How to cover parts in carbon fiber (fibre) by skinning or wrapping 

Thank you, Ik it's a wee bit idiotic to leave a comment on a 12 year old video and hope this reaches you, but this is easily the best tutorial I've found on the subject. Thanks!

I have a lot of experience with carbon and a little trick is to mist a light layer of super 77 spray adhesive or equivalent on the under side of the cloth. this allows you to cut edges without fraying so easily :) A light layer will not effect epoxy or other resins

This is one of the best things i have ever seen in my whole life. A lot of Repect to you carbon mods. love this kind of DIYs and people like you who show how its done. I hope you have an awesome bussiness with it.

This is a great product that worked very well for me. I followed the instructions to the letter and I would just emphasise the need to give thin, even coats of the clear resin. I was a bit heavy handed with the first resin coat and ended up keep having to wipe drips away from the lower edge of the item I was coating. When it was cured, I had to sand away the excess but thereafter with thinner coats, everything went well and I'm very pleased with the end result.

Good thorough video, nice job, I did see a couple of imperfections but the process was good and enough to be able to repeat and take time to get it perfect, although it's a fine art and takes years to get a very good job, definitely easier to sit back and criticise.

This is very useful for other projects too, I'm doing a carbon fibre skateboard and this is very helpful, thanks

Thanks Cossietone, We remember how hard it was trying to get the info and the materials, people who know 'how' don't normally want to share the secret... I don't think they want to admit to how easy it is! The secrets are all coming out now! Carbon Mods

I didn't buy their kit but this "how to" really helped me a lot. Thanks!

@dazzelya: Where you're dealing with tight curves (and angles) it's sometimes neccessary to add a cut line in the fabric. This allows you to really stretch the fabric over the worst of the curves and then have a separate, less distorted piece for the remaining surfaces. A great tip to get a nice clean cut line in the fabric is to spray the fabric with plenty of hairspray before cutting it. That way, when you do you're left with a sharp clean line that doesn't frey. Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for your time, I took a look on your web site and it looks like I am going to buy the carbon fiber cloth and the epoxy as well... thank you !!!!!!!!!

Very nice tip!!! without mould is a very nice product/result. Congratulation for the idea!

Well done and explained 👏

Awesome video. Thanks for taking the time!

The results look unbelievably good. That sure wasn't the guy's first time doing that.

Just what i was looking for! Thanks alot.

Excellent vid!

excellent video, job well done

love it im buying it right now

Been skinning quite a few years, also thanks to the clip which got me started back then .. but as I look at it now, I can't help to feel a little annoyed. If you look at these parts you can clearly still see marks and pits in them..which would all be solved if they wouldn't advise people to use a rattlecan to apply clearcoat. Use real clear laquer applied either by yourself or by a pro with a regular spraygun and it will look so much nicer. I've skinned parts for some high end vehicles for which those specific parts were not available in CF .. If I handed over the parts like this .. ppl wouldn't come back at all :-) Props on the sanding and applying resin though, can't go better than this :-)

@Monk3yman77 : Yes, sort of. The trick is just to skin straight past the edge (no curling the fabric) and then when it's cured to cut it off and sand the edge smooth. This method works really well for getting very neat edges, especially when you have other parts that the skinned part needs to meet up with perfectly.

I did this to the back of my iPad. It looks great

@28hypnotic : Yes, you can file it. We use Perma-Grit tools (which are a range of tools with Tungsten Carbide grit on them), they do sanding blocks and files etc. The main advantage is that they don't really blunt or clog but for a cheaper alternative you can't beat a range of different grits of abrasive paper around a block. Start with coarser grits and work your way up to finer grits. By the end you can have a perfect smooth glossy adge.

Oh! The EasyComposites guy!

Hi Delsol, The base coat is very sticky so it can hold the carbon tightly against the surface of the part even on very sharp corners. It is also posible to do parts in multiple pieces, where joins might be necessary/desirable. If you were to do one side of a cube with a cut, you would apply the carbon and then trim it at the corner once is was 'tacked' down... this would leave a very neat cut right on the corner that wouldn't be visable... simple! Thanks for the question.

This is so cool!

this is awesome i have carbon sheet trim inside my car..im going to upgrade to this

With some shapes it is a good trick to wrap the skinned object in tight fitting glad wrap. Glad wrap does not stick to epoxy. When the epoxy is dry, the glad warp is removed,, and the object has a beautiful smooth finish.

