Is there a proper way or right tool of trimming carbon fiber? is there anything that needs to be done to the new "exposed" part?

thanks for all the help.

 

you can use a dremel to sand down the resin. if the fibers are exposed you might want to buy some clear resin to cover it

 

depends on what you're talking about. if you're talking about raw carbon fiber, scissors will do. if you're talking about the finished, molded product, then dremel/cutting bits off with a sand disc will work. just remember to apply a good, thick clearcoat to the area you cut afterwards to seal it again.

 

thanks for the initial responses. when i go to home depot they dont just sell the resin or do they? so just apply it with a paint brush on the exposed part? what do you think about applying clear silicone?

 

most autoparts store should carry clear resin, not sure about homedepot

 

home depot doesn't have any clear resin last i visited. but if your local one does have clear resin, then yes you can use that.

"clear" silicone is never clear - every bottle of silicone i purchased comes out a cloudy white upon drying. plus you can't get a layer thin enough - silicone is meant to be sandwiched to provide best seal. leaving it out in the open would require you to have a thicker layer, which would be obvious when applied next to carbon fiber.

 

fiberglass/paint/plastics stores will carry more resin than you can think of.

 

or u can use a very thin layer of CA glue. we do this for rc car parts and it works really well. do a good job sanding, and then apply a very thin layer and it should run along the edge and provide a thin, clean cover. if you mess up, just wipe it before it dries and try again.

 

So beetle, what did you wind up using to seal the trimmed area? I noticed in your other thread that you're done trimming.

 

marine shops sell fiberglass repair kits and will also sell resin just fyi.