Bamboo/Carbon Build Question
 

Hi,
I will be doing my 1st frame build with a kit from BambooBikeStudio. This uses carbon tow wrapped lugs. The kit supplies a vinyl stretch tape for wrapping/compressing the epoxy saturated carbon prior to curing.
In my years of boat ownership I've done some composite repairs and have used a heat shrinkable mylar tape for the layup compression. This worked out ok in those cases. Has anyone used it on a bike frame build? Angles/curves are more complex than what I've done before.

Thanks.
Mike.

I used the non-sticky side of cheapo electrical tape and it has worked out just fine.

Hey, they send you the carbon already impregnated and ready to use or they send you dry twill/mesh with the hardener and other chemicals to mix and use???

If I'm not mistaken, they send you tow along with west systems epoxy/hardener

Yes, that's how the kit comes. I've just received mine this past weekend. I've setup my jig on a 2'x4' flat board and fitted the balsa blocks to the BB & HT with thickened epoxy (I'm using West System G-Flex with high density filler here instead of the 5-minute JB Kwik Set that comes with the kit). I hope to begin the wrapping stage next weekend....need a block of 2 days to perform that stage...once you roughen the Bamboo ends they recommend no more than 48 hrs to complete the wrapping to prevent excessive drying out of the roughened areas.

Bamboo is very unlikely to become excessively dry unless you live in a desert. Unless the tubes crack there is no downside to the level of "too dry" that they are likely to experience. If a tube does crack then it's a sure sign that it likely wasn't dry enough. It's a fine line.
The outer skin on bamboo actually doesn't have a huge impact on how dry a piece will become.

Want to do an experiment and I dont want to spend too much in materials, thats why I was asking. Wonder who in the world sells this stuff in my area now.. :/

Thanks for the tip in the G-flex system, perfect for what i want to do, they sell just small amounts of stuff.

From what I have read some people use use masking tape to tight the fibers, cheap and looks like works just fine.

Black electrical tape worked great for me. Buy a few extra rolls.
I have a blog post about it here: http://www.cameronbrown.ca/blog/2013...-wrapin-it-up/

G-Flex epoxy from West Systems is pretty nice to use for many small projects. It has better elasticity (less brittle) than the standard laminating resin but somewhat lower overall bonding strength. It sets a little faster as well.

They also make a 5-min resin system, though I have never used it....gotta be better than JB Kwik ;-)

For small work, the standard resin also comes in a little kit of several blister packets (think Ketchup & Mustard packets from a takeout joint). These work very nicely without needing the ratio pump and big cans of resin.

Any decent marine supply store will carry West System resins & fillers. Can also be bought on-line.

Would a roll of the stretchy rubber handlebar tape work? It has a lot of strength and if the need is to compact the joint and force the wrap down to its minimum thickness... that property might be useful? Have to wonder if it would be reusable for subsequent joints...I don't know if the resin will stick to it or not?

If the rubber has enough flex it doesn't matter if the epoxy adheres or not because it will flex off.

I use silicone tubing to pressure wrap tubes made of of wood veneers and simply pull the tubing to stretch it to remove the cured epoxy.

Cut all your ruined inner tubes up into one inch wide strips. That works great and you can pull it as tight as needed.
Keep in mind that when you're wrapping a low spot that you can't put the pressure wrap on directly on you can span it with a wrap and then roll up some tubing into a wad and use it to force the wrap down on the next pass.