Fibreglass/FRP Split-Mould Making Guide (Carbon Fibre Airbox Pt.2)

The ultimate guide on how to make a fibreglass/FRP/GRP split-mould/multi-part mould. Step-by-step instructions on how to create a 3-part mould for a complex airbox pattern. This is part two of a three-part project on how to make an ultra-light, carbon fibre airbox using state-of-the-art prepreg (dry) carbon fibre. Visit www.easycomposites.co.uk/ for more details or to buy the best in advanced composite materials.

[@mlodziutki6253]

7 years later and they still answer questions in the comments, respect !

[@easycompositestv]

We try to ensure any questions that haven't been covered get answered.

[@cvspvr]

@@easycompositestv i have a question. what is the meaning of life?

[@PeterPasieka]

@@cvspvr 🤣😂😹😆

[@mr2ferrari]

There's a reason your company is taking off like it has! Top notch craftsmanship, clear representation of your products, and sharing the knowledge! I have learned more from your videos and forum than I thought possible without attending a specialized school! Thanks to all of you at EC!!

[@Bulldumbdumb]

David Williams not true at all and you know it.

[@balakrishnanacharya]

Good

[@paulsdoe]

I appreciate the number of details that you give us (the viewing audience)!! Great Job! The quality that comes from taking the steps you recommend will be unmatched!

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks Paul, it's our pleasure to share our love of these processes and techniques.

[@fieldlab4]

Completely amazing. Incredible skill. People who have a hard time visualizing surfaces and positive and negative shapes might find this challenging. Ironically someone seriously into pattern making for clothing might be good at it. I suppose, if you wanted the smooth surface inside instead of outside, you could make a split part, say with a flange seam and screws, using two inside molds.

[@jefferybreisch8914]

Amazing level of explanation and detail regarding how to create a carbon fiber 3-piece mould. Thank you for sharing!

[@LexBuildAdventures]

Thanks for this video series. I must have watched these over 10 times when making my first pattern/mold/part

[@christhesnaildriver]

Using the rigid foam as a support when cutting with the Jigsaw (4:20) is a genius idea. So simple but it never occurred to me till I saw this! Way better than working off the end of the bench or trying to support on wood battens etc. Great videos and learning a lot, cheers!

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks Chris, glad it helped :-)

[@Vikingman2024]

Excellent videos! What I like is that he gives you alternative ways to get almost the same results if you don't have the same products or tools.

[@easycompositestv]

With composites there are often several ways to make a part, some easier or more or less technical than other methods.

[@juhaheikkila]

Wow, exellent tutorial. I have learned A LOT. Very good tips and tricks. These guys know their stuff !!

[@cruddbucket]

That was incredible! awesome video series thank you very much

[@carbonkingdom3571]

i made in your place pre preg thing and that was helpfull. im trying infusion. so i hope i be at the end of perfect finish like on your tutorial. Wish you all the Best as company and guys making things clear to people who want these knowledges!!

[@brandonandjen9812]

Hopefully we dont have to wait a year for the next one. Great vid though i have learned a lot from you guys.

[@easycompositestv]

Hi Brandon, no you definately won't have to wait a year for the next one. We're filming it at the moment. The great thing about prepreg is that we can make that airbox in about 20mins from start to finish so, even allowing for lots of filming delays, explaining and editting, it's still nothing like the time taken to make the pattern or the mould.

[@michaelc2321]

I seriously can not thank you guys enough! You provide so much value in your content. Thank you!

[@easycompositestv]

You’re welcome Michael, glad you enjoyed it.

[@jean-philippevachon6045]

Amazing stuff and high videos quality, will probably watch all of them :) Big thanks from Canada.

[@Mickeyt57]

Excellent work. I'm very anxious to see the next part.

[@DougBugBuilder]

These are great tutorials. Thanks for posting them.

[@pitaorj]

AWESOME!!! It took sometime, but it's the best easycomposite video so far! Can't wait for the third!

[@flyslideride]

Some of the best videos on the net. Well done and thanks.

[@vilsonandrade8191]

Nice instruction. You have the skills to do it. Congrats from Araucaria PR Brazil.

[@GiiForce]

Excellent and informative video. I learned a lot. Thank you!

[@simonashworth5841]

It’s extraordinary how involved and time consuming these processes are, but also how high quality the results are - this is bespoke manufacturing to a commercial standard.

[@easycompositestv]

Thank you Simon.

[@cdczmb8492]

Man, you're my new hero.

