Polishing Carbon fiber

I have a question. Is Carbon Fiber something that can or should be polished when doing a detail job? Some of the people i know have Carbon Fiber hoods and got me thinking about this question. Thanks.

 

You polish it like a painted surface.

 

:nod: yes I agree with Ashphal Rocket you polish it just as you would paint but be carefull as you don't usually have to go too agresive on carbon fiber...oh and if you have a gauge like the PosiTector 200 it's nice to know how much clear you have to play with.

Hope this helps eace:

 

Thanks guys. I like to give an honest response if asked to do this.

 

if it has clear it can be polished...just be extra careful like what they say...

 

Good point Usjdmtuner 'if it has a clear coat

They have a nice gloss, so most people assume that they have been 'clear coated', however this is sometimes not the case; they could be gel coated fibreglass or single stage, it would be the owner’s responsibility to clear coat and provide ultra violet (UVR) protection to the piece after purchase.

Correct surface imperfections with a finishing polish and soft foam pad (Menzerna PO 85 RD 3.01 SIP with a Blue finishing (very soft 100 PPI) LC CCS foam pad - 1100 RPM)

For Gel Coat finishes - Collinite Fibreglass Boat Cleaner #920 easily removes dirt, film, oxidation, oil, grease, rust and exhaust stains from resin gel coat / fibreglass finishes. This cleaner restores the original colour quickly without hard rubbing or buffing and leaves a chemically clean surface to which waxes can adhere perfectly. Collinite Fibreglass Boat Cleaner Increases long-lasting brilliance and performance of protective wax coatings - We Are Car Care -- Car Wax, Car Polish, Auto Detailing Supplies, Car Buffers & Car Accessories Store

 

Bump.

Anyone else have any commentary for polishing 'wet' CF?

 

what you mean wet CF?
polished regular cf today, it wasnt scratched up but it deffenetly made it look deeper then it was by removing some kinda hazyness

 

^ theres also Dry CF

 

Oops...what I meant by wet was that it was clear coated (so shiny).

 

hmm, that i dont know. im not sure if hoods are cleard or not. or just sprayed with second layer of CF resin after part is done. in my experience with CF, i did vacume bagging, then put second coat of resin on to make it smooth, end up wetsanding it once it cured and polishing like regular paint, would have to say resin is pretty soft, but maybe depends which resin you get


this is my accord parts that i wrapped and polished after wetsanding

 

so dry cf is not clear coated or not covered with second layer of resin after part is soaked in inirial layer of resit and vacumebagged?

 

i think by "wet" they mean it is laid up using a resin and left to air dry. the term "dry" or prepreg is when the CF is bagged and the carbon absorbs the resin and comes out looking dry. the only real way to do CF and get the strength that it can produce is to bag it and have the resin sucked into the fibers, this is what it gives it the strength. CF over lays are just for look and the hoods and other part are wet molded, they have no shear strength. much like you would make a fiberglass mold.

either way you can sand and buff resin, either epoxy or polyester. most hoods and car parts, unless done by the owner will have some sort of clear to keep the UV rays from yellowing the resin. unless it is a performance race car, that might be dry CF and used for strength and weight but you will not see a shine and might be able to feel the weave of the material.

if it has a chip or the clear is cracked be careful as you could catch the coating and it might result in some de-lamination. that or you will pull the clear and some of the weave off