Mold Making for Carbon Fiber Infusion. Please watch the version with fixed sound. Linked below. 

Great job buddy, PVA is the only way to to go. Paint would likely to have been removed on the plug should you have not used it. Cheers Ross

Inspirational work, Craig! Not much action on TB but I haven’t been active there in years. Following along here religiously though.

At the rate things are going...in a 100 years( probably less) people will be able to 3D print car parts in their garage. Nice attention to detail, thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Remove the music! You hear nothing of what is said.

Great video! What I would do differently, I wouldn't laminate those wooden stiffeners on the mold. They are likely to imprint through the mold surface after some time. I always use some flexible glue, such as Sikaflex, to mount the stiffeners on molds if possible.

HA - I think I cheered in unison when the boot lid separated.

Good tutorial. Plus you're working on a 122s. Same as me. Thanks.

Modeling clay: you want low sulfur. I'm not sure what the differences are out there but we always keep the low sulfur stuff stuff around for this exact purpose. Release wax: we use 5 coats, but more is always better than less. It's a special wax that tolerates the heat of the curing process. Also, it's a sacrificial layer that is destroyed with the removal of the mold from the plug and must be reapplied if you are making more molds from the same plug....assuming the plug survives. A good plug should get you 5 molds made from the same plug. A bad plug may need to be chiseled out of the 1st mold. I say a great plug go straight into production and serve as the mold for a minimum of 600 parts with no sign of any issue other than normal wear and tear. PVA, we never use it like this, we find the finish is too poor for our purposes. It is a sacrificial layer that ensures a very good release, but must be cleaned off and reapplied every time. Gel coat, we never brush unless it can't be avoided. It increases the likelihood of pinholes and porosity. That said, there are different systems out there that mitigate that problem and you should always refer to the instructions with your system. We spray and those of us doing it prefer to thin it by about 10%with acetone, but that is off label and management doesn't want us to...they sign the cheques so we don't thin as a rule. Glass application, you definitely want to begin with a high tack gel cure stage, it ensures a chemical adhesion which is better than a mechanical adhesion. But we prefer to apply the resin to the gel directly as its easier to chase the bubbles up with the resin than force the resin down through the air filled glass. The first layer of glass should be a resin rich layer, the woven cloth is an excellent choice, a vale works well too. The subsequent layers should be the chop strand mat as its the most cost effective option. But the overlapping edges should be torn not cut, because the overlap can create a resin rich line that can shrink more and create a line in the mold that will need to be dealt with later in the part. After the first 4 layers of 1.5 oz are cured we put in 4 more layers but the tearing is then unnecessary as it can't pattern through anymore. We use the optiplus II system from polynt (pretty sure its not available to.the general public though, we are an industrial manufacturer) and get only about 45 minutes of work time out of it, so we work fast. Wood gusseting/reinforcement, we use wood extensively but plywood, and we will slit it almost all the way through when applying it as you've done on this mold so that it can conform more closely to the surface. But be aware that the wood placement can pattern through to the surface of the mold. Demolding, air pressure from a blow gun is a perfect tool most times. Finishing mold surface, if you can avoid sanding the mold it is best. Sanding the mold opens pours that can build up with styrene over time. Not an issue with limited runs but something to consider with production molds. All this said, this is not to be in the slightest bit critical of you or your mold, it looks amazing and you've done a great job. I'm simply relaying what we've found over the years, and I was trained by a guy with 35+ years making production molds. Loving you videos, keep it up.

I have been looking for a tutorial like this for a long time, good job!

I really like the way you welcome viewers 👍👍👍

Thank you so much for these videos. Your videos have me beginning to believe I could make carbon fiber parts myself. Great job and keep up the good work. I know these videos take an amazing amount of effort to create on top of the work you are doing.

