Carbon experts, a question.

[98tls]

Bought this Carbon front guard,the yosh thing on the front of it isnt a sticker its been painted onWhats 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

[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 unless you really want the natural weave look

[98tls]

just paint it that fuckin ugly snot green unless you really want the weave look

Err i would just leave the guard thats on there if thats what i was after.

[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 buggerOh 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

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

Nice guard by the way.

[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

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

Nice guard by the way.

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
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.