Carbon experts, a question.

[98tls]

Bought this Carbon front guard,the yosh thing on the front of it isnt a sticker its been painted on:blank:Whats the deal with sanding carbon?can i just sand it back to remove the thing then apply clear coat over the top?Any help appreciated.

[ajturbo]

being a house painter...
i would start with 40grit sand paper...
and see what happens...

if you do this, please take photo's so we can laugh at you when we meet

[98tls]

being a house painter...
i would start with 40grit sand paper...
and see what happens...

if you do this, please take photo's so we can laugh at you when we meet What part of "any help" didnt you understand aj.............mutter mutter :msn-wink:

[Patch]

unless you know the thickness of the clear coat - I wouldn't be sanding it, sure fast way to fuck it.
just paint it that fuckin ugly snot green :dodge: unless you really want the natural weave :sick: look

[98tls]

just paint it that fuckin ugly snot green :dodge: unless you really want the weave :sick: look Err i would just leave the guard thats on there if thats what i was after.:blank:

[wilber]

I would leave it on more than likely bugger the surface ,thought it was on the back on guard at first ,on the front your'll spot any minor fuck up .

[98tls]

I would leave it on more than likely bugger the surface ,thought it was on the back on guard at first ,on the front your'll spot any minor fuck up . If thats the case then bugger:blank:Oh well it can sit on a shelf with the other babillon TLS bits i seem to have accumulated over the years.

[Subike]

could it be any worse than sanding and painting any surface?
Im sure that plenty of the boy racers etc cut and polish their carbon fiber bonnets etc.
the hard part would be getting the high sheen polish look back,
Didnt you practice right hand polishing work as a lad, you know,back and forth

[98tls]

could it be any worse than sanding and painting any surface?
Im sure that plenty of the boy racers etc cut and polish their carbon fiber bonnets etc.
Dunno mate,thats what im trying to find out.

[AllanB]

Don't start with 40 grit!!!!!!! Sweet Jesus it would be seriously stuffed after that!


I've seen Carbon Fibre painted on Pimp my Ride (seriously!) so figure a clear coat will be OK.

But PM Crazefox for back-up on that.

Or

Do a test re sanding (logo removal) on part of the guard that is covered by the forks when fitted, ie not visible. Cover the surrounding area in masking tape (in case you slip) and start with a fine wet & Dry 600-800 - move up grades to a final 1500-2000 finish then polish with car wax.
If the carbon looks sweet on the non visible test area after this mask around the painted logo and carefully sand off the log with a fine grade wet & dry again moving up to a super fine one (effectively polishing it). You may need to remove the masking and give the general area surrounding where the logo was a fine sanding at the end to ensure the surface is even.
Remember take it easy when sanding - a 2 beer job at least I think :apint:

I've managed to clean surface scratches from plastic in this manner.

Nice guard by the way. :drool:

[dilz]

i work with carbon for a living mate so i can honestly say you will risk cutting through the fibre,if you do this the carbon will lokk "flat" at best and you will more than likely "break through" the weave which will look shit..is it definately painted on or do you think it could be a sticker under a heavy clear?

[98tls]

i work with carbon for a living mate so i can honestly say you will risk cutting through the fibre,if you do this the carbon will lokk "flat" at best and you will more than likely "break through" the weave which will look shit..is it definately painted on or do you think it could be a sticker under a heavy clear?
Cheers for your reply,it hasnt arrived yet mate,its coming over from Aussie,the bloke i bought it off reckons its painted on though theres a chance i guess that its as you say a sticker under the clear,if so anything i can do to get rid of it?

[98tls]

Don't start with 40 grit!!!!!!! Sweet Jesus it would be seriously stuffed after that!


I've seen Carbon Fibre painted on Pimp my Ride (seriously!) so figure a clear coat will be OK.

But PM Crazefox for back-up on that.

