Carbon Fiber TEXTURE

I'm interested in recreating the texture of a non-gel coated carbon fiber piece in scale. I intend to make a hood that is carbon fiber, but not coated and painted instead. The only thoughts I have so far are using a product like SMS's Faux-Fabric, sanding it a bit smoother, and spraying over it in the body color. I know the Ferrari F40 was paint over CF, and supposedly had this texture, so I'm appealing to you Ferrari builders out there - if you made this effect in 1:24, how'd you do it? I'd love to know!

Thanks!

So you want it painted but to still have the CF Texture? I know that the Hi Def CF decals from SMS have a texture to them. But I doubt it would hold through the painting process

I know the effect you are trying to create,but how to create it is the difficult part as you still need to have a shiny finish on the paint.If you make the texture too rough initially to replicate the weave of the carbon fibre,I don't know what the finish is going to be like when you apply the paint over it.Will this take on the rough texture of the underlayer? You need to have a subtle effect so that you can see the weave pattern of the carbon fibre,but not overdone so the final finish looks too textured.Maybe spraying paint through some nylon stocking or some sort of mesh would work for the texture effect and then your topcoat over this when dry?

I'd just shoot it with dullcote.

Yeah i would use the sms high-def CF because it does have a texture to it, then maybee build up some light coats of either a candy color or clear red from tamiya, then give it a real light coat of flat clear.

I know the Ferrari F40 was paint over CF, and supposedly had this texture
I can confirm that first hand. The effect is very subtle - almost more visual than tactile.

At the time I was thinking that SMS hi-def decal would surely fit the effect but I haven't actually tried it yet :)

Have a look at this link where some guys are detailing an F40.It has some close ups of the paintwork.The carbon weave effect is so subtle you can hardly see it at all in most of the pictures,just looks like red paint.

http://www.cleanyourcar.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=10&highlight=ferrari+f40

The decal sounds like a great plan but the paint I intend to use is rather hot, so it'd end up a gooey mess, I fear. After seeing those close-up pictures of the F40's paint, I question even if I should bother. It'll look overscale in any case, probably. I will have to some experimenting.

Actaully i think using an enamel clear with minimal polishing would get you pretty close.

you will not get a good colour over the carbon decal if you are thinking of a light colour. If the colour is dark, then chances are, you won't see the decal.

I know the Ferrari F40 was paint over CF, and supposedly had this texture, so I'm appealing to you Ferrari builders out there - if you made this effect in 1:24, how'd you do it? I'd love to know!


Not quite- the bodywork of the F40 is actually Kevlar. Only the chassis is CF.


After seeing those close-up pictures of the F40's paint, I question even if I should bother. It'll look overscale in any case, probably.

Spot on. The effect is subtle enough that in 1/24 if it was visible it would be overdone. It can only barely be seen in person, and can only be photographed in up close pics.

If the effect can't be seen in standard distance pics (which it can't), it's really not worth trying to replicate in 1/24. It's a matter of taste, but nearly all the pics I've seen of F40s are with 'perfect' smooth shiney bodywork. Even in person the finish is smooth and shiney, until you get your nose close and stare. If the texture means alot to you you can of course try to replicate it, but it really is not going to appear more correct or realistic- the opposite is more likely.

Spot on. The effect is subtle enough that in 1/24 if it was visible it would be overdone. It can only barely be seen in person, and can only be photographed in up close pics.

If the effect can't be seen in standard distance pics (which it can't), it's really not worth trying to replicate in 1/24. It's a matter of taste, but nearly all the pics I've seen of F40s are with 'perfect' smooth shiney bodywork. Even in person the finish is smooth and shiney, until you get your nose close and stare. If the texture means alot to you you can of course try to replicate it, but it really is not going to appear more correct or realistic- the opposite is more likely.

Agreed.

It's a matter of taste,
... it really is not going to appear more correct or realistic- the opposite is more likely.


