Scratch Build – In Progress Project: OSIDIAS - Carbon fiber and 3D printed SFF (Jan. 2, 2020)

Looking good. Shame about the red panel though, I rather preferred it over the green and blue ones. Still nice work.

 

Those bends are exquisite.

 

I'd just like to say, IT'S ABOUT D*MN TIME!!!

-and I'm loving it already.
-but you shouldn't tease people for over a year. It can drive them to shoot Reagan or something...

 

If it's any consolation, the red panel looked pretty pink in person.

Thank you. I wasn't sure what to expect before I started. I used a micrometer and triple checked all my measurements before committing to a bend. I knew I had to nail it perfectly.

Lol, I was starting to cringe every time someone asked when I was going to start. I'd always say 'soon', and then have some sort of delay. Well, no longer! Hahaha!

 

this build al ready hits the upper eschalon (sp?) in modding
it ranks right up there with Promethus by langer
and i am extremely excited to see exactly how all of this turns out
and how everything will co-exhist with each other all in one small flippin box
it should be great

 

Agreed. MOTY is going to be so hard to decide...

 

I appreciate the kind words guys, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. Lol. I've only got a few pieces of MDF and aluminum here.

 

I'm sure MDPC has already been alerted to this project.

 

Nice to see it started Craig! The only thing is I know this is going to take foooreeeeeveeeeerr to complete due to the sheer ambition and complexity of it.
Also may I add... I think sir, that you are utterly mad.

Now, is anyone selling a time machine?

-Ash

 

hes so humble
that speaks volumes about his personality

 

Lol, you guys are gonna give me an inflated ego.

Thanks Ash! Yeah, I'm not even going to guess how long this will take me. I'm guessing the wiring will take the most time. There will be a ton of touch contacts in here for the electrical.

There's nothing wrong with a little madness. It makes the world a much more fun place to be!

I think I once said in my Rogue log that I'm just a guy with a Dremel... and a dream. Lol. Cheesy, huh? I just do what I do for fun, and I get to watch the awesomeness of others too. There's really nothing like the bit-tech community.

 

Haha, there's nothing like the smell of a warm Dremel on a beautiful Thursday night... With my last update, I was ready to trim the top of the aluminum shell down to size. A few minutes of cutting and filing left me with a prefect fit. It's absolutely straight with no gaps.



Now it was time to do the same thing on the bottom. I always mark first with either a pencil or fine point Sharpie, and then follow up with tape. When I cut, I get as close to the tape as possible, then finish up with a file. I find that it's easier to follow the edge of the tape, than it is any regular line.





Once again, after cutting...



Okay, so what's next? With the aluminum shell done, I've got to prep for layering on the carbon fiber. Since I'll have multiple layers basically rolled on the mold, I needed an easy way to apply the CF. The following method is what I came up with. I've got a pair of sawhorses and a piece of aluminum channel through the center pipe on the mold. This will allow me to roll the mold in to any position, yet the square planes of the channel means that it won't roll away when I don't want it to.



Now let's take a look at my box of goodies from Aerospace Composites. I've got a vacuum generator, check valve, associated vacuum bags, and peel ply. I'll be using all this to ensure as flawless a finish as possible.



At this point I decided to do a small resin test. I've seen far to many instances where resin doesn't set, and I want to make sure I've got a workable ratio. The last thing I need is a mess on my hands. Up next, the fun part!

 

Hope the Carbon-Fiber comes out well

 

*foaming, foaming, foaming at the mouth
carbon fiber
*faint

 

Got me on the edge of my seat. That CF looks so hot

 

Carbon fiber...
I wanna use carbon fiber too now. D:

 

Craig, you indicated that you were going to vacuum bag the carbon fiber onto the mold. Wont the aluminum bow inwards from the pressure?

 

Awesome craig, it's nice to see it come alive !

I was thinking the same as nlancaster, maybe you should fill up the empty space between the mdf parts with something.

 

Wow that's some classy work already. Those bends look perfect.

 

Great idea with the Carbon Fiber. I thought about it for a long time in the middle past of this decade. I know mold creation in room temperature can be done with Carbon Fiber, though I was told that when Carbon Fiber was placed in a mold under Temperature and Pressure it brought out it special properties that it is known for???!!!!!

Do you think your Carbon Fiber will be "brittle" if not put under Heat and Pressure??

Nice Worklog so far, I'll be watching.