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Cleaning Aerosport Carbon Fiber parts?

ERushing

Well Known Member
Good Morning!

I'm beginning to prep my Aerosport overhead console. I'm planning to keep the carbon fiber look. What did you use to clean the console prior to painting/ clear coating? If you clear coated, what clear coat did you use?

Unfortunately, it being Saturday, I did not plan ahead and don't want to wait until Monday to ask Aerosport...

I'm assuming that the process is
1. Give the console a good cleaning/ de-greasing prior to working on it - using what? (It has already been fit to the cabin top.)
2. Match drill and install the nutplates for the inserts.
3. Drill out and clean up the overhead vent locations.
4. Clearcoat it before or after installing in on the cabin top??
5. Regardless, clean, wet sand ~600 (?), clean prior to clearcoat.
6. How many coats of clear?
7. I liked Ed's approach of sanding 1500 and 2000 to get rid of the imperfections that are bound to be there after my first experience spraying clearcoat. Buff with rubbing compound and then wax.

BTW - I'm planning to flox it in vs using Lord Adhesive (because I haven't bought the Lord adhesive for the windows quite yet.) I have plenty of cotton flox on hand. Any issues?

Thanks for your support!
 
Good Morning!

I'm beginning to prep my Aerosport overhead console. I'm planning to keep the carbon fiber look. What did you use to clean the console prior to painting/ clear coating? If you clear coated, what clear coat did you use?

Unfortunately, it being Saturday, I did not plan ahead and don't want to wait until Monday to ask Aerosport...

I'm assuming that the process is
1. Give the console a good cleaning/ de-greasing prior to working on it - using what? (It has already been fit to the cabin top.)
2. Match drill and install the nutplates for the inserts.
3. Drill out and clean up the overhead vent locations.
4. Clearcoat it before or after installing in on the cabin top??
5. Regardless, clean, wet sand ~600 (?), clean prior to clearcoat.
6. How many coats of clear?
7. I liked Ed's approach of sanding 1500 and 2000 to get rid of the imperfections that are bound to be there after my first experience spraying clearcoat. Buff with rubbing compound and then wax.

BTW - I'm planning to flox it in vs using Lord Adhesive (because I haven't bought the Lord adhesive for the windows quite yet.) I have plenty of cotton flox on hand. Any issues?

Thanks for your support!

Eric,

I'm doing pretty much everything on your list. I have fiit the console to the cabin top, cut for lights/vents, installed all the nutplates, and fit the cover plates. I will be floxing it in when the time comes as well.

I experimented wet sanding/clear coating with the center console side pieces. Cleaned with paint prep wipes - really nothing more than alcohol to be honest. I then wet sanded with about 600 grit. I shot 2 coats of clear and then wet sanded 1500, 2000, and 2500 (the 2000 and 2500 wasn't necessary - one will suffice), then used a DA buffer for polish/wax. Turned out very nice. Most likely I will clearcoat the console, mask very well, then install and blend into the cabin top. Haven't made up my mind 100% on the order I will do that.

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Following up on this thread, I'm in deep doo-doo with my OH console. My cabin top *was* ready for finish paint tomorrow, but I decided to re-mask the demarcation lines around the overhead console. When I removed the masking, it lifted the epoxy resin squeegie coat I'd applied.

Before I applied the resin coat (to fill the gazillion pinholes in the carbon fiber console), I washed the OH console, wiped it with grease/wax remover, and scuffed it. I followed that with 2 coats of epoxy, which I wet sanded to achieve a smooth finish prior to clear coat.

And then, as I stated, I masked it, went to move the masking materials (blue painter's tape for the "rough" line), and the painter's tape pulled the epoxy coat off in sheets.

Why didn't the epoxy stick to the carbon fiber, and does anyone have suggestions on how to gracefully correct the mess I have on my hands?
 