Yep, totally agree :)
I agree with your here too but it still seems to me that it might be worth trying just for the fun of it. We sometimes bust our guts trying to replicate the strangest things that can't really be seen afterwards anyway ;) Why not try something like that - even if it fails, at least one tried..

I wanted to do something similar so this was my plan. Tamiya white primer, thin coat, metal fabric net on top, Tamiya gray primer through the net and then paint, now this could only work for flat areas since it is not so easy to put this mesh over complex areas.

I thought of something similar. Take the closely woven plastic screen mesh that comes in Tamiya kits and glue it to the kit body with their thin cement. Then decal over it with any color decal and use some solvent.

The decal will conform to the screen but not all the way down in the holes which would leave a woven look. Then paint over the decal.

The problem would be gathering enough of the mesh screen to do the job. Also the thickness of the screen may be a problem. For example, if you were just doing a hood the thickness of the screen would raise that panel to a higher level than adjacent panels. Another downside is this method might create a fragile surface.

I wanted to do something similar so this was my plan. Tamiya white primer, thin coat, metal fabric net on top, Tamiya gray primer through the net and then paint, now this could only work for flat areas since it is not so easy to put this mesh over complex areas.
I used in last projects a very thin steel mesh bought from Hiroboy like a stencil mask. Great stuff.
I seen several F40 at naked eyes but I didn't recognized the effect: it would be well recognized in the F50.

I remember I seen a F50 in good company with Stevensky and he said something about SMS HR decals there ;) remember buddy?

I used in last projects a very thin steel mesh bought from Hiroboy like a stencil mask. Great stuff.
I seen several F40 at naked eyes but I didn't recognized the effect: it would be well recognized in the F50.

I remember I seen a F50 in good company with Stevensky and he said something about SMS HR decals there ;) remember buddy?

I've seen an F40, F50 and Enzo all in one showroom together. The F40 has the most texture of the three, the F50 a bit less, the Enzo hardly any at all.

I remember I seen a F50 in good company with Stevensky and he said something about SMS HR decals there ;) remember buddy?
Sure I remember. Please tell me there was an F40 there too (or at least in Riverto) or I'll have to admit that I got my "F"s mixed up and that it was in fact an F50 I had in mind with first post :evillol:

At least Veyron sort of saved me from total wrongness ;)

(I still think it's worth trying whatever "F" it's on! :lol:)

are you a smoker?
in cigarete box has aluminium foil, which is very close to your problem. sorry if i am wrong and your question is about some another efect.

Sure I remember. Please tell me there was an F40 there too (or at least in Riverto) or I'll have to admit that I got my "F"s mixed up and that it was in fact an F50 I had in mind with first post :evillol:

At least Veyron sort of saved me from total wrongness ;)

(I still think it's worth trying whatever "F" it's on! :lol:)

Yep: we seen the F40 at Rovereto's exibit and the F50 at the maranello's gallery.

Yep: we seen the F40 at Rovereto's exibit and the F50 at the maranello's gallery.
Uff!! :evillol:

are you a smoker?
in cigarete box has aluminium foil, which is very close to your problem. sorry if i am wrong and your question is about some another efect.

Actually, that's not a bad idea. I think it's metal foil over paper, rather, I hope it is, so the paint won't soak into the paper and lose the effect. Good call, that's worth a try. Still, I'm afraid anything will be way overscale. I'll try a few things, but those pictures of the F40 made me rethink the whole idea.

Textured foil seems a good thought, but you'll find no paint at all (short perhaps of etching primer) that'd stick to it.

In a larger scale (say 1/12) it might be cool to try. You can get fine woven nylon cloth at fabric stores (the sort of thing you might make sheer veils from). You might be able to glue it down to body surfaces with liquid cement, and then paint straight over top of it. It might or might not come out.

But I really think trying to replicate the effect in 1/24 really isn't likely to work.

Found some really nice pictures of the F40 at this site.

http://www.ferraris-online.com/pages/carintro.php?reqcardir=FE-F40-92336