Gmhvl7

hey guys, sorry if I’m putting this in the wrong section but it’s my first post so apologies in advance. I’m fairly new to the carbon frame scene and have noticed some indentations/dents in the forks that I’m pretty sure were never there before but I could be wrong. For some reason they won’t allow me to attach photos but the best way to describe it is like little dents in the carbon. Like someone has hit it with a pin punch. The paint isnt cracked or chipped. I’m just wondering if this is something I need to worry about or it’s only cosmetic. Cheers guys

unterhausen

Too bad about the pictures, we have a lot of problems with spam. I suspect a pinhole was always there. Can you take it to a bike shop for an opinion?

Gmhvl7

yeh I will be taking it to a bike shop for further inspection. I just wanted to see if anyone on here has had similar issues with carbon frames. Tried to upload pics again but no luck.

Canaboo

Carbon can't 'dent" without actually being crushed. If the paint is covering little divots it sounds more like voids which were there before..

Gmhvl7

Yeh they could have been there before and I never really noticed. I was wondering could those voids develop over time, like under the paint surface?

unterhausen

no, that is not one of the ways that carbon fails. You could do the nickle test

Gmhvl7

ok cool, hopefully I’ll be able to post up some pics soon so you guys can see what I mean

Gmhvl7

Sorry if I seen stupid but what’s the nickle test?

Gmhvl7

Gmhvl7

Finally got the pics working

Andrew R Stewart 

The "dents" look like some bit got in the mold and left a impression in the exterior of the carbon. But do we even know if that portion of the fork "crown" is carbon or Al? Andy

Gmhvl7

it’s all carbon, not alloy

Andrew R Stewart 

The nickel test is tapping the area about the questionable spot with a something hard/metal (the nickel) and listening for a tone change indicating a delam or change to the bonded layers. Not very "scientific" but if you hear a significant localized change... Given the assumed thickness of a carbon crown one might think any change would be a concern although maybe not as noticeable as a thinner lay up like a tube.. Andy

Canaboo

An air pocket would do that too..

Gmhvl7

I’ll do that nickel test when I get home from work, assuming that that is all ok do you think it’s anything to worry about? I’m just concerned that I didn’t notice it before

Andrew R Stewart 

Is the bike new, bought from a LBS? If so then they are who should be seeing the bike. If only to document the current condition for a, hopefully unneeded, future warranty claim. Andy

unterhausen

That's evidence of a void. Sloppy workmanship

Gmhvl7

yeh I just got back from my lbs and that’s what they said. They said it’s safe as it would have already been there. Something about when they molded the forks. He said the structural integrity isn’t compromised. Hopefully he is right

calstar 

Is the bike new from that shop? If so, even if he's probably right(?), he shouldn't mind documenting it, I'd ask for that in writing signed by him(the owner, not shop help).

Andrew R Stewart 

Like I said before, document the issue now. Verbal assessments are a he said, she said, and you're not the pro so who will be believed if something happened down the road. Andy

Gmhvl7

I bought the frame set new from someone online. Not my lbs.

Andrew R Stewart 

Was the shop that looked at the frame a Bianchi dealer? If not is there one near by? While I agree that the blems are likely not structural just the same getting a written assessment is a good idea. Have you contacted the seller for their help. Nit to claim a refund or to post a complaint but to see if they also tried to seek further advice on the blems? Andy

Canaboo

If you follow any composite part forums you'll see that pinholes and voids are the bane of that hobby. It would be interesting to know how frequently bike parts come out of a mold with zero surface defects, especially those destined for a paint coat. Hard to say if spot filling before painting is typically done.

unterhausen

I'm pretty sure that there are people with small jars of epoxy and a brush sitting at the QC tables in carbon bike factories.

Andrew R Stewart 

Just as we fill our pocks with silver and trust the painters to make us look better then we are.. Andy (a metal butcher sometimes)