[@carbonkingdom3571]

Thank you for bringing these things to people that on the internet want to do something but they dont know why. Also i bought from you materials and im happy. Thank you very much (this is Mindaugas)

[@easycompositestv]

Hi Mindaugas, thanks for the feedback. We had a lot of fun making this video (we always do) and we really do love to share this information. It's been a pleasure dealing with you and I'm sure we will again soon.

[@DavidG2P]

Most beautiful mold I've ever seen!

[@easycompositestv]

Wow, thank you!

[@Chrisknot94]

I've never handled carbon fiber, I just love watching those videos 🤷🏼‍♂️

[@mlodziutki6253]

ikr 😂

[@DjCasonDrift]

Thank you for your reply I appreciate all the advice and am looking forward to purchasing your resin infusion starter kit

[@liammills246]

Just bought a couple of kits from these guy, can't wait to try and make my own parts 👍🏼👌🏽

[@easycompositestv]

Great choice Liam! You know where we are if you need us.

[@glorious_help]

AMAZING THAT THESE EXIST.

[@christopherlynch4347]

This is so useful. 7 years later! Thanks

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks Chris, it’s very much still current technique 👍

[@jayphilipwilliams]

Outstanding video and instruction!

[@smyffe69]

super impressed with the quality of video and explanations

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks, glad you like them.

[@sinjhguddu4974]

Master craftsmanship!

[@calltheguru]

I watched it with my own eyes and somehow it still feels like magic. Bravo!

[@Garage12]

Fantastic videos so far, would be good if you guys keep more of these coming regularly for different shapes etc Look forward to the next one

[@easycompositestv]

It wouldn't really matter what the shape was; you should be able to apply this technique to make a multi-part mould for any shape or sized part. It's the technique and the understanding we try to give you, then you apply this process and understanding to your own projects. In terms of shape, this airbox is about as difficult as it gets, which is why we made it! Many moulds, even for much larger parts, would be simpler. Take a look on our forum where you'll see one of our customers has made split moulds for the entire tub of a Noble; it's all the same process. He then goes on to resin infuse the whole tub in carbon fibre. Username is Andycanam - search for Noble on talkcomposites.com

[@alessandroferrara6988]

Great video, it is very useful for my next work about a motorcycle tank

[@anypossibly2769]

clear and precise tuturial about carbon fiber.adds technics how to build.very helpful..thank you

[@easycompositestv]

You're very welcome, thanks!

[@nburt]

Incredible videos, very well done.

[@Lillebroor]

Yes! Finally! =D This video series is really great. Can´t wait to get some parts ordered from you guys and get going my self. Thank you for uploading and taking your time for us =)

[@easycompositestv]

You're very welcome. I'm really pleased we've got this one 'under our belts' now; split-moulds is something that we've wanted to cover for years and where I think there was a real lack of a coimplete tutorial.

[@davidwaller2179]

Really good advice. Thank you.

[@salimcadcam]

Awesome, very helpful and professional. Thank you. Salim from King Saud University

[@johneturbo]

Top skills to make it look so easy! very well explained too. i'll know where to come for materials and advice

[@shinoyjacob6514]

OMG !!!!!! How perfect. Congratulations, video is so perfect, don't know what to say.... keep going.

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks for the praise!

[@HappyPappynKatyTX]

Excellent and professional. Thank you

[@easycompositestv]

You're welcome. I'm glad you like it. Thanks for all the feedback everyone :)

[@RJ-hm7gh]

Very helpful video. Thanks a lot

[@FroggyFrog9000]

That is amazing!!

[@thilofrisch9894]

Outstanding tutorial ! Very insightful

[@easycompositestv]

Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@abc33944]

Great demo !

[@mojahedkenebo8910]

These are great tutorials. Thanks a lot.

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks Mojahed, we're glad you like them.

[@JavierD]

So delightful to watch

[@Galvorn100]

Just awesome!

[@nickanrc]

Nice video!!! A lot of tips to apply on my own molding process. I really like this channel and I begin to use your products last week (gelcoat). So fra, so good!!!

[@samagustini2744]

O u t s t a n d i n g tutorial!! - Now I understand why custom composite parts are so expensive!!

[@cameronyoung2004]

Beautiful work there.

[@easycompositestv]

Thank you very much Cameron!

[@solidshark91493]

This is great, been waiting a long time for this, Great tutorials. Thanks for making them!

[@jeanmichelorzechowski6307]

Très bon travail.

