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I need Help


youngdrifter_x
07-23-2003, 08:33 PM
is there a way of making a carbon fiber look on a car?

UKSupraboy
07-23-2003, 08:55 PM
The best way is carbon decal, but if thats not possible I found this but I wouldn't like to try :-

Carbon Fiber Replication

You will need three items. These are, Tamiya X-11 Chrome Silver paint, Tamiya Clear gloss paint X-22 and a piece of very fine mesh screen. The finer the better. My screen came out of my spare parts box and was left over from the grill of the Tamiya CLK Mercedes Le Mans car, but any very fine mesh screen will do.

After cleaning up any mold lines, the first step is to wash the parts to be painted in warm water with a mild dish soap, to remove all surface contaminates such as mold release agents. Since the parts are already black there is no need to paint them.

Cut the screen to shape and tape it in place on the part. If you keep the pattern at a diagonal rather than parallel to the sides of the part you get a more realistic look. In the case of the air box (E34), I found it necessary to carefully cut off the vacuum lines that connect various parts. These delicate little lines are very finely molded, but they were just too difficult to work around with the screen. Once the screen is in place, set your airbrush on a very low pressure and spray a very light dusting of the chrome silver paint. It is very easy to overdo the silver, try it on a scrap piece before you paint the actual piece. If you don't have an airbrush, the same effect could be achieved with a rattle can. You will have to move the can very, very quickly over the surface to get a light enough pattern.

The actual carbon fiber parts on the real vehicle have a very high gloss that looks very much like a deep clear coat. This can be done with an airbrush if you wish, but I have found that a good brush and well-thinned paint will do the same job. I prefer to use a lid from another paint bottle and set it at an angle and put a few drops of Tamiya thinner in the bottom. Then I dipped a wide, flat brush in Tamiya clear and thin it by mixing it in the cap with the thinner. I applied three coats 24 hours apart. This gave a very convincing replication of the pattern.

Richie

hirofkd
07-23-2003, 09:00 PM
You have two options, one is to use spray or airbrush, and shoot silver or gunmetal on a black painted part, covered with mesh sheet. The other is to simply apply carbon fiber decal.
Carbon fiber decal is available from too many manufactures to list. My personal pick is Scale Motorsport.
http://www.scalemotorsport.com/
Try google search by "carbon fiber decal" for other manufacturers.

youngdrifter_x
07-23-2003, 10:23 PM
thanks a lot guys! that was some awesome blossom ideas.
Where can i get that tamiya paint?

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