The comprehensive guide to clear coat techniques for carbon fiber

How much weight does it add on? 3 coats over my crankset added 0.3g of weight. There was a net loss of
weight from sanding down the original coat instead. The weight loss was slightly more for removing the
Campy decals. I gained slightly below 2g for sealing a pair of stickers onto a fork. A proper clear coat job will
NT affect yo!r b!ild"s weight significantly.
Carbon fiber is like yo!r facial comple#ion $ yo! don"t worry abo!t pimples when yo! eat chocolate right%
&imilarly' there"s nothing to worry abo!t a gash across yo!r ()))) frame. I can fi# that in 3 min!tes. This
g!ide covers the more essential steps' which sho!ld give the average rider the confidence to !se his*her
carbon fiber parts for a daily ride.
I ass!me that yo! know how to clean !p yo!r bike parts' degrease whatever... If yo!"ve wa#ed the parts' yo!
can remove the wa# with detailing clay. I also ass!me that yo! have some imagination... meaning yo! know
how to avoid giving yo!r ho!se a clear coat in the process' and how to leave yo!r parts in a s!itable position
for the clear coat to dry. +ere"s what else yo! need for that proper clear coat job.
MATERIAL
,. Aerosol clear coat -(3..0/0 I recommend !ippon "#lo$' which has a range of finishes -clear' gloss'
matt' anodi1ed.../. Anything acrylic$based that specifies all$s!rface applications for motorcycles'
a!tomobiles etc. will be fine.
2. "aint mar%er -(,.20/0 An all$s!rface paint marker for optional to!ch$!ps. I !sed a uni Mitsubishi
paint marker.
3. &uffing'rubbing compound( polishing compound( scratch remover-(2.30' (2.30' ().00/0 These
have m!ltiple !ses' and most of all' will be yo!r best friends in a repair 4ob5 I find myself !sing them
half of the time. The r!bbing compo!nd is coarser than the polishing compo!nd. Turtle )a$ has
both compo!nds. I saw a few val!e packages on Ama1on which come with the microfiber cloth. If
yo! are especially partic!lar' yo! can follow$!p the polishing compo!nd with a scratch remover' e.g.
*M scratch remover' for finer work.
2. )hite shoe polish'cream -(3.00/0 This helps to pick o!t scratch marks.
3. anding bloc% -(6.00/+ 7akes yo!r work comfortable most of all' and helps yo! sand the s!rface
evenly A *M r!bber sanding block can be bo!ght from any hardware store' sometimes in disco!nt
packages with sandpaper. Alternatively' a block of wood' or the shoe polish casing can work as a
sanding block.
6. andpaper -(0.20*sheet/0 Any silicon carbide' waterproof sandpaper will work. I recommend 6 grits0
choose five types of grits ranging between ,00 to ,300' and one at 2000 or above -the latter might
be tricky to find $ try car hardware shops/. I !se ,20' 200' 600' ,000' ,300' 2000 grit sandpaper.
.. Lint,free cloth -(2.,0*pc/0 Any fabric that doesn"t leave behind fl!ff when yo! wipe a s!rface.
Microfiber cloths are the best' and easiest to find at any hardware or a!tomobile 8I9 store. :et at
least 2 -dry' "wet"/. ;ven get a few e#tras -for the b!ffing*polishing compo!nds/. 7icrofiber sponge
pads are even better for comfortable hand b!ffing*polishing. 8on"t !se tiss!e.
<. Alcohol swabs -(2.60*,00 pcs/0 These are helpf!l for removing small specks of d!st and
degreasing little patches of oil films' e.g. finger prints. Available at pharmacies. The alcohol dries on
its own' making it very convenient. 9o! co!ld also !se a bottle of cleaning alcohol and cloth. 8o not
!se these as s!bstit!tes for degreasing.
). Moisture,resistant stationer# tape -(2.30/0 A thick roll of masking tape which can be torn by hand.
=referably something which has color contrast from what yo!"re clear coating -e.g. white/ so yo! can
see any missing gaps in yo!r protection. This is !sed to protect s!rfaces on yo!r parts which yo! do
not intend to clear coat. &cotch tape is not recommended.
,0. "lastic cling wrap -(2.00/0 >or larger items like yo!r frameset from !nwanted clear coat' it is rather
tro!blesome for yo! to wrap the whole thing in stationery tape. ?ess recommended' kitchen towels
-held by stationery tape/ also work.
