Carbon Graphite Chassis Refurb

[jkelm24]

Does anyone know of any tricks to refurbish a layered graphite chassis deck? For example, can a layer of epoxy be applied and sanded to fill any light scratches or nicks on the bottom?

The chassis in question are layered graphite, not woven carbon (jrx, trx1, triumph, etc).

Thanks!

[GoMachV]

Scr8p shows how here:
http://www.rc10talk.com/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=3827

[jkelm24]

Hmmm... not exactly what I'm looking for. Although that's an AWESOME job repairing the holes in that chassis!!! Impressed!

I'm trying to determine if it's possible to refinish the surface on layered graphite chassis, like those found on the Losi jrx2/pro, the TRX1, the Triumph, etc. These are layered graphite (several graphite layers epoxied together) with flat matte finish on the top and bottom, not the polished finish that is typically found on woven carbon and fiberglass.

The scratches I'm trying to repair are too deep to be polished out with Mother's or rubbing compound.

[GoMachV]

Ahh my bad
Closest I've tried was on an old woven chassis, I sanded it until smooth and then applied some flat clear coat. Worked ok, would have been better if I was a little more patient. That probably won't help with your chassis tho. Not sure how to achieve that finish

[jwscab]

Best you can do is clean really well. If the scratches are deep enough, the panel adhesive would fill them in. But polishing and sanding are just exposing the layers, wont really get it looking factory.

If you were able to apply a really thin layer of resin, you might be better off, then that could be sanded/ polished to look uniform.

[scr8p]

You can try to build up the deep scratches with some sort of clear paint or epoxy and sand them smooth. You'll still most likely see the scratches, but you won't feel them.

[DMAT]

back when I redid my graphite chassis, I filled up the scratches uses lots of layers of clear paint. like a dozen or so layers. I emptied a 16oz can on the chassis. so far nothing has penetrated the clear coat deep enough to touch the chassis.

[matt1ptkn]

You can experiment with adding powdered graphite to a clear epoxy to match the color and filling the scratches. There is a thread in the Losi section where someone did this to fill in extra holes in a Jrx2 or Pro chassis. if I can find it, I'll let you know.

[matt1ptkn]

Did you ever determine a satisfactory method of repair?

[jwscab]

i have tried to coat a TQ10 chassis with a thin layer of clear epoxy. the end result was not impressive, the epoxy did not stick very well. I'm thinking you need something like a heat cured polyurethane or epoxy in order to bond well. I'm not sure what the secret sauce is that they use to create the laminate, I don't think it's epoxy based, at least your typical 2 part kind.

[tamiyadan]

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[Coelacanth]

Once the surface has been repaired, couldn't you just hit it with several coats of clear, then wet-sand it from 400-grit up to 1500 or 2000-grit, followed by rubbing compound and polishing compound? Same procedure as an automotive paint finish...a lot of elbow grease, but at least the carbon fiber plates are flat...no complex bends, nooks & crannies. I haven't actually tried that, but I assume several coats of clear could be wet-sanded and buffed up to a nice, smooth gloss.

[tamiyadan]

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[jwscab]

like I mentioned, it's hard to find a coating compatible with the original material that will stick. roughing/polishing the surface is fraught with issues due to being so thin. In the end on the TQ10 chassis I have, I scuffed it with scotchbrite, and sprayed it with an epoxy 'roll bar paint' that has a semi-gloss finish and it will likely come off with use.

[tamiyadan]

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