Thanks for the reply... Will try this soon on the fuel door...

I just did my jetski pole with clear resin. It is important to have the first coat is black it helps to hide inperfections in the carbon fiber and when you sand it to flatten it out it hides the thin parts. I did 4 coats of clear ontop of carbon fiber and looks awsome I should have done a smaller part my first time but am very happy with my first thing I have ever done

Great vids by the way.

This type of technic does add some added strength to the part you are covering as well as good looks. It all depends on your application more fiber in different directions usually adds stiffness and strength.

Great video!

A little tip I've found when skimming is instead of using the tape that can be messy and awkward I use small bull dog clips to fasten the c/f fabric tightly to the piece, the last thing you want are air voids between your fabric and piece. 2-3 coats of clear resin and a final wet sand with 1200 wet paper, then I use a dremel to remove the hardened excess c/f fabric from the back and sides, and finally 1 coat of 2k lacquer, dry via IR light and you have a perfect finish every time.

Could this be done to or as a cover for visors? Thanks for any info

Great video...thanks!

Hi Transam, the best way to get a neat line between a skinned area and an unskinned one is to mask out the area you don't want the carbon to be, then apply the base-coat, when it goes to 'tack' remove the mask then apply the carbon over the line, then you want to carfully scalpel down the line, mask it off after and apply the top-coats. you should get great results this way!

@summitsvift : It's the 'Carbon Fibre Skinnin Starter Kit'. We also have the special 'High Temp' version and also a 'Large' version. They're all listed in the 'Carbon Fibre Kits' category.

Nice, The polished part looks much better than the clear spray part..

Yes you can, although i would recommend you just use a simple laminating technique and minimise the numbers of layers of resin for weight purposes. We do stock a wide range of fabrics on our Easycomposites website including lightweight carbons and woven fibreglass often used in aero modelling,

Hi Tuga77, The reason that we reccomend snading after the first coat it because there is often small 'nibs' and sharp spots that are best being removed early to allow the subsequent top-coats to build a fairly flat surface. if you don't have any of these small problems areas then it's fine to continue without sanding, thanks for the question. Carbon Mods

great stuff!!

Hi Simon, Yes, you can drill through the carbon skin without any problems. You should always make your appertures slightly too small and then open them out using a file or abrasive paper - this will prevent any cracking or chipping of the skin.

Which method is best.. Lacquer or buffing it up with the polish? I’m looking buying the XCR skinnin kit. Thank you

@Keitho958 It gives a sticky layer for the carbon to adhere to, it also masks the part colour as the carbon has tiny holes in the weave. I also use the black (gel/epoxy coat) to paint the underside of parts afterwards. Glovebox lids for instance. Been using this stuff a while and it's very good.

If you think any grease or contaminents have got into your process somehow (off your hands, rags etc.) then this is good advice. If you're working very clean and changing water reguarly then this isn't always neccessary. We didn't wipe this part down between coats, kept it clean and it was perfect.

The fabric we're using in this video (which is included in the kit) is standard 2/2 twill, 3k carbon fibre. We do also sell a version called ProFinish which includes an almost invisible epoxy powder bonding on the reverse to make it much stiffer and easier to handle/do cut lines. For flatter parts or where you need to make neat cut-lines ProFinish is a great choice but for more contoured parts (like this mirror) then I would stick with the standard 2/2 twill and just get used to handling it.

Hi Kapullas, yes, this is perfectly possible although sometimes the time saving that you would imagine (by not making a mould first) doesn't actually materialise because you'll spend so much longer flatting and polishing the finished part that you would if you'd taken a mould off the nice, smooth, glossy part in the first place. The other thing to consider is that a part made in this way (without a mould) would be larger than the original, unlike if you made a mould off the original first.

At first I was thinking it will be an awful result but in fact that's great job !

Hi Tulaconalas, normally this kit is used for the look, however the materials used are the very best in structural performance too, so it would be fine to use this process to strengthen you speedboard, people have used these materials for making there own wakeboards and surfboards you may want to use more than one layer of carbon to get ultimate strength though. I hope this helps you out.

Ordered my kit wish me luck

@mlinecomposites1 : Actually, if you put the carbon onto the basecoat at the right time (when it's firm but still slightly tacky) you can lift it back up again before you put any pressure on if it's not lined up quite right. We did a bonnet the other day and the carbon went down a little out of line, it was easy enough to lift it up and get it right second time. Once you press it firmly down, it's down for good.

nice work

Why is it on my resign writing 4:1 with hardner???? So I put it my rood and now it is foggy!!! Can it fixed if I sand it down to carbon fiber or will it be clear at the end??

