Can Anyone Recommend A Carbon Fibre Repairer?

David Copperfield

 

Can carbon fibre be repaired? I thought the weave construction made it nigh on impossible

 

BMW’s i8 can be repaired, to a degree and that’s a c/f composite so maybe inquire at your local dealer where the bent ones go!

 

You can’t repair the weave, but you can slap a structural patch on the back and fill the hole/crack with colour matched resin.

 

There was a post on here recently where someone had a patch put into a Carbon piece it was pretty hard to see when finished

 

Not strictly true. It certainly can be repaired and the repair can be structurally sound a that. Weave can be matched, and the orientation and weight if got right will create a near seamless repair which will be pretty hard to spot unless close up.

Following on from the above it does depend what you're trying to do. In effecting a structural repair or effecting a cosmetic repair. If cosmetic then you'd look to take out as much of the damaged area as possible and match the weave - however to be done right you're best taking a splash mould of the damaged area first and moulding onto this within the repair to achieve form continuity.

The other thing as you mention is resin, all of the 916 era and before was wet lay with pre-preg parts only starting to appear here and there. repairing wet lay for a good match is piss easy - pre-preg a touch more difficult.

The process for the resin infusion and RTm panels and tubs on an i8 is pretty shonky at best, bit like the mess that merc dealers used to make of SLR repairs. - they'll have a spot repair setup in place but they'll scrap a t-boned car or one that's had a big smash. Unlike say a McLaren F1 body in white, you can't stuck those back int he mould and rebuild the missing areas.

@NOODS X what are the components you're looking to have repaired?

 

Yes ring target composites in cheshire there doing my airbox and front mud guard as we speak.

 

What @Sev said.

 

You're in suffolk noods and not far from the coast, do you have any boat builders that build in carbon close by?

if not, bicycle builders who make frames and also do carbon repairs such as https://lifecycleuk.com/

 

I recall someone on here had a carbon repair by a pushbike repairer and it was near invisible

May have been a 9*6 SPS thread?

 

Yes that who I've sent my airbox to target composites.

 

It’s not too difficult to do yourself if you’re that way inclined, especially on this sort of non structural use. You can get air curing resins and the carbon cloth off eBay. It’ll be a doddle for a workshop with cf experience, there’s plenty around who the bicycle industry among others, as linked above

 

https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=145378

One method of doing it yourself, for those interested

 

Buy the materials and do it yourself.
www.carbonmods.co.uk