Nice work! Only suggestion I would offer is to cut your reinforcing components to eliminate springing of the wood. Or back fill them with Bondo. The large glass areas shrink and pull the components together and can cause flattening of your compound curved hood. I like to use rollers to spread the resin quickly. 3", 4", even 9" rollers for large deck areas. You can pour the resin out in zones and quickly disperse the resin before it cooks off in the pot. Of course I deal with higher temps on the average. Ol' sunny Florida. Gotta think quick to stay under 10% waste.

O desmoldéante se pasa a mano y con estopa virgen, jamas se aplica com pistola! La masa para sellar la aba se pasa por debajo. Al final el canto de gelcoat que sobra se remata suavemente con lija! God job!!!

all of the small pieces of carbon to be laminated into the mold should be wetted -out prior to placing into the mold. the new mfg. action is .....alright.........but old teck works EVERY TIME .

FYI: That wedge tool is made by Steck Manufacturing Part # 21730 Easy Pry Tool. I paid $15.24 with tax for one on eBay.

Came here to upgrade my fiberglass skills but you got me hooked on the Volvo build. I used to build surfboards and repair fiberglass sailboats and thought I had it tough but I now realize that plug making is a wholly different ball-game. No room for errors! Back to RU-vid school for me - thankfully there’s excellent people like yourself out there who are willing to share their knowledge! Love your approach and regular servings of (Irish?) humour!

Sir pliz make a DIY video how to make a fibreglass car body side skirt (sporty look) start to finish 🙏

Fantastic video. In a previouse life I worked at a fiberglass production shop and I loved hanging out with the mold makers. I didn't see anything you did that I would do differently being that this is not going to be a production mold. I have a similar project coming up and I hope mine goes as smooth. I can only hope that I get a release from the buck as perfect as yours did. Belive me I have seen it go really bad sometimes!

11:10 this happens, when you‘re using a wax that is not compatible to a following layer of pva! I didn‘t get which wax you used, but the process and how you described it, sounded wrong to follow it by pva. The biggest downside of the catastrophic layer of pva is, that exactly this surface your mould will build on! So all your perfect preparation work was kinda useless...

Nice videos and very detailed informations that you give. I live in Germany and I have a Ford Bronco and also want to try doing some molds of the fenders and rear side panels but I will not make them in carbon fiber I will just use fiberglass I think. Thumbs up 👍🏻

Whew! For a second there I thought you were sanding the fiberglass without your respirator! About 30 years ago I worked with fiberglass to make trim templates. This was before multi-axis lasers were affordable/common. We used the templates to trace a trim outline for prototype sheet metal parts. I also worked for a company where we made replacement helicopter windows for the UH-1 Huey. Fiberglass frame around a plexiglass thermo-formed window. Good times! Great video!

Superb work. I notice a little bit of the metric system crept into this episode. Your fellow countryman, AvE, is a little more verbal when he has focusing issues.

The wood stiffeners will imprint thru the mold. It's better to use a filler such as an expanding foam. Put a layer of expanding foam about 1 1/2 inches thick down on top of your last coat of fiberglass. This stiffens the whole mold and doesn't show thru. It's light and very strong to support the mold. I learned this from a professional mold maker. You can buy the foam as a two part agent, mix it up and just pour it on top of the mold and let it set up. A little cardboard around the edges keeps it from falling off before it sets up.

Just came across your channel. Great video. I really like the time lapse with narration. Subscribed.

You don't need such thick layer of PVA. Just put a fey light coats to avoid runs. If you really concern about PVA thickness add a few more light coats. But don't spray it such thick in one pass, otherwise it will form runs and heavy orange peel texture.

If you have a beard....run a battery powered blow over respirator shield

I've started watching the time lapse videos at quarter speed... but the audio sounds like the time I played a Led Zeppelin album backwards. I am certain that I heard "send ___ zip lock baggie ___ free t-shirt __"

that plastic you used around the edge is called corflute, and the plastic tool your using looks like a spudger :)

GODSEND. IVE SUBSCRIBED. PLEASE KEEP THESE COMING.IT WILL HELP MOST OF US GET OUT OF POVERTY. THANKYOU SIR

Hi. Good work on the mold however. The only thing I see you consistently do is omitting using Cabosil. Silica gel made from resin and fumed silica until you have a gel the consistency of vasoline. Use it to fillet around the edges or anywhere your material can’t adhere to the small details of a part. Keeps from getting air bubble gaps that later turn into craters in your molds. Other than that MOLD ON BROTHER!!!

