Sorry guys. Been busy working.
Don, the best material to use for finishing is fairing paste.
Available at fiberglass suppliers. You'll love it. Sands so easily.
Any of the fast tools like grinders etc are a no no on composites IMO. You'll
itch so bad and that's probably why people hate composites.
I use a reciprocating saw with an 18T hacksaw blade of good quality to cut
glass and Carbon. Kevlar on the other hand does not cut well once the resin has cured.
Ever tried polishing a sheep?
?.
I usually leave the Kevlar about 1/2" shy of the
mold edge but if required to be on the edge I cut it with a box cutter just as the resin
goes "green" (not quite cured). Takes a little practice to know when to cut. When it's hard
and not sticky.
Bill, the fancy finish on Carbon is clear coat. Carbon always seems to have pin holes in
the finished product so you need to sand the surface and apply a coat of resin with a brush to fill
them. Resand and apply clear. Never wet sand Carbon!!!!. The pin holes fill with a white paste
and you can throw the part away after that.
I never use gel coat on the parts I make. Gel coat is for molds. I spray MS primer into the mold
after it's had release agent applied so that when you have the final product painted all you do is
wet sand with 1000grit and apply color.
Gel coat is heavy and cracks after time. If you use gel coat on a final product you need to sand it
to get a "key" so you can add primer and then paint.
On release agents I only use the PVA variety. The fancy systems with 5 products that make up
a release agent don't work for me. Tried them all.
My two favourite weapons. CP saw and palm sander.
If you guys want to do projects but lack experience I suggest Epoxy and woven fabrics over
Polyester. More on that later.