Below is the new release layer being removed from the test joint prior to laying the carbon fiber.
After a standard bagging and baking process this is the result "out of the oven". It took only seconds to unwrap the test joint. Previously, using release cloth, this was a time consuming process.
Below on the left is the bare sanded tube I used for the test joint. On the right there are 5 layers of uni-directional carbon. It almost looks transparent in the photo but it's actually the texture of the tube itself duplicated in the new release layer process.
On one half of the joint I experimented with allowing resin overflow through small holes in the release layer. Not sure it was worth the extra effort, not much resin flowed out into the breather layer. I's also difficult to remove the little epoxy nubs cleanly.
Up next should be a new road frame using this process for the tube joining.
