Carbon fibre stock build

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LoneWolf003

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So I am thinking go building a foam core, carbon wrapped stock for a 10/22 build. My plan so far is an aluminum spine sandwiched in foam, shaped and then wrapped in carbon fiber pre-preg. Has anyone tried something like this, it is a bit ambitious, so any pointers or advice would be appreciated.
 
Sounds difficult, jump into it with both feet though, if you aren't failing your not trying hard enough nor are you learning anything, and with the DIY carbon fiber kits on the market now you may only be into it for $2-400 depending on what tools and materials you already have, though the aluminum spine could get spendy if your paying for engineering, solidworks, billet and CNC work (actually that could run lots of money).
 
little_airwolf said:
My thoughts too. Sorry but an axiom wrapped stock would be $100 max.
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Yeah, that would be easiest. There wouldn't be a lot of weight benefit in comparison, maybe a bit better fit with a custom, but it might be a skill he would want to apply to some high end titanium short action for a mountain rifle later or something, the .22 would be a good place to spend some hobby time for those who like projects vs. just buying something off the web.
 
Having been a former carbon fiber custom builder, I can say this.... scrap the pre prepreg. It will not wrap the way you want it to. Is the job possible. You bet. Will it challenge you? You bet. Can the average guy do it? Perhaps, but it takes practice.

A few tips to start you on the right path... foam core is fine, when shaped smear a few coats of thickened epoxy to seal it up and smooth it out. Then drape the cloth dry onto the part and wet out with epoxy. Run cloth orientation on the bias (forms better) and repeat.

Look up "mold-less composite construction by burt rutan" been done like this since the early 80s for experimental aircraft construction
 
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Good advice from jetdoctr... Dry carbon cloth and epoxy is the way to go if you layup over a foam plug. Try to find the lightest (lowest weight) carbon fabric as it will better confirm to the curves of the stock and lay it up at 45deg. If you have access to a vacuum pump, you can bag the stock after layup to get rid off voids and get better surface. Go easy with the vacuum so you don't collapse the foam core. Nice project!
 
If you want a clear carbon look you're going to find that this is harder than you might at first think. To get a pleasing look to the weave through the clear resin you really need to do this in a two sided mold so the carbon sits cleanly and evenly against the surface or at least use a vacuum bagging setup to ensure the carbon is laid firmly against the foam. Carbon or glass laid over a foam core without the outer pressure of a vacuum setup will end up with little peaks and valleys and pulling away from the sharper bends.

The coarser woven material that gives us the "carbon look" is also not easy to work with due to how stiff it is. I've done a couple of small jobs with carbon cloth and the stuff with the coarser weave that looks SO nice under the clear resin does not lay politely on a substrate as glass cloth. And coarser glass cloth isn't easy to lay in that way over tighter curves either. And there are lots of spots on a rifle stock that would qualify as "sharper curves".

For something like a rimfire rifle stock this means you either work with a vacuum bagging setup or you use a fine weave cloth. And the weave you'll need to get the flexibility to settle nicely on the foam core just does not have the "carbon look".

In any event working with any of the cloths and resins on something as oddly shaped as a rifle stock is not the sort of project you want to start out with if you have not done any of this sort of work before.
 
BCRider said:
If you want a clear carbon look you're going to find that this is harder than you might at first think. To get a pleasing look to the weave through the clear resin you really need to do this in a two sided mold so the carbon sits cleanly and evenly against the surface or at least use a vacuum bagging setup to ensure the carbon is laid firmly against the foam. Carbon or glass laid over a foam core without the outer pressure of a vacuum setup will end up with little peaks and valleys and pulling away from the sharper bends.

The coarser woven material that gives us the "carbon look" is also not easy to work with due to how stiff it is. I've done a couple of small jobs with carbon cloth and the stuff with the coarser weave that looks SO nice under the clear resin does not lay politely on a substrate as glass cloth. And coarser glass cloth isn't easy to lay in that way over tighter curves either. And there are lots of spots on a rifle stock that would qualify as "sharper curves".

For something like a rimfire rifle stock this means you either work with a vacuum bagging setup or you use a fine weave cloth. And the weave you'll need to get the flexibility to settle nicely on the foam core just does not have the "carbon look".

In any event working with any of the cloths and resins on something as oddly shaped as a rifle stock is not the sort of project you want to start out with if you have not done any of this sort of work before.
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Sounds like he'd need to build something as a template, then cast a form of sorts to make it look good. Would be hard to get an aluminum skeleton in that too I'd guess, unless it was epoxied in after or something.

Looks like a few of you have experience with working with fiberglass/carbon fiber, if any of you with experience decide your going to build something and wouldn't mind someone watching how it's done I'd be interested to see some of the skills here applied in real time.
 
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