Forged Carbon fiber

N

Natlek

Joined
Jun 9, 2015
Messages
6,182
Well , I think that this technique have future in knife making ............... I already see on net sales of scales from forged carbon . Google forged carbon fiber to see that beauty and how is done :eek: For me it look better than marble carbon ...
Now , best thing is that it is possible to do it in home shop, and if you have mill............Today I improvised ...made something that look like mold and this puller imitates press :D Carbon I used is already prepared for mold ,which mind that resin is already on fiber ...... Improvisation has turned out to be successful .One hour at 150 Celsius degrees . The first twenty minutes I pulled out several times to tighten the bolt on puller , excess epoxy leaked out ...... To bed I can t take good picture , I like it how it turned ......look beautiful. And now I have a idea how much carbon I need to use to get thickness I want . And that thing is light as a feather, incredibly light .....more lighter than ordinary carbon sheet I have .Well guys I think that you can imagine what can be done this way ..Gard with perfectly precise opening for ricasso /tang , bolster , scale for full tang knife ,scale for folders , block for hidden tang with perfectly matching hole ...................Molds are not too complicated .I think that this is possible to do this with fresh mix of carbon fiber with resin /epoxy to avoid cooking in oven like I do .Now I must first make some ring for my daughter and her friends :mad:
First for me I will make scale for one light blank I have ...And I think that I have good idea how to do that .... ;)
This is already prepared carbon for mold , need little temp to soften before use ....
6sQp7jq.jpg

I have pure carbon , and I will try with epoxy to avoid oven ............I pay to my son 50 euro to cut this ..............First he thought.... easy money .But he hate me now , It took him several days to cut this :D
6l5ZAE5.jpg

CoAoHEu.jpg

9LRjtAx.jpg

TfxOTFm.jpg

hvIfhR6.jpg

JfgznUp.jpg

Wg3aDqh.jpg
 
Last edited:
"Forged Carbon Fiber" is a industry term that is misleading. It actually means molded.

It is a blend of finely chopped fibers that are blended into a putty with (usually phenolic) resins. This is squished into a mold of any shape. They use high pressure and heat to set the resins. Car body parts and things like helmets are made this way.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Mo2
Well Stacy , forged or molded this thing is beautiful ;) I make /successfully / one piece 75 x 40 x 10mm .It s time to make my first puukko knife . I have no words how to describe it , I sand little one side to see but I can t take good picture .... I will call this meteorite carbon ;) I make some improvised tool , too much complicated because carbon I use is already soaked with phenolic resin so I need to press carbon when it is in oven and carbon fiber soften..... I think that will be much easy with pure carbon fiber and epoxy or polyester/vinil resin. Simple to make mold and no need to heat , just in press ...any size I want .
2hjz905.jpg

lUKpIMF.jpg
 
coldsteelburns said:
I remember seeing this process used a number of year ago in a WIP to make a handle block for a take-down knife. It really does have a neat look and I'm guessing it can be a good bit cheaper than buying pre-made scales or blocks.

You can see the molded CF handle made in this WIP here if you're interested: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/virtual-bbq-wip-carbon-fiber-take-down.915466/


~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (It's been a few years since my last upload)
Click to expand...

That link is bookmarked almost two years in my comp.I will use some trick when time come to make that kind of handle ...very soon ;) Thanks anyway :thumbsup: BUT he literally mold carbon , little pressure is used .I like carbon not only for look but for it s lightness too. I use my 50 tons press to make this scale and most of epoxy I mix with carbon leak out ....No air trap no void .....Look what happened on first try /scale left on picture/ although the mold was steel and welded :eek: My friend will make for me steel mold from half inch steel ....all side bolted .No more need to weld then cut that weld ...What I done so far was test ........Next one will be professionally done , no baking paper and welding every time :D Worth the effort , this thing is insanely beautiful :)

hjIpCGl.jpg
 
chumaman said:
I'm glad if I've pushed you into such madness :)
Click to expand...
Madness is correct word for this .Thank you sir , when I make right tool for mold you a first one who will get pair scale for next Baja ;) Just little more sanding to shape scale and I m done ............
Now , question is should I use solid copper pins/pinned , ordinary copper tube or flared copper tube rivets ?
Madness.............................:D

buJzBrq.jpg

Ww02tvh.jpg

aKOYTYL.jpg

xTJoskP.jpg

qaIv93G.jpg
 
I've been playing with this a little myself using this Max CLR stuff. This one is bubbly because I didn't put it under pressure and the cloth I used for flakes of color was the wrong type, but I've tried again with cotton and that worked much better. I'll use construction paper, pressure pot, and compression jig on the next attempt.

