Part 2 continued
Part 2
Step nine: Sand first carbon treatment to desired look. I tried to keep as much of the original shape as possible without sanding off enough to compromise the structural integrity of the carbon fiber.
Step ten: Wash, rinse, repeat steps seven through nine for second carbon fiber wrap. The first wrap was about 6 inches wide, this second one was about 11 inches wide, again with thinner edges and getting thicker towards the middle to maintain a tapered look. The first 6 inch wrap was 4 layers of carbon. The second wrap was three layers as I ran out of fiber but there are a total of seven layers directly over the damaged section which should be plenty.
Step eleven: Again, wait a full day and remove tape to sand to desired shape. At this point once I had the basic shape, there was still a couple of "pits" here and there and I wanted a nicer finish so I took the time to apply two more coats of just epoxy during the next two days, over the final sanded layer of carbon fiber.
Once the final two layers of epoxy cured I sanded the final product down 400 grit sandpaper. If I was going for an actual carbon fiber look I'd probably get down to wet sanding with 800 grit but I'm just going to paint it clear so I can continue to have a visual on the repair and see if there are any potential issues popping up with it in the future.
Nothing can be done to prevent the fact that seven layers of carbon fiber and a layer of fiberglass will inevitably add a visible bulge to the fixed area that can be noticed upon closer inspection.
So that's it. The total cost of materials for the fix was about $70. It's mostly just a lot of time and elbow grease but I think it was worth it to not scrap the frame.
***Update*** I've taken the bike to a shop that has experience with frame repair for a hands on inspection before riding it. They said they thought the repair was a little overkill if anything and was done so that they don't see it failing any time soon.I told them I was going to clear coat it so that I could keep an eye on it moving forward and they said not to bother, just go ahead and paint it black. I'm still going to clear coat it, I actually like being able to see the repair. They have a great rep and have been around for 30 years so I feel pretty good about trusting them. I since have ~100 miles on it and it feels solid as a rock, tip to tail, hoping to report back after 1000 miles. Thanks for looking and thank you to everyone for participating with constructive conversation, I've been learning a lot!
Let me know what you think or if anyone here has any experience with this type of fix and did it hold up.
Thank you!
Cliff
Last edited by Yellowlab; 11-30-20 at 05:31 PM.