Or

Do a test re sanding (logo removal) on part of the guard that is covered by the forks when fitted, ie not visible. Cover the surrounding area in masking tape (in case you slip) and start with a fine wet & Dry 600-800 - move up grades to a final 1500-2000 finish then polish with car wax.
If the carbon looks sweet on the non visible test area after this mask around the painted logo and carefully sand off the log with a fine grade wet & dry again moving up to a super fine one (effectively polishing it). You may need to remove the masking and give the general area surrounding where the logo was a fine sanding at the end to ensure the surface is even.
Remember take it easy when sanding - a 2 beer job at least I think :apint:

I've managed to clean surface scratches from plastic in this manner.

Nice guard by the way. :drool: Cheers Allan,very helpful.

[dilz]

Cheers for your reply,it hasnt arrived yet mate,its coming over from Aussie,the bloke i bought it off reckons its painted on though theres a chance i guess that its as you say a sticker under the clear,if so anything i can do to get rid of it?

no worries happy to help.
If you were very careful you could sand the area to try and break into the sticker with say a 240-320 grit and try and catch an edge with a razor blade and peel it up...but i wouldnt risk it to be honest.if you did that though you would then sand the rest of the guard with a 320grit and get it re-cleared.
but unless your confident with this it may end in tears:crybaby:
If its painted on you could sand it back with 240-320 but you would have to take alot of care not to break through,you can keep a bottle of acetone or meths handy to apply to a lint-free cloth and keep wiping the surface,which will give you an impression of what it will look like cleared,this way you can keep an eye on how far you are sanding.
the only thing im concerned about is that the hints of red tha could be inbedded between the weave which you whould have to purposly sand through the weave to get rid of them,you can sand through very very slightly and get away with it,again,you'l just have to keep wipping it to see.
what about a different sticker?OR a YOSHI to match ha ha.
peace man good luck

[robo555]

Just leave it. I suggest not doing anything that involves removing the clear coat unless you know what you're doing.

[98tls]

no worries happy to help.
If you were very careful you could sand the area to try and break into the sticker with say a 240-320 grit and try and catch an edge with a razor blade and peel it up...but i wouldnt risk it to be honest.if you did that though you would then sand the rest of the guard with a 320grit and get it re-cleared.
but unless your confident with this it may end in tears:crybaby:
If its painted on you could sand it back with 240-320 but you would have to take alot of care not to break through,you can keep a bottle of acetone or meths handy to apply to a lint-free cloth and keep wiping the surface,which will give you an impression of what it will look like cleared,this way you can keep an eye on how far you are sanding.
the only thing im concerned about is that the hints of red tha could be inbedded between the weave which you whould have to purposly sand through the weave to get rid of them,you can sand through very very slightly and get away with it,again,you'l just have to keep wipping it to see.
what about a different sticker?OR a YOSHI to match ha ha.
peace man good luck Cheers,will give it a go if need be,shouldnt have bought the fucking thing but carbon makes me go ga ga:drool:Will get it sorted one way or other.Thanks for your reply,nice when you get someone who knows what there on about instead of dribble.

[imdying]

You're not a moron, you'll have no trouble with sanding it with 320 and then reclearcoating it.

If I had some spare bits at the moment I'd send you one and you could experiment with that.... but really, it's not rocket science.

[98tls]

You're not a moron, you'll have no trouble with sanding it with 320 and then reclearcoating it.

If I had some spare bits at the moment I'd send you one and you could experiment with that.... but really, it's not rocket science. :clap:Just sent you a pm before reading this.If it was mechanical i wouldnt have a problem at all mate,just wasnt sure how to deal with Carbon.

[dilz]

You're not a moron, you'll have no trouble with sanding it with 320 and then reclearcoating it.

If I had some spare bits at the moment I'd send you one and you could experiment with that.... but really, it's not rocket science.

yes imdying your right it aint' rocket science,i wasnt implying that 98tls was a moron,just wanted to give a thorough run down as i would to any one.I didnt know what he already knew or did not know about such things.

[imdying]

yes imdying your right it aint' rocket science,i wasnt implying that 98tls was a moron,just wanted to give a thorough run down as i would to any one.I didnt know what he already knew or did not know about such things.I definitely didn't mean that you were, you are quite right to be cautious.

This fella is reasonably clever with his hands if his bike is anything to go by, he should be able to carefully sand that logo out without making a hash of it.

