Thanks Alex, that's very kind of you. We've said it before too, but we really enjoy making this content and sharing our passion and it being freely available is a key part of that.
Honestly, making this high quality of videos is a brilliant business strategy. In fields like this where it is hard to find good suppliers people often go with the first one that looks good, and man oh man you make it look good. I know multiple composite techs that all independently started following this channel and use your stuff for their own projects.
Thanks very much for this comment. It’s really nice to hear. When we’re out and about we do hear similar things from engineers, or uni techs/lecturers/students etc and it always reminds us how effective the combination of quality products supported by good training content can be.
Myself and some family members made a boat 10 years ago - it was a small pontoon boat with fiberglass pontoons, and each pontoon had a VERY similar construction to this albeit with fiberglass. However, at the time there was NO resources like this available to the public and we essentially had to figure out most of it ourselves, from mold making to layup and construction. We laid up each pontoon by hand, which would take us about 30 hours. Wetting out that much fiberglass by hand is MISERABLE. In some ways, I'm amazed how good of a job we did, but I can't even imagine how much easier it would have been had your content been available at the time. All that to say, THANK YOU for making this content available and sharing what used to be very hard to learn, very specialized knowledge with the masses. This really make me want to try some new projects with the new information I now have. You have a gift for explaining this all in a very detailed yet easy to understand way and the production quality is excellent. Thanks again!!
Thanks for the comment, that’s really good to hear and thank you for the kind words on our content. Well done on getting stuck in, with your family, and figuring some of this out for yourselves those years ago… most people don’t!
I have 10 years professional experience in aerospace composites but I still enjoy each of your videos like I was discovering a new craft 😅 and then I buy tools and tooling material from you at work because they're you great and so are you !
Dear EasyComposites, thank you for all of your videos but most importantly your high quality products that we use to produce carbon fiber products. Serious stuff, amazing quality, fast shipping (we are in Italy) Thank you!❤
Thank you, that means a lot. We're really pleased that you're enjoying the content but, of course, our main business is making and supplying high quality composite materials so it's great to hear that you like the products and service!
Imagine trying this by yourself having no clue, you could spend a lot of time, effort and money for scrapping your tryouts and never succeed. Now that we have these vids we know how to, thanks EC for this super usefull content!
That's the idea - we want to share our own knowledge and experience so that customers (and non-customers) make the very best use and have the best possible experiences with composite materials.
Thanks, thanks interesting to hear. As it happens, our next series of videos will all be motorsports based so should be right ‘in your lane’ but we enjoy the production process too and so it’s nice to learn that it’s appreciated 😀.
My appreciation for this company is unrivaled. You guys sell amazing quality products at an amazing price, and follow it up with providing free education on entire composites processes. Unbelievable in the best way possible.
I know, I always gush at your content and it is no different here. Your ability to succinctly summarize the technical contents, and process of making a structure are very inspiring.
Before I started following your channel I thought the whole process was too difficult, now I not only have the confidence to try doing composites for my next project, but most importantly, I also learnt a lot in general about the whole process and tools. That knowledge is universal and speaks to Pauls' great presentation skills and that the company prioritizes these videos where knowledge is shared freely very valuable.
This channel has gone from strength to strength! Wonderful editing of a truly fascinating story. The things I learned from this seem almost incidental.
If I could pick a favorite Easy Composite video, this would be it. I'm not sure if I can pick a favorite since I like so many of them so much. Thanks for another fantastic video.
WOW!! Years ago my dad was given a canoe by a neighbor who had no use for it anymore... It was big and had a nice wide beam, quite stable... But to big for him now that the kids left the nest. He gave it to my dad knowing that he took care of the cottages around the lake so that was the easiest way to get around. My dad left it at some house one day next to the shore and the following day it was gone!! Somebody nicked it!! If I could go back in time, get a mold of that canoe and make another one for my dad he would be over the moon!! That being said, if you have an old canoe, or if you find one that's no longer sea?!?? lake-worthy, then you can just use that to make a mold and give that old boat a new life!! There's probably some hardware and seats and stuff that can be salvaged to the new build!!
You guys really turned your passion into your job, I love it! It’s very inspiring to see both your amazing subject knowledge and how much you enjoy what you are doing. Inspirational! 👍
just realized why i watch this channel. i grew up an 80's kid, middle house, middle of the street. my neighbour on the right worked in formula one, my neighbour on the left had his own fibreglass business, made most of the cars on fairground rides and half of the enemies on dr who. i don't do anything like that but maybe i could have!
my dad said: willy next door = super clever mechanic works for williams, john works harder than any welshman i ever met = deserves his company. neighbours said: your dad hardest working, honest scouser we ever met. i said: my dad told me how smart you are! how much sanding you do! but i'll be 40 before i listen!
never really said that but clearly i didn't listen either. messed around a bit. got a dead end job. got sacked. got a few more. got sacked. got in trouble. got smart. got my way out of trouble but easier if i listened to those three men as a kid though. this guy reminds me of my dad & neighbours.
