[RedST]

Everyone,

I had the great fortune of finding a person who had a Clay Carrier hugger for my SC, that they were able to sell to me. However, in the process of shipping, the box sustained some damage, and the hugger got a small chunk taken out of it, along with cracking the resin going away from the damage.

I didn't realize, but the CCC part is made up of carbon and carbon-kevlar pieces and then epoxied. The chunk came out of the carbon-kevlar area.

Does anyone know of a carbon repair shop that can either build the epoxy back up (the part is not load bearing), or chop out a piece and glue in a replacement?

Thanks.

Sorry mods, I posted this in the NorCal forum as I thought it would be a local shop that could fix my problems, but I'm expanding my search. Feel free to delete the other thread.

 

[Artistimo]

Do you have pices of the damage? If you're handy you can repair it yourself with fiberglass resin and a little patience, maybe some more mat. Is the part going to be painted at all?

 

[RedST]

Do you have pices of the damage? If you're handy you can repair it yourself with fiberglass resin and a little patience, maybe some more mat. Is the part going to be painted at all?

Unfortunately, I don't have the pieces. The box arrived with a rather large hole in the side. From what I can gather, I think the box was on a conveyor belt, and got jammed. By the way the part shattered, and the kind of damage, it looks like a compression fracture rather than a perpendicular one. I guess the pieces came out of the box through the hole.

I was toying with the idea of painting the parts even before I got them, so this kind of seals that decision. But, even if I don't, the place where the part was damaged is under the bike. My concern is to address the cracking to prevent it fracturing any more.

I'm terrible with arts and crafts type jobs. This is not the kind of repair I can do well. I was the kid in grade school eating the paste, and not putting it on the construction paper.

I'll try to get some real pictures tomorrow.

 

[Artistimo]

I was the kid in grade school eating the paste, and not putting it on the construction paper.

Yummy...lol Well I think Painter Dude is pretty close by you, maybe send him a PM and see if he does that kind of thing. I would imagine so...If you can't find anyone else I can do it too, I run a bike paint shop as well in Milwaukee, WI. Maybe do something to match your bike but also leave some of the carbon exposed.

Wasn't there any shipping insurance?

 

[Mrgrn]

i can possibly help

get me a better pic, a week to play with it and i will do my best to help

 

[RedST]

Wasn't there any shipping insurance?

Yes, and I am filling out the claim paperwork. However, Clay Carrier (the company) is gone, and there is little hope of getting a new one. So either I fix it, or turn it into a mantle-piece.

The insurance money should cover the repair cost.

Sorry guys, I got caught in some late afternoon tasks.

I'll post up some pictures tomorrow, I promise.

Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[StavesacredarK]

I have some chips and a crack... I'm still looking for the right resins.

 

[RedST]

I have some chips and a crack... I'm still looking for the right resins.

Some people have claimed that the 5-minute epoxy is close, clear, and will not yellow. Depends if the part is load-bearing or not.

Some carbon also has the resin dyed blue to enhance the look. Other colors are possible too. I have heard of people putting shoe polish or coffee in the resin to color it.

It's still kind of black-magic to me.

 

[Mrgrn]

send them too me and stop wasting your time trying to figure it out as it is not that difficult and semantical comes to mind

after the repair have the whole part clearcoated and be done with it

 

[ZDM]

+1 on Mrgrn. He has copied some Termignoni stuff for me and it is gorgeous. He is very good at this carbon fiber stuff, I'm sure he could either fix it or duplicate better. I have Clay Carriers 999 air duct covers and they are top notch stuff, but seem a bit brittle for some reason on the edges.
Right now Mrgrn (Mark) is making a set of Scwhinn CF scooter fenders for me. Kinda look like the old Sting Ray fenders. Really looking forward to getting them! Marks pretty good, give him a shot.

 

[RedST]

Pics.

 

[Artistimo]

Honestly if that was mine I'd just bust out the dremel and trim it down, collect the insurance money and buy some beer.

