Clearcoat carbon fibre tank protector

[Evans]

I managed to scratch my tank so needed to look into tank protectors. Having wasted my money on stick on ones I realized I'd need to make one and thought I'd document the process for anyone interested. I have a spare tank so used it for my mould.
First I taped up the shape of the protector with three thicknesses of tape. I used insulating tape but masking tape would work just as well. It gives you a cut line to trim your laminate back to.

[Evans]

Next I covered the tank with brown packaging tape where I needed the laminate to release and used masking tape to protect the rest of the tank. I used release wax then PVA release agent over the brown tape.

[Evans]

I used Fibreglass boat cloth for my structure. It is essential to use epoxy resin if you use brown tape as it won't work for vinyl ester or polyester resin. I used West system resin and three layers of cloth. I used black pigment in my resin, otherwise the white will show through the carbon fibre. Simply wet out they cloth and stipple it with a brush to get it down with no voids

[Evans]

leave for a day or so . If you release it too soon it may change shape as it continues to cure. Release it by using soft wooden wedges tapped in from the edges.

[Evans]

Shape it to the cut lines, refit it to the tank

[Evans]

Drape your carbon twill over the part smooth out the weave as straight as you can. once you're happy with the look wet out by stippling with a disposable brush, I use SP 115 resin which is thin and wets out well and is the best for clarity. Some of the other resins yellow in UV. If you wanted a painted finish just fill and sand the fiberglass part. apply three coats of resin as each coat gels but is not fully cured. This is important as if the resin cures you need to sand it to get next coats to bond and that would wreck the weave of the carbon.

[Evans]

As you can see no damage to the tank

[Evans]

Carefully sand your component with 240 grit paper until it is level, remove all weave pattern and dips but be careful not to sand through the resin. The resin dust is white, carbon dust black. Apply vinyl stickers coat with three coats of 2 pack automotive clear

[Evans]

That's it. This is the component dry fitted, I'll bond it on with black Sika 291. Hope this helps with anyone wanting to play with composites

[Mezo]

Wow !!

Yep myself & Danny have been reading up on this very subject, i know the two Amigo`s (Dave & Bernie) are also keen on this stuff to. Plastics for these old Tenere`s are becoming hard to come by & one of us, yes one of us on here should be looking in to making replacement covers (especially gel coated to factory color carbon one's)

I was looking at the air deflector on a 34L radiator the other week, pretty simple to make & there is a market for such an item worldwide, and things like this for sure guys would want them.

Cheers for posting (now watch the orders come flooding in)

Im making this post a sticky.

Mezo.