[@DrRussell]

What an artist

[@VinothKumar-qo7ry]

Thanks a lot. Rare stuffs in KZbin. Helpful for my career..

[@offshoreradioMiAmigo319]

Great job

[@ScrewDrvr]

Please get part 3 up soon.

[@Pushyhog]

well, i finally just called and ordered filleting wax on my iphone, its dirt cheapto call with att. Got a bunch of tips too. I want em to open a store in usa. Maybe easy, maybe not. These people have best quality stuff. I know. They are on top of the game of turning out good tools, parts, & helping their customers. This video is incredible.

[@TheDementedMonkeys]

+Pushyhog We had the same experience with them. They truly are an awesome company!

[@TheDementedMonkeys]

Easy Composites Ltd Have you considered working on partnerships\distributor deals with european vendors? Speaking from experience, many italian shops either have a limited offer or have ashamingly high prices. Perhaps you could build a distribution network to help spread your winning business model. Happy new year and please keep up the good work!

[@Dur21]

great video.

[@tilidie5272]

god this takes me back, i used to make front splitters for touring cars and we did the same thing exactly

[@easycompositestv]

Haha, yes, this process has not changed much in a long time! Only difference would probably be the Uni-Mould rapid tooling system which is slightly different from conventional polyester gel and GP resin.

[@Hangover-ry9bo]

Very good, job and presenter

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks Daniel, appreciated.

[@jeremiasr7073]

GREAT VIDEO GUYS!!!! The dude is actually understandable. ;) Easy to follow along. ***

[@easycompositestv]

Glad you like and and pleased to hear you could understand it all clearly :)

[@fgh-hi9tl]

Big respect!

[@cristofacar]

What an excellent tutorial - well done. (I believe you should give due credit to our very good instructor.)

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks Chris. Indeed - that's Paul; our technical director.

[@sharoanthomas9809]

i really love like this videos

[@michaelhille261]

Great video very cool 👍🏻

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks Micheal, glad you liked it.

[@paulobazam7297]

Great! Perfect!

[@wabotmickael1697]

great video thank you

[@easycompositestv]

You’re welcome, thanks for the comment.

[@markshone4606]

Crazy the time that goes into making the moulds

[@Mohamadreza-sf2jc]

Beautiful 👍 👍

[@TheSiCkSiDeRiDeR]

Ur a pro excelent vid!!

[@khaledzaitoun7321]

Beautiful

[@JanBinnendijk]

Guys!.. Great video, but.. when you design the part in 3D, and use that CAD software to make the profiles of the part.. you could also make the templates the same way, for the top template, the one you made first.. just project the curve on the centerplane, and use that as a guidecurve for a sweep of a thin part that you can then convert to a "Sheetmetal-part" and Unfold to a flat pattern.. that's all there is to it.. same goes for the other templates.. (Can't help it.. i'm a designer.. :) ) your video's are a great help, teaching me things i didn't yet know.. Just thougt of this.. why not place some "Wax-wedges" around the perimeter, so after curing and cutting the mould to size, you have some recesses to pry the mould open?

[@marcomignosa9480]

It's art!

[@dougiequick1]

Makes me realize how foolish my teen age dream had been of me making a custom fiberglass air box for my racing motorcycle back in the early 70's ...I had thought at the time "how hard could it be" I purchased some materials and found out early on that I was nowhere near capable of producing even the most crude example of what might work ...such is the frustration of visualising exactly what one needs but entirely lacking the expertise to even begin to get there ....And that was a part that in no way needed to be visually appealing !

[@MegaherzZwei]

Just wondering...can you do something similar and show how you would lay up this mold in fiberglass instead of carbon? It would be nice to see how to lay fiberglass in complex, multiple part molds instead of pre-preg. Thanks!

[@georgepsilos7763]

Speechless.....

[@easycompositestv]

Hopefully in a good way!

[@toubamisk9209]

bravo!

[@georgiosbanos1314]

like a boss !!!!!!!

[@YaMoBeThereAbout]

Any suggestions on how to release a stuck plug from a mould? I used your release agent and followed the instructions here but it's stuck solid. I've used air, a chisel and anything to hand.

[@startcherif]

very nice video

[@easycompositestv]

Hi Cherif, thanks for your comment! Glad you enjoyed the video!

[@mukinfagic69]

Great videos, I have been working my way through them. Question, how come the parallel sides necessitate a 3 part mould?

[@easycompositestv]

In theory it should be possible if the angles are perfectly parallel to slide out the part. However you will be trying to release the part against friction, vacuum suction between the mould and part and sometimes the sides aren't perfect, hence what can be a struggle to release will just fall out the mould when made as a 3 part split mould.

