Kz1000 Carbon Fiber Fuel Tank

I want more!!! I just read through BOTH of your post. I really dig it and I like it even more that you are doing it out of your garage!

porchev914 wrote:

I skipped a couple of steps here, just to show a little quicker progress. Here are the brackets with the holes filled and the first couple coats of primer sprayed.

Next I'll smear on a thin coat of spot putty to fill in some minor imperfections. After smoothing that out I'll apply the last couple coats of primer and prep for molding. I'll do the molds for the brackets at the same time as the tail, so hopefully in the next 2 weeks.

Tip- close observers will notice some minor fish eyes in the white primer. This is due to surface contamination, and improper cleaning prep prior to painting. If you are painting something that will be visable, proper preparation is an absolute must to avoid defects like this

What do u think it is that caused these bubbles? i have seen them before in my work , and wondered what the cause was .:side:

scumbag wrote:

I want more!!! I just read through BOTH of your post. I really dig itj and I like it even more that you are doing it out of your garage!

Wow scumbag, you read through alot of info. I am working on more, but me work schedule and Halloween this weekend are conspiring against me. I have everything I need to make another tank top except cloth.....I need another yard. I also need to finish prepping the tank mounts and flange them for molding. But beyond that, I have lots of ideas to try out, so these threads won't fizzle out anytime soon.

They're called fish eyes Mark, and they are caused by surface contamination with some form of oil/lubricant. Thorough prep, careful handling and clean clean clean work area will help prevent these defects from appearing

porchev914 wrote:

They're called fish eyes Mark, and they are caused by surface contamination with some form of oil/lubricant. Thorough prep, careful handling and clean clean clean work area will help prevent these defects from appearing

yes i agree, i just could not put my finger on the cause ? i have bought a surface prep cleaner to try next time.

Normally its from touching something that is contaminated, then touching the piece you are painting. It doesn't take much, and it's not something you can see. It can just as easily be a contaminated rag you're using to wipe down parts. When you do a final surface prep prior to paint (or primer) use some single use lint free shop towels with the prep solvent. Wipe the part down a couple times, using a new towel each time. When you spray your first coat, spray it light, then look for fish eyes. If it's clear, lay down a medium coat and continue

porchev914 wrote:

Normally its from touching something that is contaminated, then touching the piece you are painting. It doesn't take much, and it's not something you can see. It can just as easily be a contaminated rag you're using to wipe down parts. When you do a final surface prep prior to paint (or primer) use some single use lint free shop towels with the prep solvent. Wipe the part down a couple times, using a new towel each time. When you spray your first coat, spray it light, then look for fish eyes. If it's clear, lay down a medium coat and continue

Thanks for the tips. i'll be sure to take the time to clean each part before paint.

Can't wait to see how this turns out, keep up the good work!

I know, I know, progress has been slooooooooooooooooooow. I have far to many pet projects, plus my last work related project sucked every spare moment I had 6 days a week, and I had to cram everything else into Sunday. Of course the bike suffered Well, I'm back in town now and I will have a little more time (hopefully not too much time) to move forward with all the different aspects of my build, including the carbon bodywork. I had ordered a fuel filler for the carbon tank last month, and it came in the mail but I never took a pic to post. I saw it sitting next to the prototype tank and decided it was time for a quick update. This is the top of the fuel filler:

Apologies for the out of focus pic, but you still get the picture (pun?) In the top of the filler you can see the fuel tank vent check valve. This is the reason I got this particular filler; because it was built in. Other fillers might also have this feature, but this was the only one I found that I could verify the vent AND not pay $80+

On a happy note, I have found myself an apprentice. A friend of my wifes has a 14 y.o. son (single mom) that pretty much hates his family, school and life in general. I have spent time with the kid and he is very bright and has an interest in making things. I told him if he helped me clean and organize my garage, and keep it that way, I would teach him what I knew. He got excited and said he would love to help me for the chance to learn how to build things. Let's hope I can help the young man find himself

This new chapter could prove to be better than all of the past ones. Good luck with the young lad. I hope it works out with him.

Cheers to you for helping a young man in his formative years. I hope he comes to appreciate what you are doing for him. You're gonna score some major brownie points on this one. Nice to have some helping hands around as well.