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Carbon Skinning
You may have heard of it before, maybe you haven't. Here's the lowdown on what the process is, what you can expect and why it could be right for you
So what is it?
Carbon skinning is the process where carbon fibre cloth and epoxy resin is laid over an existing part to give it the cosmetic appearance of carbon fibre but without the associated costs of producing a full replacement part.
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This is perfect for someone who wants the aesthetics of carbon fibre added to their vehicle (or non-automotive project) but is perhaps working to a budget.
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It also allows the production of bespoke parts that are truly unique to your build. Almost anything can be skinned, the only limits are your imagination (and some technical stuff we'll get into later..)
How does it work?
Starting with the original part, this is sanded with a coarse grit sandpaper to ensure the epoxy resin has a good mechanical bond to the part.
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The carbon cloth is laid with multiple layers of resin - basically a type of plastic which encapsulates the carbon - and, as it cures, permanently bonds it to the original part.
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More resin is then added, sanded, added and sanded several times over a number of days and weeks until a smooth top layer is achieved, which can then be clearcoated with automotive 2K paint to give a deep, glossy finish that looks nearly identical to parts created using moulds
Skinning vs vinyl wrap
If you're considering skinning you've probably also considered wrapping with vinyl.
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We'll never judge anyone for going down that route but to this day we've still not seen a wrap that truly replicates the depth and visual complexity of carbon fibre. Skinning is a great option for someone who wants convincing looks without the expense of full carbon parts.
Skinning vs full carbon
To create a full carbon part you first need to create a mould. This is where a lot of the huge cost comes from, often making it cost prohibitive for small production runs. If you want a bespoke piece made then you would have to swallow the moulding costs by yourself and these can be extortionate - you're paying for prep of the original part, labour and materials to create the mould before you've even had your part produced. Even then, depending on whether you want something resin infused, structural or pre-preg the final part price will reflect those choices too. This is a great choice for something functional or likely to sell in large numbers but is usually an uneconomical choice for the individual customer.
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With skinning you don't have any setup costs - literally send us the part and get it back looking like a million dollars. The big costs with skinning come from the amount of labour involved - nothing is automated, everything is hand made so you're paying for the sheer amount of hours spent sanding and refining your parts. This still however works out significantly cheaper than even an off the shelf carbon part in most cases.
What are the limitations?
For a start you're not removing weight. You're adding up to 1mm of material onto the surface of the parts which could be anything from 20-30g on small parts to 400g+ on large parts. Typically carbon cloth used weighs around 240g per square metre and because it's a wet layup process you could be adding double that in resin.
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Because you're adding thickness there is a loss of definition of fine details. Typically anything embossed doesn't print through the cloth and panel gaps can vary slightly but the aim is to keep the mounting faces clear of carbon and resin.. and that's where the telltale signs are if you look closely. Same goes for recesses for badges, we avoid anything that involves retaining badges as trimming around them is often messy and risks damage to them. We always prefer to remove and reinstall badges on top.
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The weave patten is also not as consistent as a pre-preg part. Those processes are a lot cleaner and allow for sections of carbon to be cut to shape recesses and awkward angles. This can be achieved with skinning but is a lot more time consuming and often means a less clean join in the visible weave. If you're comparing to OEM pre-preg parts you will see small differences, that's unavoidable
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The resin used in skinning means it's unsuitable for functional parts or those exposed to high temperatures. The maximum service temperature is typically 70C at most, above this the resin can soften and sink causing rippled imperfections as it flows around the weave of the cloth but in some cases it can even delaminate and separate from the part. It's important that you consider the environment your parts are going to be in and whether skinning is right for you - even hot climates in direct sunlight can cause panel temperatures to exceed 70C so it's worth taking precautions for exposed carbon such as parking in the shade or covering parts in direct sunlight.
"It's not real carbon"
We hear that a lot, and we get it. There's an appeal to functional, lightweight, pre-preg or infused full carbon parts and they absolutely have their place in the automotive world
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But what if they don't already exist? Moulding to create bespoke parts can quickly run into the thousands before you've even created your final carbon masterpiece. If someone wants something low volume - say some one off interior parts - that becomes cost prohibitive.
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Some people are happy with just the aesthetics and that's where skinning really shines. You could get a vinyl wrap if you wanted but anyone with a keen eye can tell the difference between even the best vinyl wraps and real carbon cloth. With skinning there are very few giveaways that it's not a full carbon part and unless you're trying to save weight it's a convincing alternative for aesthetics
Teach me.
Sorry, we're not in a position to offer personalised advice on how to skin parts but we absolutely encourage the DIY'er to try it for themselves.
Click the link below to head to the Easy Composites YouTube channel where they explain all the processes we use in more detail than we could ever manage. These guys have been around for years and are experts in their field - we aren't affiliated, we just learned a lot from them and you can too!