djk9

Has anyone had any luck using dyes with kevlar epoxy to have a color other than yellow? We tried mixing some pigments from an online composite store with the epoxy on some test strips but the black just turned a nasty dark green and the white ended up as just a lighter shade of yellow. Is there anything out there that works or is covering with a layer of FG with dyed epoxy the only option?

davidfee

Paint is the best option if you want high opacity. Pigments and dyes within the resin matrix will have a hard time hiding the strong yellow color. Aramid does come in other colors these days, for instance red, blue and orange in addition to the normal yellow. If the part will be exposed to sunlight for extended periods then you will want to paint it white anyway to block the UV which will degrade the aramid.

-David

djk9

David,

Thanks for the tip. Do you know any specific vendors who carry aramid fibers that aren't yellow. We tried looking around for someone that carried another color but everywhere we looked and everyone we talked to said that yellow is that only option. Also if we paint the Kevlar does it work best to do it in the mold or should we wait until it is cured to paint?

John Murdoch

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Opps.

daven

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If you are using a mold, I would definately paint the mold prior to laying up the part.

davidfee

Honestly, the only place I know I've seen aramid in the colors I mentioned is in carbon/aramid hybrid fabrics. They color it for cosmetic purposes only... it looks cool.

I'd paint the mold if you can get it to work... the paint ends up sticking much better than if you paint the finished part after pulling it from the mold.

-David

djk9

We have found some of the kevlar carbon meshes but we can't use them because the carbon is too electrically conductive. I emailed one supplier of some of those meshes, however, to see if they are able to supply just kevlar cloth with some of those same colors because they are really cool looking. Hopefully they can come through for me.

SCALECRAFT

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Try a search for US composites.