@dutchguywillem : This certainly depends on the temperature you're working at. We recommend an ambient temperature of 20 degrees, this is what most epoxies are designed to cure in and if it is 20 degrees you'll be at the 'tack' stage in around 4hrs. It's worth checking fairly reguarly; if you catch it just right it makes the job a lot easier!

What is the full list of sand paper grits you used??? The first was 120 grit and the last was 1200 grit. What were the grits in between??

Hi Yonchvader, well, firstly, steel can be cut and sanded too. The main reason it's much easier with carbon is because carbon fibre's strength works differently to steel, it's a bittle material with poor 'elongation to break' properties which means fibres can be individually broken easily (which is why sanding is so effective). Weight-for-weight however the tensile strength is higher than steel which is why it's referred to as 'stronger' than steel.

@dotless : It would be possible but motorcycle exhausts run pretty hot so we would suggest using the 'HIgh Temperature' version of the kit. It's exactly the same but uses a special resin system that's dimensionally stable (doesn't expand or contract) up to about 160 degrees C (which should be fine for most exhuast systems). The you just follow the same steps. The HT kit is listed on our site too.

Thinking about coating a rcplane - how much weight does this process add?

Whats the cost/benefit ratio of this versus wrapping it in carbon fiber vinyl?

so when I did the clear coat way, the clear coat came on not shinny but fuzzy.. the temperature here is optimal and its not cold at all.. I was wondering why is that its still coming out fuzzy. sanded the part pretty good up to 1000grit.

@lolligheidddd : Yes, metal is a good starting point. Make sure it's keyed up well. We haven't seen any problems with skinned metal parts.

@rnr04072 : Yes, it works in exactly the same way. In fact, the blue/black carbon fibre is an option on the product page when buying the Skinning Starter Kit.

@pballer72: The resin we use doesn't actually exotherm very much so that wouldn't be a problem. The tricky bit would be finding a temperature that the wax would melt at but that wouldn't harm the part. The resin we use in this skinning kit is happy up to about 80 degrees C so you'd need a wax that melts before then.

Nice video man. Greetz.

very nice!

@thmisaac : We actually sell a 'bonnet/hood skinning kit' specially for skinning a car hood. That kit includes a piece of fabric that's about 5' x 4'. If that's not big enough then yes, we sell everything separately and can make a kit up to any size you need. The hood kit includes instructions for skinning a hood with lots of tips and a video on the way!

nice vid!!! thanks!

Hi Taff, we spent a long time getting the right resin for the job, you are right though, epoxies are generally tough to polish well, our system flats out and polishes by hand perfectly, if you wish to machine polish you must ensure the part is fully cured and the head set at a low RPM otherwise the surface can soften with the friction generated heat and a good shine can't be acheived. We don't know of anyone who has experienced problems polishing our system to a full gloss. Thanks for asking.

We've got quite a few different weave patterns available, especially on our Easy Composites website. These include the new 'giant print' spread weave carbons, plain weave, twill (like you see here) and others. Nothing I'd describe as a hexagon print but a huge range nonetheless.

Hi emj0001, You Can get a great finish with either larger parts such as bonnets and roofs we would recommend a clear-coat or laquer as it is quicker. if you are looking for a flawless finish from laquer you can flat and compound this using the same method. Thanks, Carbon Mods

Hi Dazzy2para, You can Have joins in the fabric, normally the cut is made when the top-coat has part-cured (still slightly tacky) you overlap the carbon at the join and then carfully cut along the desired the seam line with a knife and remove the exccess material. so in short yes a sphere would be possible with one seam/join running around it. Thanks For the Question. Carbon Mods

@TheWhoTheWhereTheHow: The fabric itself is about 0.3mm. When you use it in this skinning process then the fabric and the resin together add about 1mm.

iruss71, No problem mate, Glad this helps you out, good-luck with your project it sounds cool. Carbon Mods

when i brush on the first layer of resin i keep getting pinholes and fibers coming loose in the weave, how can i prevent this?

Good Job!

Is it possible to carbon skin a foam/rubber spoiler?

@bloodieduckies : Skinning is the process of making something look like it's a carbon fibre part by adding a single layer of carbon fibre to the outside of it. Laminating (although the word sounds like the same thing!) is the traditional name in composites for actually layering reinforcement (i.e. carbon) and resin into a mould to make a composite part (i.e. a carbon fibre part) so laminating is making carbon parts, skinning is covering existing parts with a layer of carbon.