Really good video. I've also found that pulling CF parts from these molds are a lot easier than pulling fiberglass parts. Less chemical smell too. I was always worried about alligator marks in the gel coat and having to lay the fiberglass down on the gel coat after it started kicking. It looks like you did not have this problem even with you let the gel coat kick completely. I know that it stays tacky, but I did not know that you could take your time between the gel coat layer and the fiberglass support layers. Thanks!

I guess i am your 1700th subscriber(: love the content! Greetings from the Netherlands

Who else flinched at 21:05?

Coffee???? No way, I'm grabbing a beer.

Turn the Music off!! This great video don't need it :)

Will you be doing the inner structure for the trunk lid as well?

The reproduction should have more bracing where the original bent from people slamming. I hope you put good notes on these molds, what they're for, the original make /model of the masters - that way if they turn up in barn somewhere in 80 years from now someone still may be able to do a historical restoration. Great stuff.

Hi I wanna to ask you where do you get all the supplies for the carbonfiber kit ? I would like to get in was hobby and learn. Im in Quebec canada very appreciate your video !

That's just friggin AWESOME! I've been 'watching' a lot of videos lately .. Really Helpful! DMAX

that is a great tip about the scale in the baggie...

realy metal framing for two parts ???? The mat is 1.5 oz and it has starch not styrene, the styrene is in the resin and the gelcoat and is the predominant smell that everyone associates with fiberglass. other than those bloopers nice job but realy overkill for the mold, more wood in varying thicknesses would have worked well or even cardboard glassed over would work, great dyi!!!

Get a box of Tyvek overalls. They are great for Spraying and work like this.

good work, I like to use air/blow gun to pop it off, some real stubern ones you can use a water hose. parts like yours are almost eazy to pop off.

Ha! I have that exact same scale!

i think a C.F. lead sled would be the shit .be light and fast handling and big . all at the same time. best of the new and the old.

Your friend is going to be happy though when he sees his trunk back.. :p

for some reason this popped up in my suggested videos, pretty crazy that this was three years ago now... I have watched all of your mold making videos so many times, there like watching my favorite movie over and over again. And I will definitely be using your teachings to make molds for my Porsche.

Did anyone else think that we were going to see actual carbon fiber part/s being made?

Why didn’t you polish the body filler? I think I’d chose To go all primer or all polished paint what’s the point in having a partial buffed surface for a mold you lost me in the first 3 min with that pointless crap.

A little more than a minute in and we get hit with an ad. Great content inspires viewers toward direct support of a channel, not a generic YT subscription.

nice video, thank 4 shareing....gooooooooood

Done a fair amount of this building Xperimental planes. Lovethe guitar instrumental music nearing the end before pull...what is the group called and is it commercially available?

Just going to say that you could have saved a lot of time by just using the PVA or sticking with just the release agent. No need to use both.

During my shipwrights apprenticeship, I spend 12 weeks wet and drying a 45 foot plug. Back in 1973, no machines, all by hand. And the waxing! Still gives me nightmares. So intense and non stop physical torture. We were strong back then !

What did you use to hold the flanges please

I'm really curious to know what the weight difference between the fiberglass deck and the original metal one is!!!!

Where do you get filleting wax?

Just a quick correction - The first layer of the mold is the most important - most of the imperfections in the finished mold were because of that. Other than that good video - PS I built yacht plugs and molds for over 20 years.

Why didn't you put a layer of 17 oz woven roving in the middle of your chop strand mat for lateral stiffness?

9 coats of wax. Preparation is everything.

Great vid thanks very entertaining and great knowledge share.