For me the clincher is what'll happen to the guard if he doesn't attempt it... it'll live on a shelf. Might as well have a crack at it, unless as you say the paint has bled into the weave, it should be easy enough to sand it off with care. Assuming a typical construction process, it'll have been cleared before the logo was applied, so should be fine.

Just work carefully and slowly mate, I doubt you'll actually damage the weave on the guard, if you don't get the cosmetic result you're after, then you can always reapply a sticker more suited to your ride instead. Besides, nothing ventured, nothing gained.. they're still making carbon guards :)

[Headbanger]

You could turn it upside down, attach a strap on it, and use it as a handbag.:woohoo:

[98tls]

You could turn it upside down, attach a strap on it, and use it as a handbag.:woohoo: Yep theres always that option.Cheers guys will post up the results of said sanding.

[AllanB]

I can picture in my minds eye a workshop full of shelfs with 'offerings to the TL god' all piled up on them. :yes:

[Skyryder]

Why not find a transferr that will cover the paint and then re-clearcote??



Skyryder

[98tls]

Why not find a transferr that will cover the paint and then re-clearcote??



Skyryder May just as well leave the Yoshi thing on there if i was to do that mate eh,still waiting for the damn thing to turn up from Aussie.:doh:Got a few days off and this was going to fill in a rainy day bugger it.

[JimO]

May just as well leave the Yoshi thing on there if i was to do that mate eh,still waiting for the damn thing to turn up from Aussie.:doh:Got a few days off and this was going to fill in a rainy day bugger it.

always fuckin raining in ommers

[98tls]

always fuckin raining in ommers :doh:Wouldnt you fucking know it,Mr rainman himself:bleh:All was fine here today until this bugger turned up from Dunners about 9 oclock to inspect/maintain our weigh stations,few minutes after he came into the office it starts pissing down:doh:I said to him "typical,bring this shit with you eh".:bleh:

[98tls]

Done and dusted,you would never know there had been anything on it,cheers for all the advice.:done:

[imdying]

What process worked in the end, might help others later.

[JimO]

i still reckon you should have gone for the handbag option

[98tls]

What process worked in the end, might help others later. Ended up having to sand the whole thing back mate,not that it was much of a chore really,then a coat of clear and Bobs your uncle,looks great.

[imdying]

Excellent. I have a few new raw parts that need the same treatment... soon!

[98tls]

Excellent. I have a few new raw parts that need the same treatment... soon! Was surprised at how strong the stuff is,had visions of it all coming apart:mellow:strand by strand but nope,all good.Cheers for your advice.

[ajturbo]

so you used the 40grit like i suggested???

[bucket boy]

What process worked in the end, might help others later.

I brought another bike a month ago thats all carbon and I was wondering if you could fix it up so it was as good as new without having to buy new parts

[98tls]

so you used the 40grit like i suggested??? Better than that mate,took it pig-shooting with me and when the dogs had one baled up i just threw it in there with them and it came out all ready for clear coat.:done:Even after 5 rounds from an 06.

[98tls]

I brought another bike a month ago thats all carbon and I was wondering if you could fix it up so it was as good as new without having to buy new parts All carbon?By all means post up a few pics.

[bucket boy]

All carbon?By all means post up a few pics.

Ill see if i can get one of the poser crew to do for me as no good with puter

[98tls]

Ill see if i can get one of the poser crew to do for me as no good with puter Not good with them myself but simply posting a pic isnt that hard eh.

[AllanB]

MMMMMMMMMMmmmmm Carbon firbre guard.

looks good.

[98tls]

MMMMMMMMMMmmmmm Carbon firbre guard.

looks good. I will one day pull outta the box in the garage and fit "another offering to the TL gods" the set of Carbon rims that are out there somewhere.:mellow:Only thing is that means i have to find the Gillies chain adjusters that are also out there somewhere.

[imdying]

Was surprised at how strong the stuff is,had visions of it all coming apart:mellow:strand by strand but nope,all good.Cheers for your advice.Naw, the resin impregnates the weave, and holds it all together... sort like the force' :laugh:


I will one day pull outta the box in the garage and fit "another offering to the TL gods" the set of Carbon rims that are out there somewhere.:mellow:Now that's a group buy I wanna get in on.