Hi Phun4life, It can definatly be done, I know of 2 customers who have already skinned thier 360's, have practice on something less expensive first though!

@SheikaSiera : It's the Carbon Mods "Carbon Fibre Skinning Starter Kit" - look in the "Carbon Fiber Kits" section on our website and it's somewhere near the top of the list.

@0livia9991: Hi Chris, you can use any standard body-filler to prepare your body panels before skinning. In fast, because the skin is so solid and you're going to do so much flatting the quality of the part underneith is unimportant. We've just filmed a video (not edited yet) which shows us skinning a whole bonnet (hood). The bonnet itself had lots of scratches and a couple of bits of body filler. The end result was stunning. I'll be uploading it soon. We can do your size, no problem.

Do you have a sheet large enough to do a roof on a 92 civic hatchback?

Hi ReALiT22, It's fine upto 80deg C (176F) We are currently developing an 'engine bay' version of the kit that will take much higher temperatures. Thanks for the question.

@bloodaid: Well, the reason we're doing it for parts like this is to give them a completely genuine carbon fibre finish. As a side effect, adding 1mm of carbon fibre and resin to the outside of a part would add considerable strength but in the case of a mirror it's strong enough already so the reason for the 'skin' is cosmetic. You could use the same process to cover something very thin and light (like papier maché) then you would re-inforce the part considerably.

Question i have is; after you have sanded the part down and are about to finish with a clear coat or polish. When do you remove the excess carbon that was taped over the edges?

Hi rinjingan, Yes you can use vinylester or polyester resins, however they do not perform as well as epoxies and often their clarity is not as high. All top composite workshops will use proper carbon fibre laminating epoxies like we supply. Thanks for asking, Carbon Mods

Can you cut the carbon directly on the edge? I thing a lot of parts wont fit if you just wrapping around. What would be the best way to do that?

Yes we ship to the US everyday, a kit typically costs £16.00 which is about $25 so all in with current exchange rates it would total $93 on your doorstep, as for working on ceramics it would bond quite well especially if wrapped around onto the back... not sure about dishwasher safe, there's no real reason why it wouldn't be however we couldn't guarantee it. i would imagine the worst that would happen would be losing the glossiness. Hope this helps, Carbon Mods

Amazing ! ! !

@arun ranjit Actually, if you buy the kit off the Carbond Mods website you should find that you can buy the kit with Alufibre cloth as an alternative to carbon fibre. Alufibre is a silver version of the carbon so sounds like what you're after.

This is all exactly right. The standard twill weave we supply is only 0.3 in thickness. The top coats will take you up to about 1mm. Changing to a lighter carbon fabric will only have a very slight effect since a thinner fabric would be 0.2, the rest of the process would then take it up to 0.9mm (although in reality it will vary more than that).

Hi Plooke, you could use normal carbon fibre epoxy laminating resin as the first coat, however you may get problems with the level of 'tack' and quality of bond to the part, also with it not being black you might get visable gaps between the weave on the surface, I would say if you can get hold of some skinning base-coat, it would make your life much easier! Any more questions please ask.

This also counters taser attacks right? Kinda preparing for the battle ahead

depends on the part and how long you are prepared to spend working on the part. Both can achieve a great finish (as seen in the video).

@oldhpirs4 : It depends on how difficult the parts you try to make are. Really detailed or intricate parts with lots of tight corners can be very difficult or even impossible to skin (or replicate completely) in carbon without at least a bit more equipment. If it's simpler shapes or items then it's perfectly possible to do a good job of making these even as an enthusiastic beginner.

awesome.. good vid

This is Art Attack for grown ups!!

@JWOLFyep : Yes, definately. If you're 'skinning' the part to actually add strangth to it then the more layers you add the stronger it will be.

Hi AcryllicWonder, We have made our kits to give you the best start possible, I wish they were around when I started! as for a steering wheel, I would say that you've picked a tricky part to skin, and a very very tricky part to mould, I would suggest starting with some simpler parts such as interior trim, where you should get great results straight away, then move onto the more complex parts as your experience builds, Thanks for the interest, Carbon Mods

@davidcrm2 : Yes, perfectly easilly. It's just like a tough plastic skin. You can drill through it with a normal drill.

@MrIolea : Yes, we delivery throughout Europe. You can place your order through our website.