This video shows a magnificent step up in your production values, from the wonderful outdoor introduction to the excellent and interesting camera work during the process. I particularly enjoyed the tracking time lapse shot and the 'moulds eye view' during the demoulding. You did a great job telling the story of the process, well done.
Kudos to our new (ish)videographer and editor Ben Wiles for that. He did all the drone/gimbal shots, as well as the studio videography and editing. He’ll appreciate your appreciation!
It is videos and channels like this that make composite manufacturing a lot more fun. I find this channel as being the best and most inspiring of them all. Paul's way of presenting tops it all off. Great job. Thank you for all the work you put in this videos! The Easy Composite as a whole is a great place to get all the required materials for composite works. 🔝
Really good video. However as an owner in the past of a boat with a balsa cores deck if the outer laminates get damaged you need to repair prompltly. A lot of racing yachts were built using balsa cores in the late 70s and 80s becasue of its strength but by the time our boat reached the age of 30 there was an awful lot of water trapped in the core in places.
wow, another fabulous video!! And great that the workshop is so close to the lake ;-) Question about the environmental impact of the fibre material: Can you comment on the total benefit of these natural materials? My assumption would have been, that for a standard part, the resin has a bigger impact than glass fibre.
Being a composite, both resin and fibre are relevant. Natural fibres are sustainably sourced and take less processing and energy to make a usable fibre compared to fibreglass or carbon. The bio resins replace petrochemical sourced parts with bio derived alternatives making the production more sustainable and with reduced energy usage during manufacture.
Thank you so much for sharing such a great video! You provided a really detailed step-by-step process with amazing production quality which is all much appreciated. Well done! 💚
¡¡¡I can translate this to Spanish and help you distribute it here in America and maybe Spain!!! Your channel has helped me to learn and I've been trying to work with the fibres, right now I'm building a motorcycle with a kevlar-carbon fibre weave, trying to apply what you show is. Sometimes, as I live in Venezuela and studying Law, it's been difficult for me to have the materials and all the tools but your teachings keep inspiring me and I keep doing!!! Thank you!!!!
Thanks guys! Your channel is one of the most informative ones! Bravo! I can't stop admiring your accuracy and consistency! Please keep on making various videos! It would be funny if you one day start revealing the secrets of Formula 1! 😉Thanks again and wish you all the best!👍👍👍🙏
Great content as always !!! I would suggest you to make series of "common mistakes done by beginners" (practical mistake examples) when making composite parts with each laminating method (hand laminating, infusion, prepreg etc.). Eg. I would like to see tested side by side, how good and bad vacuum infusion affects mechanical part properties.
Great video. This explains a great many things that are worth noting. Having spent the weekend struggling with flax and LB2, I think it is clear that this technique through vacuum forming makes a lot of sense (I need to watch the smaller section on aluminium again!).
Flax tends to expand when wet laid which increases thickness and resin soak up which can make it harder to laminate. Certainly a vacuum bag based process will limit that.
Wow! This video gave me enough reason to reconsider my next coming project! I love the slight translucent finish. I hope you can confirm, that the weight comparison with fiberglass is lighter. Is that really true? Wish to see more productvideo’s and product tutorials of these “more eco-friendly materials”. Ps could you show a quick video, on how translucent the finish of the canoe really is. Thanks
This video, and honestly all your videos, are absolutely brilliant. This one was just that much more. One question, Paul, regarding the FusionFix GP product. I imagine that getting this in the US will be a real challenge. We do have something _similar_ made by 3M, Hi-Tack 71 spray adhesive. Though its pretty expensive and its hard to find for the hobbyist. Can you offer your professional suggestion(s) for the use of normal 3M Super 77 spray adhesive or the _old standby,_ hairspray?? Obviously the latter won't be as good as a purpose built product, but for those of us who are trying to do some small and complex layups that need a helping hand, it would be nice to know what our options are. Thank you from the US!
3M77 has commonly been used for that purpose but care needs to be taken to avoid over application both due to cosmetic marring and also potentially slight reduction in strength of the part. We can ship Fusion Fix to most US destinations via FedEx although FedEx have quite a high "hazmat" surcharge which makes it expensive to ship smaller orders.