ozgDbWh.jpg


The big difference between this and the CF I've done in the past is that this Max CLR resin grinds almost as well as the commercial stuff. No gumminess, belt clogging, and it's far far stronger than say Alumilite or "casting" resins. Also tried some burlap again without a jig, vacuum or pressure.

BSwqVQl.jpg


I've screwed around with "mycarta" and various layup type things in the past and inevitably decided it was not worth my time for the results gained, but given the lack of availability of some of the CF materials (especially in blocks), the expense when they are available, and how the Max CLR product works better than any other resin I've tried (fiberglass resin, Sys 3 clear, West, etc) I think I will be making quite a bit of "marble" carbon fiber.
 
kuraki said:
I've been playing with this a little myself using this Max CLR stuff. This one is bubbly because I didn't put it under pressure and the cloth I used for flakes of color was the wrong type, but I've tried again with cotton and that worked much better. I'll use construction paper, pressure pot, and compression jig on the next attempt.

ozgDbWh.jpg


The big difference between this and the CF I've done in the past is that this Max CLR resin grinds almost as well as the commercial stuff. No gumminess, belt clogging, and it's far far stronger than say Alumilite or "casting" resins. Also tried some burlap again without a jig, vacuum or pressure.

BSwqVQl.jpg


I've screwed around with "mycarta" and various layup type things in the past and inevitably decided it was not worth my time for the results gained, but given the lack of availability of some of the CF materials (especially in blocks), the expense when they are available, and how the Max CLR product works better than any other resin I've tried (fiberglass resin, Sys 3 clear, West, etc) I think I will be making quite a bit of "marble" carbon fiber.
Click to expand...
Some word/picture about mold you make for this ? Maybe I will buy some trick ......... :)I'm most worried about getting an excess of epoxy out of mold while pressing ?
I will use a special liquid carbon/epoxy to not stick to the mold..........I m cutting right now pieces of half inch thick steel to make mold .Plan is all pieces to be bolted between themselves .............
lI0I1F6.jpg

sPRlWSJ.jpg
 
N Natlek you're going way beyond what I'm doing for molds. I've been using the same UHMW plastic molds I use for casting acrylic and not a lot of pressure. The one I plan to build specifically for this, I think I will make to use a vacuum bag, with a liquid trap in the line, which is how boat/surfboard/etc builders typically do it. Kind of like a vacuum kydex press with a silicone rubber lid. The resin I'm using doesn't adhere to UHMW or silicone at all and makes removal very easy.

I'm less worried about the finished density than I am about air bubbles given my destructive testing.
 
Well that then is another story .Thanks anyway .About bubbles , most of them come when mixing epoxy .Try little to heat epoxy after mixing , bubbles trapped inside epoxy will come out on the surface. That trick I learned from the masters of rod building ..........Or left a little longer to stand bubbles will go up ... under the condition that you use slow cure epoxy .The one I use is very low viscosity...Have no idea which one is ........I get that in coca cola bottle from factory which work with CF :(
 
Natlek said:
Madness is correct word for this .Thank you sir , when I make right tool for mold you a first one who will get pair scale for next Baja ;) Just little more sanding to shape scale and I m done ............
Now , question is should I use solid copper pins/pinned , ordinary copper tube or flared copper tube rivets ?
Madness.............................:D

buJzBrq.jpg

Ww02tvh.jpg

aKOYTYL.jpg

xTJoskP.jpg

qaIv93G.jpg
Click to expand...

Baja Ma' Natlek :):cool::rolleyes:...the handle is like but no Baja profile ... yet it is personal;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top