Carbon frame resprays - lacquering

David B

David B

Old School Grand Master
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I'm thinking of getting my Look KG241 frame repainted in the next few months and read somewhere that the clear top coat needs an ultraviolet inhinbitor, presumably to prevent any structural degradation due to over-exposure to sunlight. Is this compulsory or overkill on the part of cautious owners? The cynic in me thinks that the British weather (though it's been a cracking weekend) might render this less of an issue than in sunnier areas.....

Thanks in advance for advice.

David
 
You need it. Sunlight degrades the resin. I have seen it happen on marine carbon masts etc, and it's not funny. The resin goes milky first, then gets micro-cracks which lets in moisture destroying the bonding of fibres to matrix.

Why scrimp?
 
Thanks for the feedback - if the existing paint job is roughened to provide a "key" for the new coat, rather than stripping back to the bare tubing, will this also help matters on the protection front? I'm thinking along the lines of a paint finish in opaque colours rather than just stripping back to bare carbon and lacquering it.

David
 
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