@@easycompositestv Thank you! I will look into it and if it is viable or can group with other order items to make shipping more bearable, I will certainly try it out.
Another advantage of end grain balsa, if it gets wet from a crack or a hole in the laminate, the water does not soak (and rot) through all the wood like it would if the grains were long
What an excellent presentation and project. Really great work by your team at Easy Composites. 👍 You've covered the high performance and low environmental impact composite options quite well but when you are approached by manufacturers looking to make composites at scale, where cost of materials must also be balanced, what kind of recommendations do you make in terms of materials and epoxy?
Hi Thomas, thanks for the feedback but the question is maybe a little too broad to answer helpfully. The nature of composites means that the details of a project matter a lot and might change our recommendations significantly. If you’ve got anything specific in mind, even if it’s just something you’re pondering, drop us a message; we’ll try to help 😀.
The professionalism and depth of knowledge showcased in this video are truly refreshing. I'm particularly interested in learning more about the application of both loose and woven hemp bast fibers in conjunction with your epoxy. Could you share insights on scalable solutions and any testing that has been done? Looking forward to a deeper dive into these innovative materials!
First Lada was produced around 1970 and there are no composite panels on that car, nor were there any on following soviet era models to my knowledge. Possibly there were other soviet veichles where composite parts were used in. In general, possible benefits of such technological experiments in soviet union looked good only on paper and rarely reached the lives of common folk.
You guys are making some really incredible videos here. I've done composite work sporadically since I was a kid, but have been doing a lot of things wrong because there aren't really a lot of good sources for proper technique, and/or explaining when to use what fiber or epoxy, or how to use the vacuum bagging bits and bobs. I am somewhat curious what the margins look like on something like this canoe build? Obviously there's come capital wrapped up in the mould and tooling, but otherwise it seems like mostly consumables and time.
The material and resin cost depends on the size and layup of the specific canoe you build plus the consumable materials in the infusion as seen in the video.
I absolutely endorse to add 3% (or so) epoxidized castor oil in the resin part of the mixture. Back then I used Heloxy 505. It is a superior wetting agent for all sorts of natural fillers and fibers. Edit: we used Divac 2.2L dry sump pump (and a resin trap!!!) to keep the insides of the vacuum bag at 6 mbar for several hours, to remove the free water from the fillers/fibers. (with that heloxy additive and divac pump, that's how you will make a totally translucent glass fiber epoxy laminate)
This one required a single coat only. We do cover the coating process in more detail in some of our other tutorials. Check out the mouldless construction and skinning tutorials.
Do you mean clear coat lacquer or resin? In both cases sanding will work although care should be taken when sanding into resin to not sand into the fibres themselves as the cosmetic pattern will be lost.
@@easycompositestv im mostly intrested in taking an already finished carbon fiber part and refinishing it with something different but yes clear coat lacquer.
This was awesome and as soon as I find space to store it, I'm making one :) I just have one question: does the balsa core get fully infused with resin and if so, doesn't that cancel it's light weight?
No, the balsa is almost ‘closed cell’ in its behaviour and so its resin absorption is minimal. Resin fills the tiny gaps between the blocks and there is a small amount of resin permeation into the first 1mm or so of the balsa but that’s about it, so the core stays light.
Hemp fibres are slowly becoming available in matting formats. We have 2 non-woven hemp cloths here: www.easycomposites.co.uk/natural-fibre-reinforcements
Well, if you’re struggling to get good results using any of our products make sure you contact us, we’re happy and pleased to help you get successful results.
@@easycompositestvwell I haven’t ordered from you only because of the shipping costs. I am in the US, California. But the cost of shipping may be well worth the advice. I am struggling with what seems a very simple application for a product I am developing. I am trying to tame plywood warping with composites. I have had more success with aircraft parts I am fabricating. It is a great medium.
Huh, I guess you're not a Vampire, lol. I love your videos and this one's no different. Thank you for all the knowledge and can't wait to try one of these projects.
Quick question. Instead of applying the balsa core to the whole of the bottom, could you not have just gone down the keel like you did on the "lightweight" sample and then add balsa ribs to add stiffness?
With a bit of further experimentation it may well be possible to further reduce the balsa bottom in the way you suggest. Our experience of this canoe was that the balsa base helped with overall stiffness.
What a beautiful work!. if it's possible to create a canoe, I believe I could fix my carbon fiber paddle. it got 1.5 inch crack at the end of the blade and blade tip is broken off, hanging. What materials should I buy from Easy Composites to fix the paddle? many thanks
Best off emailing us some pictures of the damage to technical@easycomposites.com as there are a couple of different ways to repair depending on the damage.