[@asoabdullah8448]

you are amazing thank you

[@easycompositestv]

Thanks Aso!

[@avro549B]

If you mould in a tyre valve somewhere on the pattern, you can use air pressure to separate the parts, instead of having to chisel them. (Beware of excessive pressure blowing them across the room, though.)

[@snorttroll4379]

smart. I might use that for a bigger thing.

[@leez20letcorsa]

Great vid I never thought about making my own carbon fibre products, question though at what point is an oven used in making carbon fibre? And could you do a video on making a car bumper as that would be very informative on mould making and hen the bagging and infusion as that's what I'm interested in making but no idea where to start, can't wait for part 3 of this vid

[@easycompositestv]

If and when oven is used is dependant on what process is used to make the part. The part to be made from this mould is to be made in out-of -autoclave pre-preg carbon fibre and as such is cured in an oven once the vacuum bagging process is complete. You can see this in part 3 of the video series here: How to Make Prepreg/Dry Carbon Fibre Parts (Carbon Fiber Airbox Pt. 3) In terms of making a bumper, we would probably recommend resin infusion as the ideal process. You can see a complete video series on making a bonnet/hood here: How to Make a Carbon Fiber Car Bonnet/Hood - Part 1/3 which shows all the techniques and processes you would need for pretty much any body panels on a car, including a simple bumper.

[@jeethandarkumar4358]

Can you please make some video about Paul, have been learning a lot from him.

[@MrJendosa1]

Yes! I made it to be 3k cheers!

[@SkypowerwithKarl]

Amazing how a pro can make it look easy, but if you try this a home kids it’ll probably take a half dozen projects to look “pro”. Thirty five years ago I made a fiberglass console. Man that was an aggravating experience. Wish I’d seen this back then.

[@easycompositestv]

There's certainly some skill and experience needed to get this sort of thing right first time but hopefully these tutorials give people the best chance to learn the process and build their skills.

[@hfranke07]

I am planning to make a 2 part mould from a foam pattern for the casting of a ca. 35x55x5 cm lit for a tool case. Can these products you use here work with casting af PUR resin too?

[@knot4real]

Amazeballs👍

[@easycompositestv]

Cheers Daniel :)

[@andrebauer576]

Hi, great video series. I like it a lot. Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge. One question: How do you ensure that the parts of the molds do not stick together at the bare edge where the fibreglass has open surface. The release agent won't help very much there on the rough glass. I'm considering developing a faired recumbent bike.

[@easycompositestv]

Generally any slight sticking on the very edges can be trimmed off to allow access for a demoulding wedge to release the rest of the part.

[@uttammajumder1008]

Super

[@kaighn8086]

If ever you guys would like to do carbon fibre reinforcement of some 3D printed objects we at MEOE would love to help.

[@patata2002]

thanks for videos. Could you upload pt.3??? how you close the open part in the molds for have the same part as original?.

[@easycompositestv]

Nearly there with it. Just a bit more editing and we'll be uploading it!

[@cholo1152]

You can upload a video production with unidirectional and bidirectional carbon fiber

[@radbot1]

Excellent video, I have been following this for my own project your your products and so far so good, but I have a couple questions. As it's getting colder now in my garage I have been leaving each layer to cure over night. Is there a danger of leaving each layer too long? Like what if I leave the coupling layer to cure beyond a tacky state? Secondly, I have one of those nifty rollers included in your kit. Is it single use (like did you need to use 3 for this project) or did you somehow clean it? Thanks again for this content ( and for the confidence to try such things!)

[@easycompositestv]

Temperature reductions will slow the cure down so ideally you would want heating to keep temperature optimal. If you leave it too long, you can sand the surface but ideally try and keep it within the recommended time limits for best adhesion between layers. Acetone can clean rollers and brushes to help get extra uses out of them.

[@956l4]

Great video. I have one question. I understand that it would be better to make the mould out of carbon fiber prepreg (as you do in another video) instead of using fiberglass. Is that correct? If so, which would be the benefits? Thank you!

[@easycompositestv]

The main benefit of using prepreg carbon fibre to make the mould is improved accuracy at higher temperature because the CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) of the mould would be extremely low, very closely match that of the carbon fibre component. Additionally, you can use the mould at a higher temperature than you could with a typical 'fibreglass' resin system (although there are exceptions).

[@rumisic]

THE 3RD PART, PLEASEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!