Building A Custom Carbon Fiber Dash For The Hilux! 

After laying down the resin epoxy run a heatgun across it, it will remove unwanted air pockets and bubbles that causes the fisheyes.

You can do like the Speaker guys do..make a wood and foam frame..staple / Hot Glue fleece fabric ( or any fabric material including old shirts lol ) over it to create a shape...and then use resin to stiffen it..add your cloth and matting materials to layer it... continue adding cloth/resin till it is strong enough for your use....it can be a mold or completed part doing it this way...you can add metal material for fastening it as you build it too...whether steel or aluminum or whatever you like...it isn't hard to shape it roughly and cover it... or change it too..if your unhappy...go buy fleece at a fabric store..it shapes and adds strength to the first stage....the resin dries and hardens over it like glass material...

You did well for the first time. I know someone who did work with carbon fiber. Ir was a struggle to say the least. I would be curious if one was wave a torch or heat gun lightly over it. It would pull some of the imperfections out of it. But it is looking good. You should look into hydrodipping... easy to set and do. A lot of patterns available. Great for accent work on accessory items. As always looking forward to seeing what's next.

If you’re not letting the coat dry fully before putting another coat on it could be that you’re not giving it enough time to gas off if the vapors of the resin do not gas off it will cause Fish eyes

Austin, great job on the bezel for your radio. I have some experience with composite work. Your conclusion you came to after putting multiple coats of epoxy on was correct, the epoxy was too thick. The "fish eyes" are created when the epoxy "goes off" and the gases created in that reaction need to get out. It's all about the thickness. Keep in mind, in the end, you want maximum fiber and minimum epoxy. My suggestion to you is after every coat of epoxy you put on any project, brush it on, and the squeegee it off. By squeepeeing it off, you'll leave the epoxy between the fiber grain and take off the high spots. Three coats max. Good luck. Great videos, great channel, great work. Congrats!!

Next time you cut carbon fiber use a spray bottle with water to keep the fibers down. Helps a lot with the dust and nastiness of cutting carbon. Just mist it every now and then during the cut

Much respect to the time and effort you take on your builds. One thing I'd recommend is getting a 3d printer with a large print volume. I think it'll add value to what you do and help you in cases like this.

"Seems like everything is a scam even our president" haha love the subtle jab! 🤣

for the next mold, i would suggest using plexiglass/acrylic as you will get the smooth & flat surface. and it will save time or at least minimize it from having to sand.

Did he not say he wasn’t going to go full out on this truck lol ? I’m loving it I just find it funny

Awesome content Love all the hard work Great build series

Awesome job in those carbon fiber parts The dashboard and the door trim looked amazing would love a pair.

Sooooo good to watch you learning and perfecting. I’m sure there’s nothing you can’t do! Great content. Thanks for bringing us along

You were correct Austin the epoxy needed more time for off gassing, at least 24 hr between coats , you didn’t say what the temperature was , too cold and you get the same problem and you end up adding more time for off gassing, great job for your first attempt 👍

Hate the idea of a slammed Toyota. But love watching the process. So I’m here for it. Step one in any fiberglass or carbon fiber work, good solid all metal scissors. And lots of roller work.

Привет!Прекрасная работа.Очень нравится то ,что ты делаешь!Удачи и побольше подписчиков😊

Awesome build! Thanks for the shoot out haha!

love the mini truck build man...lots of fun to watch the progress

Good job… surfacing agents will definitely help on second coat. Also, just after you coat with the agent, fish eyes will appear when settling. Use leftover from your cup and mixing stick to fill them in when they appear before letting it harden. Been glassing surfboards for a bit with epoxy and found that to be best for me. Hope this may help!

If you are looking for an idea for a short filler video, feel free to make one where you use a USB volume knob with your atoto stereo. I'd have bought one already if I could see someone using one with a USB volume knob. Atoto doesn't list one as an accessory, and there is only one on Amazon where someone claims it works. Just a thought. Nice job on the bezel, although I'm bummed you "took the easy way out" on the stereo mounts. Good job!

