff, or more. It would be nice to find a good use for it. If anybody wants some to play around with, just holler. I couldn’t use all this in a 100 years of backyard experiments.
IM4 is an intermediate modulous carbon (40M, higher the number the stiffer). It is a little lighter and also higher shear strength compared to “standard” 33M carbon. It is made only in 12K best to my knowledge. You need to use it with epoxy!! Stuff probably sells for around $8 to $9 per lb in large volume, sold to pultruders, prepreg mfg,s and filament winders. Have fun with it. Sluggo