Awesome 👍👍 grab yourself and oscillating tool for trimming edges. Much more enjoyable than an angle grinder

Never use cloth it inprints badly. I always pre-wet my mold before laying on chop strand. Bondo your wood down then layup. All my molds have couple holes drilled in the middle to blow air in without using wedges.Just my two cent's. I like what your doing looks good.

Very good instruct. After polishing, the tiny dings are visible in the right lighting conditions. can you use filler to make it straight if necessary?

I'm wanting to completely clone a Ram Air hood induction with a buddies hood that already has it. I've done it before and it's been awhile but what's the best way of putting the fiberglass and the resin on there without it sticking to his actual paint on the hood taking it off safely? I've heard cooking spray works good

Thank you so much... Now I know how to take a mould without taking off the paint lol. Last mould I did I used floor polish and the fibreglass absorbed the paint and damaged the paint on the spoiler... Had to repaint it for my client lol

Couldn't hear you above that music.

hi again - not long done a boot for a car i am building....same method as you, and the elation when the mould releases the part is something you have to experience to know how good that feels ! your wood idea is a good one, not only will it stiffen up the mould as you state, but if your garage space is limited as is mine, you can pop a couple of hooks in and hang it up and out the way !!

Should dust your first pva coat . include an air hose connection where the badge was at the rear so you can release the mold without using tools, just connect your air hose and pop it. Try using tooling black instead of gelcoat.

I really like this episode. You teach by example as well as by precept. Your care in preparation and construction is something I would emulate as well as the steps to do. Well done.

Great video. I use flexible hose to create Omega stiffeners instead of wood. It allows me to make long stringers without too much work. But your metal frame is the best.

Great vids!! Thanks from Florida!!!

I like your flange process! Have you ever used adhesive PTFE film? It might be perfect for flanges and areas that are off the part.

the resin used polyester or epoxy?

Great video spoilt by silly music why either o play music or talk one or the other please

I dig neighbor Ken's attitude you put him to work so he left right away

Since you have posted a replacement video with better audio, why no take down this one?

curious why you went the same way with the material instead of length one way and width the next?

You are not Roman Polanski so adding the sound track is not a good idea. Believe it or not I want to ACTUALLY HEAR what you are saying not have to listen to the music that only a small segment of you viewers like while others are just annoyed by the screeching crap. Nice video and very informative but you are the star and you need no sound track.

When we used PVA, we always just used a rag dampened with it. Only give it one wipe. Always worked and gives a much better glossy surface. We never put it on so thick that you could see it.

Fibreglass dust in your workshop forever.

That's a lot of layers of glass

Why didn't you make the return flanges before you pulled the trunk lid? It was perfectly set up for return flanges to pick up all that detail and support on the inside. And with those nice wide flanges you made there was plenty of room for dowels to locate and bolts to fasten them. If you make you mold from epoxy you will have more time between the layers of fiberglass and will be able to smooth everything out and wont have to grind between layers, never seen that before, even with poly.

YOU NEED TO SHOW HOW YOU PUT THE FLANGE ON WITH THE HOT GLUE GUN

Blink dammit, blink! :D

Why did you cut the csm gussets instead of tearing it?

I am in the process of building a new mower frame for my racing lawnmower and I have got some issues of broken hood. I would like to make a mould of the same hood and maybe do some mass production of it. It would be greatly appreciated if you could do a video of making one! The mower model that I have is a Model 110 John Deere. Do you do the same process for carbon fiber? Thanks 🙏 and keep up the great work!

to cool guy. wish i had a neighbor as you to teach me how. i would build the perfect wife, nice to look at but says nothing

why cant you use the loose fibers for the first layer? i thought the polyester resin dissolves the styrene binder in the mats

Turn the music off went talking

Exelent job

I love fibreglass work! I used to build speed boats in the 70s

The music made it unwatchable.

Great video and tips

Awesome job very informative

Awesome info

hi there, i made mold , and the surface going not smooth or uneven , can i fix it with lay resin to it ? then sand it ? or i use gel coat ? to smooth the surface ?

Beautiful work.

Excellent

No gloves?