Can CF parts Be Cut Neatly

[Mythos]

I am thinking about ordering a Bestem CF hugger but I don't want the chain guard on it. I would need to cut the chain guard off and sand and polish the cut to a glossy, flawless surface. The cut would need to have a finish pretty close to the appearance of the rest of the hugger so that it did not look sloppy.

View attachment 1562277

Is this possible or will I have CF strands sticking out and ruin the brand new CF part?

(BTW, this would be the fiberglass backed CF made by Bestem, not their 100% CF.)

 

[Argilbertson]

CF will generally cut similar to Fiberglass, so you should be able to do the cut reasonably ok...but you'll hafta re resin the edge in order to make it look anything like the rest of the piece, and that'll be a challenge to do without making it look chopped.

 

[RYC1966]

the dust is bad to breathe...you can use a cut off wheel...and clear nail polish will put a nice clear coat on the fresh cut edge

 

[dadofthree]

 

[Mythos]

the dust is bad to breathe...you can use a cut off wheel..
Thanks. Thought so. I would use a good respirator and work outside for sure.

you'll hafta re resin the edge in order to make it look anything like the rest of the piece
clear nail polish will put a nice clear coat on the fresh cut edge

This is sounding do-able. If I can apply a coat of clear coat with a touch up brush and sand that a bit then spray a clearcoat and polish a couple times, I could prolly make it look almost perfect.

I was under the impression that you are not supposed to apply paint to CF (not that most people would). Think a few sprays of clear coat would weaken the part?

 

[RYC1966]

Think of the cut edge of cf like a piece of wood....the exposed edge should be sealed....the look nice factor is how much effort you put into it. For cutting it if you put on a strip of masking tape....mark the line to cut with a black / blue marker...and use a cut off wheel...dremel / whatever spinning disc..then fine tune the shape with the disc or a file. If you can get refinish clear coat in a small quantity it would be better than nail polish...either will seal the edge and look nice...the more layers the better...and then buff it to a nice gloss

 

[MLSDUKE1]

I agree with everything above....... Can I have the chain guard? You don't even have to "fix" it when you cut it off. I can take care of that!

 

[Mythos]

LOL....sure, MLSDUKE1. The way I would cut it might render it useless but I will PM you if I go the Bestem rout.

I appreciate all the comments very much and will be glad to read more. I am, however starting to consider getting a Yana Shiki hugger. It comes without a chainguard and I'm sure I could cut it thin and pointy like the Bestem. Also, ABS plastic is going to be lighter than Bestem's cheaper CF which is mostly fiberglass. If I went with the 100% CF for ~$80 more, I doubt it would weigh much less than plastic.

 

[Mythos]

I got the Yana Shiki hugger still siting in a box 9 years later. Maybe I'll finally put that on since I'm doing work in that area right now. It was a little scuffed up and had a couple chips in the paint even brand new so I suppose I'll be repainting it.


Here's what it weighs.

 

[michael parris heuberger]

I got the Yana Shiki hugger still siting in a box 9 years later. Maybe I'll finally put that on since I'm doing work in that area right now. It was a little scuffed up and had a couple chips in the paint even brand new so I suppose I'll be repainting it.


Here's what it weighs.

View attachment 1631259

HI. You can paint carbon fiber. I have painted all of mine. If I ever get CF wheels I will paint them.

 

[Mythos]

Yes Michael, you recently set me straight on that. This is a very old thread when I had the notion that painting CF might compromise its strength. Anyway, I have the inexpensive Yanna Shiki here and I plan to use it. I have been happy with the Yana Shiki front fender I have used on my ZX-14 for about 9~10 years. I had to mend it with epoxy and backup ABS plastic because it cracks very easy from tightening the bolts. So if anyone gets a Yanna Shiki fender or hugger, -- just barely snug, use Locktite. I have aluminum fender washers both sides on the fender now to help spread the load and I think rubber washers under those would probably be a good idea too. I plan to replace the Yanna Shiki. Those epoxy mends never last. LOL I think I replaced it once already because it cracked one other time from a different fastener problem. Third time's a charm. It's fragile but has held up to 180 mph.