,,. Test pen -(2.,0/0 A test pen is very !sef!l for helping yo! to s@!ee1e the tape into crevices' slots
etc. that yo!r fingers can"t' e.g. on yo!r deraille!r' brake levers etc. ;lectrical hardware stores have
these. "hilips makes high @!ality test pens if yo! want it as an investment. Aewellers" screwdrivers
are a s!itable alternative.
,2. Hairdr#er -costs as m!ch as yo!r girlfriend*wife"s pride/0 ;#tremely !sef!l for smoothing the clear
coat as it is drying and mitigating b!bble formation !nder the s!rface.
,3. -ar wa$ -(,3.00/0 7akes yo!r carbon fiber sparkle. 7ore importantly' it c!ts down on f!t!re
maintenance -repels dirt and sweat for easy washes5 and protects the clear coat from scratches/. If
yo! can afford e#tra money' I recommend Autogl#m uper Resin "olish followed by Autogl#m
E$tra .loss "rotection.
,2. "olishing wheel'rotar# polisher0 Act!ally' if yo! have one of these' yo! probably don"t need this
g!ide. Besides making short work of yo!r polishing' this can be !sed to remove damages that do not
go deeper than the clear coat. If yo! intend to b!y this' I recommend that yo! invest in a /remel with
a low speed selection' followed by the cloth b!ffing wheel.
And... time0 This is often !nderstated b!t watching clear coat dry !p is a boring 4ob' and there are often
necessary to!ch$!ps that yo! won"t notice !ntil the ne#t morning. 8on"t r!sh yo!r work with the e#pectation
of finishing it in one day.
Items , to <
Items ) to ,2

Alwa#s wet sand+ soak yo!r sandpaper thoro!ghly in water for , min!te before !sing5 rinse yo!r sandpaper
fre@!ently5 there are many advantages to this. There"s one e#ception to wet sanding' where I !se the r!bbing
compo!nd as the b!ffer medi!m instead -covered below/.
I0 "RA1I!. A !E) -LEAR -2AT
This is a basic process which will be !sed in con4!nction with nearly all of the clear coat techni@!es covered
below. I personally try my best not to spray a new clear coat' b!t being prepared to do so is integral to any
8I9 work on carbon fiber.
!ecessar#+ aerosol clear coat' lint$free cloth' moist!re$resistant stationery tape
2ptional+ alcohol swabs' test pen' hairdryer' sandpaper' r!bbingCpolishing compo!nd' car wa#
,. Tape*cling wrap the piece where yo! do not want the coat. Clean s!rface with cloth or swabs.
2. &hake the can. +old 20$30cm -, foot/ away from the target. 8epress the lever firmly -I"m s!ggesting
thin coats' b!t we do this by limiting the n!mber of passes rather than limiting the press!re that
yo!"re applying/. &pray 3 passes over the target. Avoid build,up of clear coat0 everal thin la#ers
of clear coat is better than a thic% la#er0 Telltale sign is that it"s very misty white !nder the clear
coat $ the clear coat is c!ring faster on the s!rface than below' so the clear coat below is evaporating
and condensing onto the c!red s!rface. 8on"t worry if yo! notice this happening $ 4!st stop spraying
and let it dry.
3. -ptional/ Immediately apply hairdryer with slow' low heat setting over the target5 in passes' over 30
seconds.
2. Allow the coat to dry for ,0 min!tes. Check for any big specks of d!st that has landed on the coat
inbetween' and remove lightly with cloth.
3. Depeat steps 2$2 !ntil desired finish. I think 2 coats is the ma#im!m I"ve ever needed.
6. ?et the coat dry f!lly' for at least an ho!r. 8epending on the thickness' temperat!re etc. it will take
different amo!nts of time. 7y crankset and fork took abo!t 2 ho!rs. The clear coat is "to!ch$dry" after
,0 min!tes' meaning yo! can safely to!ch the clear coat and lift yo!r finger witho!t peeling off the
coat. +owever' it will still be soft to the to!ch. ?ightly prod the coat occasionally. nce yo!"re feeling
more confident' r!n yo!r hand over lightly. Ehat yo! want is the coat to feel as hard as the original
clear coat before yo! proceed.
.. Inspect. There are 2 ro!tes yo! can choose from here. 3"roceed to 45 The clear coat is too thin'
needing a repeat of steps 2$2. 3"roceed to 65 9o! need to remove at least some parts of the clear
coat beca!se of mistakes. 3"roceed to 75 The clear coat is ro!gh' or has some ro!gh transition to a
s!rface where yo! left the original clear coat' hence needing some polishing. 3"roceed to 895 It
looks good.