It’s dirt that’s giving you the fisheyes along with even a slightly epoxy improper mixture as the compound gases out/cures. One coat mixes properly at a time is the safest practice with some sort of protection covering it.

You did excellent in my book Austin.. Very sweet custom piece!

Lots of respect for your work. Super meticulous - like a Japanese carpenter - devoting oneself and all your abilities to excellence. I did a countertop with a self levelling bar top. I has issues with fisheyes as well. I suspected it had something to do with the surface tension and the viscosity of the epoxy. Hitting it lightly with a propane torch only removes bubbles. I did research and found that if the viscosity is too thick, like as if some of the moisture in the epoxy has evaporated (a product that claims it has a longer shelf life when it doesn't or vendor that don't return stock that is too old- ever bought a bottle of epoxy and the bottle is sucked in a little and doesn't hold it's true shape because it has been sitting around too long? Some of it may have cooked off) Or maybe it has sat on the shelf in a hot climate for too long? After more reading, I found that some people try to thin epoxy to help it flow and self level better. If the mix is too dry it will seggregate and congeal and form imperfections. But not all epoxies are thinnable. But to use a thinned epoxy with a detail item like you are doing it must be super level. And damming inside edges becomes necessary. Also epoxy is like concrete. The curing process is an exothermic reaction - too much heat and it will cure improperly, too little heat and it will not self level. Rather than using an infared thermometer and controlling the tempurature like some weirdo BBQ geek, thinner can help. And using a super good quality epoxy is expensive, but not that much when using on small parts like this. Hope that helps in the right direction.

you got to torch the epoxy to blow up the air bubbles and it also helps the epoxy level out flat onto the mold i do epoxy figure modeling and I use this stuff a lot so yeah using a torch helps the epoxy move around and set flat way better than just letting it do its own. itll dry out deformed 9 times out of ten if you dont apply some heat Edit: use thin coats to medium amount for this type of epoxy setting. great video good luck!

You are one talented young man

“Including our president” 😂

Should have panel bond the brackets wouldnt have moved

That turned out great for your first try. Plus the level of unique is that much higher. Nice work.

Good video you accomplished quite a bit in building the radio faceplate from scratch,just keep on doing what your doing and carry on 👍👍👍😎😎😎

You should have as much subscribers as Devin you two guys freaken rock I watch his channel for tuners and yours for trucks

I would like to make a suggestion, per your last video if I may. Please put up the option for viewers to give you a 'like' w/money. You put out great content, and RU-vid viewers (like myself) don't mind throwing you ssome 'coffee money'. Just a thought on how to increase your revenue stream (also I hate to see Big Red go...). I used to wonder why carbon fiber parts were so expensive. Having seen this video, now I understand! Man that's labor intensive!

Looks great! How about 3d printed? Might have worked too!

ترجمة للعربي شكرا لك على هذي المعلومات

I used Minwax polyurethane spray on my sun faded carbon fiber Light Speed disk guard on my 06 RM250! It's held up pretty freaking good!

Alot of work man

Keep up good work brother. Why you not an South African we need that talent in our country😄

Just a thought, wouldn’t it have been easier to make a plug and put the finished surface against the mould? That way you could have got a super smooth finish to the corners and finished surfaces.

Spray raptor on it 😋

Nice work...

That clear coat will chip off. Nothing sticks to epoxy other than epoxy. Keep up the awesome build

Austin,That was a great PSA

It's good enough to learn for the next time. You still have the mold and can always come back and make it better. I say send it until you decide to revisit it.

Awesome video as always

Great job Austin. This truck is going to be awesome

maybe you could try putting the epoxy under vacuum after mixing to remove air bubbles?

Amazing job again, Austin! The wizard never give up! 💪🏼

You can use cheap rollers to work the cloth...or buy the proper metal one if you do it enough...squeegees ( plastic ones like for body filler work great...) dab your brush quickly to press the resin into cloth.... work fast ! lol...it hardens quickly depending on temps and how you mix the hardener etc . yes..make your edges bigger to trim down... use wood for molds and metal fir strong lips/flanges etc .. and make it easy to release the part too...lol

Use gel coat before laminating

Not having a clue about molding with carbon fiber myself, I'd say you did a damn good job! 🤙🏽

Resin could be off gassing. Maybe throw it in your oven for a bit. See if there is an accelerated cure on the can. Also, those blue shop rags are not good for cleaning like that. They can leave a residue.