I've fit lots of carbon pieces that had a wonky fit, holes didn't line up, etc. The utter looks of horror as I arrange a couple tools and start hacking away at it...lol I've custom cut several rear fenders including the one on my 748. Front fenders, etc. I bought a corse front fender and there wasn't much clearance for the brake lines so I trimmed some back. If I'm looking at your part right it's just a few little pieces at the end. A steady hand and a dremel is all you need with some sandpaper to smooth the edges when you're done.

 

[RedST]

I would agree with you about trimming, except that I do think that the radius of the bottom part (where it cracked) holds onto the bottom of the swingarm tube. Since the SC only has three bolts for the hugger, I do think the material is necessary to prevent the piece from moving around. Plus, I'm too much of a perfectionist to let it go.

In any event, I need to wait a bit since the insurance process takes a couple of weeks and I need the part as evidence until they make payment.

 

[RedST]

Update:

The US Post Office sucks...(but you already knew that)

I took the hugger and packaging to the local PO for them to physically inspect the damage. The guy working there said that they can issue a check that week, I just needed to give them the part.

I told him that you can't buy a new one of these, and the insurance money is going to go to repairing the damage they caused.

He said that the only way to guarantee that I get paid is to hand over the damaged good. Otherwise, he could submit a letter to the insurance division to see if they will reimburse for repair.

What a crock of S#!t.

I'm waiting to see what they say.

 

[StavesacredarK]

Good luck with that. I went to the local Marine Boat store. Found some resin that is clear. Also picked up some black dye. I'm waiting until this weekend to mix it up. The packages come in pre-measured sizes so you can't get it wrong. The repair kit comes with some fiberglass and glass bead filler (I most likely wont use).

Carbon fiber is a black art... but it's been around for a long time. Search for resin repair on surfboards. There are videos on U-tube and this link has some great helpful info....
http://www.carbonmods.co.uk/Default.aspx
they are on the other side of the pond... you can take the knowledge for free!

I got something similar to their package. But for less....

 

[46thedoctor]

Ouch

 

[RedST]

Update:

The post office has finally paid the claim. It practically took an act of Congress to get it out of them.

The issue was that I didn't want to hand over the item and just take the cash. That is their normal way to handle claims, but there is a way for collectible items to stay in possession of the insured and await the payment for repair.

What they don't tell you, is that there are forms you need to fill out (of course) that are internal to the PO, for this process. You don't know about them, you can't get them, they won't tell you about them.

I finally had to call to the insurance division in Missouri to finally get a kind person who would tell me about them. He called my local PO and I picked up the forms there. From that point, everything was pretty straight-forward, and I was told the check was issued on Friday of last week.

Next time FedEx only!

 

[corndog67]

My S4 broke a chain at the MotoGP (well, in Monterey while I was there for the MotoGP), and took a chunk out of the hugger, it looks like a dog chewed the edge up, but my dogs know better. I just took it off, a new one is $360 or so.

 

[reynolds_brad]

Trim, or make a mold of it and remake the part. you should be able to just remake that section and then bond it ontop of whats left.

anyhow triming can come out well if your good at finish work.

As for resins I use Westsystems resin from West Marine for my carbon projects. Its well priced and works well.

most carbon moto parts arnt all that complex and can be made at home in the garage, even gas tanks.

 

[ZDM]

Coincidentally I had caught a towel on the edge of my ClayCarrier cf 999 air duct cover and took a small chip out of it. Just do it BY HAND. Get some sand paper or emry cloth medium grit and knock the edge down. Then use a fine grit to smooth the edge-just the edge. If you use a dremel and it catches an edge it could kick back and damage or crack the cf. For some reason CCC cf are very brittel around the edges....You can do this in front of the TV watching WSBK....when you're finished, try to make the whole part look symetrical, then using a clear coat pen (ColorRite) just seal the edge. If you do it by hand you can take it down slowly, once you've gone too far w/ a Dremel you can't take it back!