Although these natural fibres can be wet laid, they tend to swell when not under vacuum which increases thickness and uses more resin. Vacuum based processes like infusion minimise this.
It’s a fair question, and one that we looked at in a bit more detail in the partner video which dives a bit deeper into the case for -and - against the environmental case for these sort of materials. The main thrust of the case against fibreglass is the amount of energy used in the production of the fibres, but as is always the case when evaluating overall environment benefits of a material, there’s a lot more to it than that!
Awesome! I wonder - are there any alternatives for chopped carbon (forged) with flex fibre? If one would simply cut uni directional flax fibre? I love your video on forged carbon parts straight out of 3d printed mould, would be awesome to have more eco-friendly alternative to that
Non woven mat is more commonly used as an alternative to a woven fibre but you could certainly experiment with chopping up UD fibres. I don't imagine it would have quite the same effect as the carbon fibres as flax doesn't reflect light in quite the same way.
God I adore this channel, and Paul is a really fantastic presenter. As I've said many times, it's hard to believe this content is free!
Thanks Alex, that's very kind of you. We've said it before too, but we really enjoy making this content and sharing our passion and it being freely available is a key part of that.
sit
@@easycompositestv Great Channel! do you guys make custom parts for purchase as well?
@@crossbreedperformance I'm afraid not sorry, we can certainly help with technical support and product selection but we don't make custom parts.
Ditto on remark Paul being a fantastic presenter.
Honestly, making this high quality of videos is a brilliant business strategy. In fields like this where it is hard to find good suppliers people often go with the first one that looks good, and man oh man you make it look good. I know multiple composite techs that all independently started following this channel and use your stuff for their own projects.
Thanks very much for this comment. It’s really nice to hear. When we’re out and about we do hear similar things from engineers, or uni techs/lecturers/students etc and it always reminds us how effective the combination of quality products supported by good training content can be.
I buy all my stuff from them because of these videos :D
I don't have a workshop or composite projects I'm planning. I have no reason to watch these tutorials, but I still compulsively watch them all.
Myself and some family members made a boat 10 years ago - it was a small pontoon boat with fiberglass pontoons, and each pontoon had a VERY similar construction to this albeit with fiberglass. However, at the time there was NO resources like this available to the public and we essentially had to figure out most of it ourselves, from mold making to layup and construction. We laid up each pontoon by hand, which would take us about 30 hours. Wetting out that much fiberglass by hand is MISERABLE. In some ways, I'm amazed how good of a job we did, but I can't even imagine how much easier it would have been had your content been available at the time.
All that to say, THANK YOU for making this content available and sharing what used to be very hard to learn, very specialized knowledge with the masses. This really make me want to try some new projects with the new information I now have. You have a gift for explaining this all in a very detailed yet easy to understand way and the production quality is excellent. Thanks again!!
Thanks for the comment, that’s really good to hear and thank you for the kind words on our content. Well done on getting stuck in, with your family, and figuring some of this out for yourselves those years ago… most people don’t!
Always with the most detailed perfectly sized explanations. The script writing is fantastic. The learning is also fantastic.
Thanks for your kind works. Glad to hear we're getting it right.
I have 10 years professional experience in aerospace composites but I still enjoy each of your videos like I was discovering a new craft 😅 and then I buy tools and tooling material from you at work because they're you great and so are you !
Dear EasyComposites, thank you for all of your videos but most importantly your high quality products that we use to produce carbon fiber products.
Serious stuff, amazing quality, fast shipping (we are in Italy)
Thank you!❤
Thank you, that means a lot. We're really pleased that you're enjoying the content but, of course, our main business is making and supplying high quality composite materials so it's great to hear that you like the products and service!
Your videos are awesome. Would love more explanation on core materials. Pros/cons of different material, when to use what, etc. 👍
Great suggestion!
Imagine trying this by yourself having no clue, you could spend a lot of time, effort and money for scrapping your tryouts and never succeed. Now that we have these vids we know how to, thanks EC for this super usefull content!
That's the idea - we want to share our own knowledge and experience so that customers (and non-customers) make the very best use and have the best possible experiences with composite materials.
Im a simple man. I see an easy composites upload, and watch immediately.
Haha, thank you. Glad you’re enjoying the content.
I know deep down this is an ad, but man what a fantastic one, it really shows pasion to your craft, kudos to you guys
Ridicously good production.
Kudos to everybody involved ☺
Damn I wanna see more Flax stuff. Looks so nice.
This channel and this presenter are just pure gold
Most of the time im watching this channel for motorsports composites etc. this time i watched purely for the joy of watching the editing and process 👌
Thanks, thanks interesting to hear. As it happens, our next series of videos will all be motorsports based so should be right ‘in your lane’ but we enjoy the production process too and so it’s nice to learn that it’s appreciated 😀.
