Latest revision as of 06:24, 23 December 2015

Material Selection

Google's cache of the now-defunct www.pe.net/~rpm/about2.htm mentions:

All gas tanks are made of vinyl ester resin for chemical resistance to gasoline.
Fenders and side plates are made of iso-flex or DCPD resins, no low grade ortho resins are used.
All parts are made with iso-flex gel coats to reduce cracking.

Epoxy Resin vs. Vinylesters and Polyesters at Red Rock Store. This is an excellent layman's explanation of the different chemical properties of resins.

Epoxy resin
- Strongest molecular bond
- Will crack along a single line rather than splintering
- Minimal shrinkage
- Thin resin, easier to thoroughly wet-out fabric
- Excellent repairability
Vinylester resin
- Essentially polyester resin toughened with epoxy molecules
- Weaker molecular bond than epoxy
- Difficult to repair/patch
Polyester resin
- Cheapest resin available
- Highest water absorption
- Highest shrinkage
- Spider cracks when stressed
- Difficult to repair/patch

Vacuum Bagging On $50
- Glad ForceFlex trash bags are polyethylene and are suitable for vacuum bagging with epoxy.

Simple Vacuum Bagging Systems recommends using a cheap hand-pump vacuum pump from an auto parts store. They have a built-in vacuum gauge.

JoeWoodWorker.com has some excellent guides intended for applying veneers to woods.
- Project EVS is a how-to guide for building a very advanced vacuum system for a relatively low cost.
  - Uses two vacuum reservoirs made of Schedule 40 or 80, solid-core PVC pipe. Just as an air tank prevents an air compressor from having to run continuously, a vacuum reservoir reduces the strain on a vacuum pump.
  - Uses a vacuum controller to switch the vacuum pump on only when additional vacuum is needed.
  - Uses a "3-way Mac Valve" to relieve vacuum from the vacuum pump, which otherwise might prevent it from re-starting after cycling off.

How I Made My Carbon Frame At Home at Brano Meres Engineering and Design. Demonstrates building a bicycle frame without vacuum bagging.
A Homemade Vacuum Bagging System gives details on a low-cost vacuum bagging setup.

@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 =Vacuum Bagging=
-* [http://volvospeed.com/Mods/vacuum_bagging.html Vacuum Bagging On $50]
+* [http://volvospeed.com/~volvo/Mods/vacuum_bagging.html Vacuum Bagging On $50]
 ** Glad ForceFlex trash bags are polyethylene and are suitable for vacuum bagging with epoxy.