Think it would have been better to use the form as the final layer which you do more prep on so the finish is super smooth and vacuum bag the part. Heaps of boating channels have tips on doing fiberglass and carbo fiber work and how to simply the process and have a high quality finish. But still a great job!!

You usually add strength to a form to be able to release your part...some ribs and extra material will help popping them apart..

Not bad for a first try. Suggest vacuum bagging, use peel ply, less epoxy, too much makes a weak part, heating pad to reduce curing times and check out Mike Patey's page. Cheers.

Amazing stuff👌loving this channel

Use a torch after you lay down the epoxy it helps with fish eyes and bubbles

I would have bonded the brackets to the back with epoxy instead of using the bolts. It’s stronger than the four bolts and much cleaner in the end. Cool project though, looking forward to the next vid :)

انت بارع جدا في كل امر

Lookin sweet!

You need to heat your epoxy. Put the bottle in hot water before pouring it and mixing. The fish eyes are air bubbles from mixing. Use a heat gun to pop them.

Nice work love the look

Nice project! I suggest to put Gel Coat to finish your mold in the future. Its self leveling and will do magic for you!

Awesome vid as always and congrats again on the engagement!!🎉😊👍🏻

Smoother your form is the better the part comes out...spray gel coat first then glass it up

متابع لك من السعودية العربية

Your patience and determination is insane keep up the great work

Try a heat gun when the epoxy is still wet, it will pop the bubles

"Including our President"... Nailed It!

There are no difficulties for you bro 🍻

Such a great channel thanks.

Use a heat gun. Forces off gassing so all bubbles are gone before epoxy is set.

Epoxy gets a anime blush when curing on the surface, soap and water and then acetone wipe. Cure Epoxy with heat if needed

Even our president 😂👍

Love that little poke at sleepy joe 🤣

You are so good with steel that it surprises me you went with carbon fiber. Looks amazing for your first try! Great job Austin!

don't forget to bake your parts

Wonder if running a torch over it between coats would have helped?

You can add thickened resign in the sharp corners to get better shape, then add chop stand matte before it tacks up.

What about 3D printing some of the pieces you need?

I have an atoto in my 06 4runner and it was literally plug and play. The price was un beatable and it has never done me wrong

There's air in the epoxy. Unless you pull it out it's going to have bubbles (fisheyes) use a blowtorch after each ply

Heat gun or a light torching helps with bubbles. Can even heat the epoxy on a warmer

Hey Austin, have you considered 3D Printing that mold ? ps love your channel

Useing chop stran mat works easier around sharp edges

I thought that you need to do another mold from your mold so that your finish is the side that is in contact with the mold. Doint it that way you apply clear gell first the the carbon fibre then apoxy etc.

Try head it with hair dryer the fish eys goes away

Awesome

Next time, just lay it all up and then put it into a vacuum bag and suck the air out. That creates a perfect laminate.

I wish I could help you with that, I make prosthetics limbs out of carbon fibre!

A 3d printer would’ve been great for this project

👍

m'y opinion i think the époxy was absorbed by the fibre and make point, so Maybe to Wait until bécame rock ans thèn add another cout. Not easy job, i like tour job good luck

Nice to learn from someone else’s mistakes for once :) thank you. Actually a brilliant way to teach something. Turned out great in the end. Progress not perfection!

Wash with soap and water with scotch brite pad. If not curing, your epoxy resin ratio is wrong. I always weigh my epoxy resin ratio. Buy a good no blush epoxy resin.

It may have been static electricity from the plastic table. That causes fish eyes in carbon fiber.

What about using a heat gun like how they get bubbles out of epoxy resins

Austin please take care of your back. You work for very long in Bent position.

Try also 3D printing 👍🏼

Watch Street Banditos channel…they did an ENTIRE Datsun Z out of carbon fiber!

Including JB ..I love it when you sneak in some political bits..

"everything seems to be a scam these days... including our prez" 😂💯