Discolouring carbon fiber can anyone help please

[merc estate]

Hi i have a white carbon fiber bike frame its about 3 years old well looked after only used once a week and then covered with a blanket to protect in garage, but it turning off white (slight yellowing) could this be the laqure on top of the paint or???? can anyone help with any ideas maybe a polish or something i could try to bring it back with???. Yes it is better driving my merc but a bit of hard work makes the car even nicer, and i know someone here will know what to do, Thanks in advance.

 

[cliveBRABUS]

UV light discolours the epoxy resin in the layup of the carbon and will yellow in time,
white is the worst culprit

 

[Spinal]

Is the carbon painted white? In which case either the paint, or the lacquer above it is discoloured by the UV light. A repaint would be needed.

 

[mikec32]

It most likey the resin through the cf. A wool pad on a rotary and a good compound like menzerna 400 should get it back to its former glory. If you could show me some pics I could diagnose appropriately.

Cheers Mike

 

[merc estate]

Hi, Yes the carbon is painted white and then lacquered you cannot see the carbon. I have tried to take photos but because of flash and the white it does not show up it shows all white (dam it) i like the sound of the wool pad on a rotary but i have no rotary machine only my hands, do you think some fine t cut on some mutton cloth may help without doing any damage i don't want to cut through the laqer and then maybe use g techniq to seal it? This might sound mad but it could it be because it is covered all the time in the garage? The company i bought it from told me to take it back to a shop that sells that bike to look at it but i have shoes older than most of them working in there, so i am trying to get the info first and if they would exchange it there is none i like as much as mine which they don't do anymore (maybe because colour change) so i would like to sort this and keep it, thanks again for you help.

 

[mikec32]

Ah I see! If it's painted and lacquered surface over CF, then treat it like paint. The only problem is you need a special positest to measure the depth of paint lacquer and cf as standard ones send a signal a little like a dolphin using the metal underneath to bounce back on. Also cf generates heat differently to metal surfaces which will determine the rate of paint correction. But either way it should be ok to fix as long as you can't see cf or the resin hasn't gone brittle with age. Either way you need a machine to get the job done properly. Now I know the composite you need a d.a. Polisher with a microfibre cutting pad and menzerna 400. That way you've got lots of cut on a machine that generates little heat and the added perk of it being easy to use. Especially if you have never used a rotary. By hand just won't cut the cloth especially as it sounds like UV damage. If you need more info don't gestate to ask

Cheers Mike