Phil,

I have read about the infusion process but have never seen it performed in person. It appears that you only had 1 inlet for the resin. Did this leave any dry spot or was the coverage rather complete? When do you need multiple resin inlets? -Ed


From: Philip Lardner <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.>
To: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sent: Monday, March 26, 2012 5:55 AM
Subject: [Carbondragonbuildersandpilots] Phil's CD - resin infusion




Hi Folks,

Thought this might be of interest - I infused my first batch of ten wing ribs yesterday evening, Three hang gliding friends came along to watch the process... one of whom is taking a serious interest in the Carbon Dragon...

The moulds are very easy to set up, and with just a little care, all signs of bridging between the mould and the work surface can be easily removed with my favourite kitchen implement! My workshop is cooler than my kitchen (where I infused my initial test pieces) so I'll leave this batch to complete its initial cure for 24 - 48 hrs before I de-bag and trim them. So far, all the signs look good. I really am impressed (as were my friends) at just how clean the infusion process is - no mess or sticky hands whatsoever!

My only mistake was in thinking I needed one last pot of resin... most of which ended up in the catch pot. I had to remove that to outside the workshop before it exothermed and started a fire. Being able to clamp off the vac-bag from the catch pot to change the paper cup inside is very useful!

One other very useful lesson learned was that I it would be easier (for the purposes of eliminating bridging) to cut separate pieces of peel ply for each rib rather than (as I did this time) use a single large piece of cloth to cover all the ribs. Cutting the infusion mesh layer in strategic places (but not into separate pieces) between the ribs also greatly assisted in removing bridging.



Enjoy,

Phil.