My appreciation for this company is unrivaled. You guys sell amazing quality products at an amazing price, and follow it up with providing free education on entire composites processes. Unbelievable in the best way possible.
Wow, thanks a lot. That’s amazing feedback and tells us we’re still on the right track! Great to have your custom too, we appreciate it.
Simply the best educational channel on RUclips. I don't even work with composites and I watch every single video you guys do. Keep it up!
Thank you very much. That’s great to hear and we appreciate your support.
Great content as always.
Proud to say I made a award winning flax chair some 7-8 years ago.
Thank you - and great to hear you're making such high quality items with your knowledge!
I know, I always gush at your content and it is no different here. Your ability to succinctly summarize the technical contents, and process of making a structure are very inspiring.
Thanks a lot. I recognise your name and, we’ll, gush or not, appreciate the long term support and feedback 😀.
Before I started following your channel I thought the whole process was too difficult, now I not only have the confidence to try doing composites for my next project, but most importantly, I also learnt a lot in general about the whole process and tools. That knowledge is universal and speaks to Pauls' great presentation skills and that the company prioritizes these videos where knowledge is shared freely very valuable.
Glad we were able to help. With our videos we aim to pass on knowledge so people can do their own projects.
This channel has gone from strength to strength! Wonderful editing of a truly fascinating story. The things I learned from this seem almost incidental.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I keep discovering more of your videos and I appreciate every single one! Thanks for sharing all the knowledge
If I could pick a favorite Easy Composite video, this would be it.
I'm not sure if I can pick a favorite since I like so many of them so much.
Thanks for another fantastic video.
I cannot get enough of this content. Thanks Paul and the production team !
Thanks Logan, appreciated 😀.
WOW!! Years ago my dad was given a canoe by a neighbor who had no use for it anymore... It was big and had a nice wide beam, quite stable... But to big for him now that the kids left the nest. He gave it to my dad knowing that he took care of the cottages around the lake so that was the easiest way to get around. My dad left it at some house one day next to the shore and the following day it was gone!! Somebody nicked it!! If I could go back in time, get a mold of that canoe and make another one for my dad he would be over the moon!!
That being said, if you have an old canoe, or if you find one that's no longer sea?!?? lake-worthy, then you can just use that to make a mold and give that old boat a new life!! There's probably some hardware and seats and stuff that can be salvaged to the new build!!
I'm just happy to buy all my stuff from the best RUclips channel on composites 😊
Thanks pedgarage :)
Outstanding is an understatement buddy.
Your maturity, engineering and craftsmanship are a pure delight to watch.
God bless you.
Glad you enjoyed the video!
I see Paul from Easy Composites, I click thumbs up.
Make a cup of tea, watch, then scheme how I can finally try it myself.
Haha, thank you. Definitely go for it, it maybe don’t start with a 16’ canoe!
You guys really turned your passion into your job, I love it! It’s very inspiring to see both your amazing subject knowledge and how much you enjoy what you are doing. Inspirational! 👍
Thank you, yes, we’ve been pretty lucky to end up doing what we love, and scaling a business from that. I think that genuine passion comes through!
The unidirectional flax looks so good.
Yes we agree, it certainly has a very nice look to it.
The fact these videos are FREE is incredible thanks for putting this stuff out
It truly is our pleasure!
just realized why i watch this channel. i grew up an 80's kid, middle house, middle of the street. my neighbour on the right worked in formula one, my neighbour on the left had his own fibreglass business, made most of the cars on fairground rides and half of the enemies on dr who. i don't do anything like that but maybe i could have!
my dad said: willy next door = super clever mechanic works for williams, john works harder than any welshman i ever met = deserves his company. neighbours said: your dad hardest working, honest scouser we ever met. i said: my dad told me how smart you are! how much sanding you do! but i'll be 40 before i listen!
never really said that but clearly i didn't listen either. messed around a bit. got a dead end job. got sacked. got a few more. got sacked. got in trouble. got smart. got my way out of trouble but easier if i listened to those three men as a kid though. this guy reminds me of my dad & neighbours.
Unironically my favourite RUclips channel
typically excellent presentation - great job
This video shows a magnificent step up in your production values, from the wonderful outdoor introduction to the excellent and interesting camera work during the process. I particularly enjoyed the tracking time lapse shot and the 'moulds eye view' during the demoulding. You did a great job telling the story of the process, well done.
We really appreciate the comment/feedback - we've certainly come a long way since our very earliest videos over on our carbonmods channel!
You guys have contributed greatly towards my passion for composites. Thank you!
Great to hear!
Paul, you're inspiring! Thank you for sharing your passion with us.
Fabulously edited, too.
Kudos to our new (ish)videographer and editor Ben Wiles for that. He did all the drone/gimbal shots, as well as the studio videography and editing. He’ll appreciate your appreciation!
It is videos and channels like this that make composite manufacturing a lot more fun. I find this channel as being the best and most inspiring of them all. Paul's way of presenting tops it all off. Great job. Thank you for all the work you put in this videos!
The Easy Composite as a whole is a great place to get all the required materials for composite works. 🔝
Glad you enjoy our videos.
This channel fuels my composites ambitions. One of the best spots to learn! Nice work yet again :)
Thanks a lot, glad you’re enjoying it 😀.
I work with rocketry and one of the best flying rockets I've made is one from burlap (jute fiber) and epoxy resin.
Haha perfect opening, Paul is the man!!
Not just a youtube channel, but it's a great youtube channel.
Haha, thank you, we appreciate it!
Really good video. However as an owner in the past of a boat with a balsa cores deck if the outer laminates get damaged you need to repair prompltly. A lot of racing yachts were built using balsa cores in the late 70s and 80s becasue of its strength but by the time our boat reached the age of 30 there was an awful lot of water trapped in the core in places.
wow, another fabulous video!! And great that the workshop is so close to the lake ;-) Question about the environmental impact of the fibre material: Can you comment on the total benefit of these natural materials? My assumption would have been, that for a standard part, the resin has a bigger impact than glass fibre.
Being a composite, both resin and fibre are relevant. Natural fibres are sustainably sourced and take less processing and energy to make a usable fibre compared to fibreglass or carbon. The bio resins replace petrochemical sourced parts with bio derived alternatives making the production more sustainable and with reduced energy usage during manufacture.
Amazing video, and again an great project. Every video is a blast to watch and has a lot of good information in it. Keep up the good work guys.
Thanks. We will. Next videos will be back to motorsport; quite technical, hopefully interesting!
Thank you so much for sharing such a great video! You provided a really detailed step-by-step process with amazing production quality which is all much appreciated. Well done! 💚
Glad it was helpful!
¡¡¡I can translate this to Spanish and help you distribute it here in America and maybe Spain!!! Your channel has helped me to learn and I've been trying to work with the fibres, right now I'm building a motorcycle with a kevlar-carbon fibre weave, trying to apply what you show is. Sometimes, as I live in Venezuela and studying Law, it's been difficult for me to have the materials and all the tools but your teachings keep inspiring me and I keep doing!!! Thank you!!!!
Thanks guys! Your channel is one of the most informative ones! Bravo! I can't stop admiring your accuracy and consistency! Please keep on making various videos! It would be funny if you one day start revealing the secrets of Formula 1! 😉Thanks again and wish you all the best!👍👍👍🙏
Just wanted to say thanks for the channel, it's very well done, educational and inspiring. Cheers!
Glad to hear it, thanks for the feedback.
Nice shot of 5-10's, knew there was a reason I liked Paul 😂
Lovely work. it is always a pleasure to watch a master at work.
Great content as always !!! I would suggest you to make series of "common mistakes done by beginners" (practical mistake examples) when making composite parts with each laminating method (hand laminating, infusion, prepreg etc.).
Eg. I would like to see tested side by side, how good and bad vacuum infusion affects mechanical part properties.
Thanks for the suggestion. I’m sure we wouldn’t struggle to come up with some ideas for that!
@@easycompositestv Thank you ! Test eg. side by side how good and bad vacuum infusion affects mechanical part properties would be useful.
Nice work as always.
Thank you :)
@@easycompositestv No thanks required. Just keep up the excellent work! You are inspiring many a hobbyist as well as professionals.
Great video. This explains a great many things that are worth noting.
Having spent the weekend struggling with flax and LB2, I think it is clear that this technique through vacuum forming makes a lot of sense (I need to watch the smaller section on aluminium again!).
Flax tends to expand when wet laid which increases thickness and resin soak up which can make it harder to laminate. Certainly a vacuum bag based process will limit that.
Wow! This video gave me enough reason to reconsider my next coming project! I love the slight translucent finish. I hope you can confirm, that the weight comparison with fiberglass is lighter. Is that really true?
Wish to see more productvideo’s and product tutorials of these “more eco-friendly materials”.
Ps could you show a quick video, on how translucent the finish of the canoe really is.
Thanks
Depends on the construction but certainly on par or slightly lighter than a typical similar sized fibreglass canoe.
I love these videos, I've learned so much watching them.
Great videos guys, please keep them coming. With thanks.
I dream of being able to build something like that. Thank you for the guide
I want that mold for a weekend. That’s the boat I want to build
Thanks for your wonderful videos, I always look forward to your new videos as you release them!!
You’re welcome, glad you like them.
This video, and honestly all your videos, are absolutely brilliant. This one was just that much more. One question, Paul, regarding the FusionFix GP product. I imagine that getting this in the US will be a real challenge. We do have something _similar_ made by 3M, Hi-Tack 71 spray adhesive. Though its pretty expensive and its hard to find for the hobbyist. Can you offer your professional suggestion(s) for the use of normal 3M Super 77 spray adhesive or the _old standby,_ hairspray?? Obviously the latter won't be as good as a purpose built product, but for those of us who are trying to do some small and complex layups that need a helping hand, it would be nice to know what our options are.
Thank you from the US!
3M77 has commonly been used for that purpose but care needs to be taken to avoid over application both due to cosmetic marring and also potentially slight reduction in strength of the part. We can ship Fusion Fix to most US destinations via FedEx although FedEx have quite a high "hazmat" surcharge which makes it expensive to ship smaller orders.
@@easycompositestv Thank you! I will look into it and if it is viable or can group with other order items to make shipping more bearable, I will certainly try it out.
Il est magnifique ton bateau ❤
Merci beaucoup! Nous l'aimons aussi :)
Another advantage of end grain balsa, if it gets wet from a crack or a hole in the laminate, the water does not soak (and rot) through all the wood like it would if the grains were long
What an excellent presentation and project. Really great work by your team at Easy Composites. 👍
You've covered the high performance and low environmental impact composite options quite well but when you are approached by manufacturers looking to make composites at scale, where cost of materials must also be balanced, what kind of recommendations do you make in terms of materials and epoxy?
Hi Thomas, thanks for the feedback but the question is maybe a little too broad to answer helpfully. The nature of composites means that the details of a project matter a lot and might change our recommendations significantly. If you’ve got anything specific in mind, even if it’s just something you’re pondering, drop us a message; we’ll try to help 😀.
hello,as usual your videos are amazing,thankyou
okay now this is cool, great job as always!
Exceptional video again! Thank you!
The professionalism and depth of knowledge showcased in this video are truly refreshing. I'm particularly interested in learning more about the application of both loose and woven hemp bast fibers in conjunction with your epoxy. Could you share insights on scalable solutions and any testing that has been done? Looking forward to a deeper dive into these innovative materials!
Thanks for the feedback Brandon and thanks for watching. I think we've replied to your email on this subject.
I read / saw somewhere that the Soviets used a wool / baker light phenolic resin composite to make Lada car panels in the 1950’s.
First Lada was produced around 1970 and there are no composite panels on that car, nor were there any on following soviet era models to my knowledge. Possibly there were other soviet veichles where composite parts were used in.
In general, possible benefits of such technological experiments in soviet union looked good only on paper and rarely reached the lives of common folk.
You guys are making some really incredible videos here. I've done composite work sporadically since I was a kid, but have been doing a lot of things wrong because there aren't really a lot of good sources for proper technique, and/or explaining when to use what fiber or epoxy, or how to use the vacuum bagging bits and bobs. I am somewhat curious what the margins look like on something like this canoe build? Obviously there's come capital wrapped up in the mould and tooling, but otherwise it seems like mostly consumables and time.
The material and resin cost depends on the size and layup of the specific canoe you build plus the consumable materials in the infusion as seen in the video.
You had me at indoor outdoor wipe cut...
Missed you so much
I absolutely endorse to add 3% (or so) epoxidized castor oil in the resin part of the mixture.
Back then I used Heloxy 505. It is a superior wetting agent for all sorts of natural fillers and fibers.
Edit: we used Divac 2.2L dry sump pump (and a resin trap!!!) to keep the insides of the vacuum bag at 6 mbar for several hours, to remove the free water from the fillers/fibers.
(with that heloxy additive and divac pump, that's how you will make a totally translucent glass fiber epoxy laminate)
Hopefully there can be a breakthrough in making composite boats using fiber from jute sacks...
Will you do a full video on the resin coating process? I'd love to see more detail an information. Did you apply more than one coat?
This one required a single coat only. We do cover the coating process in more detail in some of our other tutorials. Check out the mouldless construction and skinning tutorials.
I'll check them out. Thank you.@@easycompositestv
Truly impressive build of a great looking canoe.
I'm curious as to how hemp fiber would compare to flax fiber for this type of use.
Certainly hemp fibre has very similar properties in many ways so no specific reason why you could not make a similar Canoe using hemp based fibres.
That's a good looking canoe
excellent editing
Thank you
Wonderful work.
What an awesome idea with the Kanu
Outstanding content 👍
this materials are impressive!
do you think you can make a video on how to strip clear from carbon fiber parts?
Do you mean clear coat lacquer or resin? In both cases sanding will work although care should be taken when sanding into resin to not sand into the fibres themselves as the cosmetic pattern will be lost.
@@easycompositestv im mostly intrested in taking an already finished carbon fiber part and refinishing it with something different but yes clear coat lacquer.
Super well informed video Thank you
It would be cool to do a Murray river flat bottom Tinny.
Half sled and half hull that’s stronger that welded aluminium.
This was awesome and as soon as I find space to store it, I'm making one :) I just have one question: does the balsa core get fully infused with resin and if so, doesn't that cancel it's light weight?
No, the balsa is almost ‘closed cell’ in its behaviour and so its resin absorption is minimal. Resin fills the tiny gaps between the blocks and there is a small amount of resin permeation into the first 1mm or so of the balsa but that’s about it, so the core stays light.
1:02
That transition
Yes, I think videographer Ben had some fun with that one!
Hemp would be an interesting fibre to try. Structurally hemp is very strong, like rope. Is there processed product out there?
Hemp fibres are slowly becoming available in matting formats. We have 2 non-woven hemp cloths here: www.easycomposites.co.uk/natural-fibre-reinforcements
Your videos and your work are so good! I really appreciate what you are doing and sharing. You make it look so easy, but it sure isn’t for me.
Well, if you’re struggling to get good results using any of our products make sure you contact us, we’re happy and pleased to help you get successful results.
@@easycompositestvwell I haven’t ordered from you only because of the shipping costs. I am in the US, California. But the cost of shipping may be well worth the advice. I am struggling with what seems a very simple application for a product I am developing. I am trying to tame plywood warping with composites. I have had more success with aircraft parts I am fabricating. It is a great medium.
@@applegatearts It would be a great help to those of us in the US if Easy Composites would get a domestic warehouse.
Did you make that snowboard?? Any tutorial videos for that? 😀
That particular board is a veneer of flax over the surface. In terms of making one from scratch, It might be a topic we cover some time in the future.
Huh, I guess you're not a Vampire, lol. I love your videos and this one's no different. Thank you for all the knowledge and can't wait to try one of these projects.
Quick question. Instead of applying the balsa core to the whole of the bottom, could you not have just gone down the keel like you did on the "lightweight" sample and then add balsa ribs to add stiffness?
With a bit of further experimentation it may well be possible to further reduce the balsa bottom in the way you suggest. Our experience of this canoe was that the balsa base helped with overall stiffness.
Wow! I'll definitely be using this instead of glass fiber in future projects!
Glad to hear that it's got you inspired! Get in touch with our technical team if you have any questions on using it for your projects.
What a beautiful work!. if it's possible to create a canoe, I believe I could fix my carbon fiber paddle. it got 1.5 inch crack at the end of the blade and blade tip is broken off, hanging. What materials should I buy from Easy Composites to fix the paddle? many thanks
Best off emailing us some pictures of the damage to technical@easycomposites.com as there are a couple of different ways to repair depending on the damage.
We can certainly have a look at it for you. If you can send some photos of the damage across to our inbox our technical team will be able to advise.
Very usefull info. Thanks a lot.
Very inspirational.
Interesting! Q: Is it viable to save on cost and use wet lamination instead of prepreg for a project that requires making long tubular shape?
Although these natural fibres can be wet laid, they tend to swell when not under vacuum which increases thickness and uses more resin. Vacuum based processes like infusion minimise this.
Very cool. But what is unsustainable about fiberglass?
It’s a fair question, and one that we looked at in a bit more detail in the partner video which dives a bit deeper into the case for -and - against the environmental case for these sort of materials. The main thrust of the case against fibreglass is the amount of energy used in the production of the fibres, but as is always the case when evaluating overall environment benefits of a material, there’s a lot more to it than that!
Awesome!
I wonder - are there any alternatives for chopped carbon (forged) with flex fibre?
If one would simply cut uni directional flax fibre? I love your video on forged carbon parts straight out of 3d printed mould, would be awesome to have more eco-friendly alternative to that
Non woven mat is more commonly used as an alternative to a woven fibre but you could certainly experiment with chopping up UD fibres. I don't imagine it would have quite the same effect as the carbon fibres as flax doesn't reflect light in quite the same way.
@@easycompositestv great answer, thanks.