Kz1000 Carbon Fiber Fuel Tank

Can't wait to see the finished tank

I think I completely missed this part, but what does the vacuum bagging do for the process?

Before I did any layup, while I was still prepping materials, I ran the bagging tape along the edge of the mold and left the paper cover on. I still remember the trouble I had with the tank bottom, and I didn't want a repeat. So, once I was done with laying the fabric, it was a simple matter of laying the peel ply, the bleeder material and taping the bag in place. It went nice and smooth...... until I pulled a vacuum. This is my first time pulling a vacuum on a two piece mold, but I expected there to be some sort of vacuum leaks where the mold halves meet at the ends. I had used modeling clay for most of the mating surface to help prevent air leaks, but I still had one at each end of the mold. After some judicious use of bagging tape, I got them sealed and the bag pulled down nice and tight like so:

I followed this by working all the tight corners with my fingers. You can feel the excess resin squish around where there is too much of it, and you can actually push it out where it can be absorbed by the bleeder cloth. Today was a BIG learning experience for me, but I feel good that this will turn out well. Now I need to get some tank sealer and a fitting for the petcock so I can get that laminated in to the tank bottom. I also continue to search for a fuel filler that I like....... can't wait for tomorrow!!! :woohoo:

DoubleDub wrote:

I think I completely missed this part, but what does the vacuum bagging do for the process?

You probably didn't miss it. I only covered the bagging stuff in my sidecover thread. Bagging the mold and pulling a vacuum creates a tremendous amount of pressure on the layup, which compacts it, squeezing out the excess resin. This makes the part as thin, light and strong as possible because excess resin is heavy and weak.

Very Cool.
I'm looking forward to seeing the tank.
Good Luck.

Thanks Mark. The time for luck is over, and now we just wait to see where my limited skills take us

i wish i was smart enough to enjoy what i'm seeing...

is that rotor off yet???

Not yet Craig. I'm still waiting to see how much I need to mill off the feeler gauges to check if the crank was properly cross threaded with a knocker wrench

hey dont laugh i just cross threaded a new cheapo petcock...it was just a teeny bit stubborn..so kept turning....i think once every three yrs i should buy somthing at a garage sale for 2$ and cross thread it so i can remember what the onset feels like...friggin frazzin bussin crappin....

we await ...the unworthy masses await pics.....

trianglelaguna wrote:

we await ...the unworthy masses await pics.....

Yes, us L.O.S.er's await more pics and progress!

Bruno

Oh so close before we can see the results. I have it under heat at the moment to accelerate the cure, so hopefully in another 4 hours or so it'll be ready to demold.

I was working on other parts of the bike, thinking about the tank layup, and I decided I'll be OK if it doesn't turn out. I was definately stretching my abilities plus I was working with unfamiliar materials. Of course, I would rather it turn out well :laugh:

Cross threading suuuuuuuucks aaaaaaaaaaaaaass!

cross threading works better than loc-tite,so ive been told! :woohoo: