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Actually, lets be clear here. There are many different types of resins that can be used in making CF parts. As lms has stated, if an epoxy resin is used, it is typically covered with an automotive type clear coat so that the epoxy does not start to break down in the presence of UV. However, this is not exclusively the case with epoxy resins as you can get UV stable and high temp clear epoxy resins that do not require a clear coat. Most makers do not use these though because they cost too much for them. The other popular resins are either polyester or vinyl ester resin which are usually covered by a clear gel coat (like that found covering boats) which is a hard outer surface. Some people prefer the clear coat because it is less daunting to them to repair, but gel coat is almost as easy. Epoxy is technically a stronger resin, but for the application a VER resin will work just as well.
Now, given that long spiel, a response to your question. You could get an image painted onto the gel coat before the fiber is laid down. This would give you the reverse image once the part is removed from the mold and basically be encapsulated in the composite. You can also use a variety of different materials as the surface material. For example, I have seen some crazy guys put denim or even Luis Vitton leather as the surface. Of course these are absolutely worthless from a structural perspective, but fashion often has no purpose. You could also use a Kevlar / carbon weave that has different colors in it. I have seen some silver fiber glass from Hexcel that is interesting. So, there are a number of different options, it all depends on your desire and amount you want to spend.
On a side note, most of the mass market hoods for imports (e.g., VIS, Fiber Images, etc) are not really CF hoods. They are typically "skinned" in CF with a fiber glass core. The structure is so weak that it still requires a substructure like that you would find under you metal hood to stabilize it. A true quality hood would be made from several different weaves of carbon fiber (twill and unidirectional) with an integrated core material giving it structure that would not require the sub frame and be much lighter and stronger to boot.
posted by 206.16.3...
, Wed, 24 Nov 2004 05:34:40
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