Hi Kyle,

I'm so sorry to hear about your issue! I approached the pinhole issue a different way. I sanded the console, cleaned it well with soap and water and then a deagreaser and then shot a couple coats of PPG clear. After shooting the clear, I went back with a small amount of clear in a jar and a tiny little brush and went on a pinhole hunt. Every pinhole I found, I put a tiny little dab of clear into it. After the clear hardened, I went back and sanded smooth again. Shot a final coat of clear and called it good.

My clear coat is far from perfect. There are pinholes that I missed and a few pieces of lint that somehow got into my "clean room." I still need to do a little more orange peel sanding on the sides and give it a final polish but it's good enough for me.

I shot my cabin top color coat yesterday after ~8 months of work on the cover. I feel like I'm the slowest builder in the world! I do the big reveal later this afternoon - removing all the masking to see if the lines held true.

BTW - Are you planning to clear coat your color coat on your cabin top interior. I'm not at this point unless I'm missing something important!

Good luck with the fix! If it's any consolation, I had a huge mishap yesterday when moving things around to set up the paint booth. One of my wings slipped off the cradle and SMASHED the leading edge/ inner corner of the fuel tank. Looks like I'll be building a new tank once I get a little closer to completion...Misery loves company, right??
 
Hi Kyle,

<snip>

BTW - Are you planning to clear coat your color coat on your cabin top interior. I'm not at this point unless I'm missing something important!

Good luck with the fix!

My plan is for a "natural" carbon fiber overhead console overlaid on a painted top. I've put a lot of work into the cabin top, so it is in good shape for final paint. My plan is to spray the final paint, then a couple of coats of satin clear on the painted areas - I think a satin/matt look will be good overhead. I'll use gloss clear on the OH console.

The first step in the console fix seems to be to scrape the layers of epoxy off of the console using a razor blade (I did about two hours of that work this morning - may have cleaned up 1/3 of the console in that time). I'll probably stick some duct tape on the flat areas to see if I can just pull some/all of it off quickly that way.

But the question remains: "Why didn't the epoxy stick, and what's gonna be different when I spray clear coat?"
 
Sorry to hear about your issue, Kyle. Doesn't help at this point, but I did the same as Eric (minus spot filling) - pretty much what I posted above and it turned out pretty nice (especially given the work/time:result ratio). There are still pin holes here and there (corners mostly), but I'd have to point them out to most to even notice.

One of my wings slipped off the cradle and SMASHED the leading edge/ inner corner of the fuel tank. Looks like I'll be building a new tank once I get a little closer to completion...Misery loves company, right??

Not sure how bad yours is, Eric, but I had the same thing happen while trailering my wings to store in my hangar:eek: Check out about 1/2 way down on this page of my blog:

http://hhav8or.blogspot.com/2016/08/27-aug-16-holy-cow-what-delay-in-build_10.html

Worked WAY better than I ever thought possible. Will require a tiny amount of filler during paint, but you'll never know it happened.
 
Hi Kyle

Definitely sanded/ scuffed before clear coat. I think I cleaned, degreased, then wet sanded with 600 grit.

Good luck!
 
Thanks Jon,

I'll take a look. Did you leak test your tanks again after the fix? That incident is about as close to tears as I've gotten since watching Marley and Me. (Or any dog movie in which the dog dies at the end :) )
 
Eric, Jon,

Did you do a preliminary scuff sand before clearcoating the console? If so, what'd you use?

Kyle - still haven't done the overhead, but will use the same method as the center console pieces in my post above that I used to experiment. Clean, wet 600, two coats of clear, wet 1000, wet 2000, polish, wax. Turned out nice.

Thanks Jon,

I'll take a look. Did you leak test your tanks again after the fix? That incident is about as close to tears as I've gotten since watching Marley and Me. (Or any dog movie in which the dog dies at the end :) )

Eric - yes, I tested the tank again after letting the Proseal cure for about 1 week. I hear you about the tears. I watched it happen. My buddy was driving and I was nervously watching the wings as the one spar slipped off the stand while going around a bumpy corner at about 45. Considering the disaster that could have ensued, I felt fortunate to walk away with only a little damage to the inboard tip of the tank. Hopefully my log may help you salvage your tank.
 
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