The surface material of a 2013 tarmac carbon frame at the skewer drop out has chipped off a little, from wear and tear
Can anyone suggest a coating to bond and repair this? Does anyone have an opinion if I should be concerned since I am not ?
Thanks for the consideration
Is it just the paint or are we talking a structural chip that broke or frayed some carbon fibers? If it’s just a cosmetic/paint thing, some mail polish will do the trick.
Just the surface coating, but it is surprisingly thick, 1-2 mm, at the rear drop out, no carbon fiber showing, I’m thinking I’d like to spray something on that self levels and bonds??
Yeah, the paint layer can be surprisingly thick. I got a big chip out if the paint in my fork last year and was shocked how thick the primer layer was.
What did you end up doing? I have some minor damage (chips and scratches) to the chain stays on my CX/ Gravel bike. One of the scratches is deeper than the others and I’m inclined to to sand it down, lay down some new carbon on top of the scratch, and repaint unless there’s an easier fix like a filler or putty of some sort.
Laying layers of carbon over a scratch sounds like overkill. I’d probably just cover the with clear coat or matching paint to protect the carbon.
That’s just going to be an epoxy resin. Your typical 5min epoxy from the hardware store is a bit on the thick side for actual carbon layup, but it makes gap filling easy. Less is more, or you’ll end up with a goopy mess with lumps all over. Might require a few thin layers to build it up to where you can sand everything smooth.
You can dye the epoxy black, if you so desire, using Rit powdered dye.
If you’ve never used epoxy before, the key is to make sure your mixture ratio is accurate and that you mix very well. If you don’t mix well, it won’t set or cure properly and will be sticky forever.
I’ve also seen people suggest model paint and sealer if you need to get a close color match. Check your hobby store. Also 300 grit and finer sandpaper to smooth it out after it dries thoroughly.
Thanks for the suggestions. Since there are no CX races this year, thought I could use a project so I also decided to repaint and rebuild with an upgraded 1x drivetrain. Stripped the bike down over the weekend and starting the process of repair and prep. Picked up some epoxy but then decided to take off the derailleur hangar so now I have to put in a carbon patch anyway. Excited to see how it all turns out but it’s going to be a few weeks if not a couple of months.