<. -ptional/ Demove mistakes. 8on"t worry if yo! make a mistake5 wet sand in increasing grit !ntil at
least ,300' then rinse' dry with lint$free cloth and restart step 2. If it"s a small flaw' e.g. yo!
accidentally sprayed a thin amo!nt of clear coat past the tape*cling wrap' or onto somewhere where
it"s !nwanted' see step ) for sol!tion.
). -ptional/ =olish. Eet sand with 2000 grit or higher grit sand paper to even o!t the clear coat.
Dinse' then dry with lint$free cloth. Apply b!ffing compo!nd onto s!rface' and polish in swirls $ if yo!
have a polishing wheel' here"s where yo! !se it' then*otherwise follow !p with hand b!ffing with a
lint$free cloth. Dinse with water. Apply polishing compo!nd onto s!rface' and polish in swirls with a
fresh cloth -don"t !se the one for yo!r b!ffing compo!nd/. Dinse and repeat with scratch remover if
yo! are !sing it.
,0. -ptional/ Ea#. &ee instr!ctions on yo!r choice of a!tomobile wa#.
tep 80 8& crankarm after repair. Compare with coated crankarm.
-?ightning"s original clear coat is crap. It cracked off where I removed the factory stickers' and I needed to
repair it. In the process' I decided to strip most of the clear coat as it was thick and heavy./
tep :0 7irror$like finish after final layer of clear coat. Also notice how I taped the chainring holes' and !sed
a test pen to s@!ee1e tape into the Allen insert.
tep 6+ I picked o!t some flaws -made clearer with shoe polish here/ and sanded them away with dry
sandpaper and some b!ffing compo!nd. -&ee section on "-LEAR -2AT RE"AIR" for more details./
Note0 Fse yo!r discretion for where yo! need to sand. 7ost parts of yo!r clear coat sho!ld only need b!ffing.
If yo!"re really bad with spraying a clear coat' yo!"ll probably have more areas needing sanding. These areas
either have clear' nearly white spots' or feel like the s!rface of an orange -as in' the fr!it/.
tep 7+ +ere' I"ve labeled some areas on this rear deraille!r which have a clear distinction for parts re@!iring
both sanding and b!ffing -red/ and parts only re@!iring b!ffing -green/ after inspection.
tep 7+ &moothening the clear coat in swirls with polishing compo!nd and b!ffing pad.
;inal product+ Notice that the clear coat is thinner now than in step .' making the weaves more o!tstanding.
A thick coat is also more prone to deep' !gly scratches.
II0 EALI!. A TI-<ER ' "R2TE-TI!. A "AI!T =2&
This is recommended when yo! want to protect a sticker from peeling or fading' especially if it"s a critical part
of yo!r bike"s overall appearance or simply beca!se yo! like the sticker' or can"t bear to part with it beca!se
yo! paid (,000 for that pathetic decal 4ob that really sho!ldn"t be the case.
!ecessar#+ aerosol clear coat' lint$free cloth' moist!re$resistant stationery tape
2ptional+ alcohol swabs' test pen' hairdryer' sandpaper' r!bbingCpolishing compo!nd' car wa#
>ollow the standard proced!re for &=DA9IN: A N;E C?;AD CAT. A!st avoid polishing over the decal
with sandpaper. nly !se a few passes of b!ffing compo!nd' and mostly polishing compo!nd at this area.
8o NT wipe the decals with alcohol swabs. I can"t say for all decals' b!t AG stickers aren"t resistant to
alcohol. Fse a microfiber cloth instead to remove d!st' especially off the edges where it collects. A finer
microfiber cloth like lens cleaning cloth -for spectacles' s!nglasses etc./ is best here.
Lens cleaning cloth0 Eipe yo!r decals" edges with a finer microfiber cloth.
tep 80 >rame wrapped in kitchen towels and stationery tape.
-Notice the d!st collected on the sticker at the edgesH It will start to peel at this rate./
I fo!nd it easier to "seal" the stickers by giving them ) passes -3 passes over each0 the top and bottom
edges' and directly over sticker/. Instead of passing over the edges at )0 degrees' aim at aro!nd 30 degrees
from the plane of the sticker edge as yo!"re passing over them' so that yo! are sealing the edges directly.
;inal product+ After rinsing off the polishing compo!nd' the sticker looks almost like a permanent paint 4ob.
I didn"t apply a very thick coat $ yo! can still feel the edges of the sticker by to!ch' b!t the edges are nearly
seamless to the naked eye' and most of all' it won"t peel !nder water' dirt' grease' scr!bbing etc.
II0 -LEAR -2AT RE"AIR
Assess the damage. +ow do yo! tell that a scratch is "shallow"0 if it"s not as deep as something that will
re@!ire a plaster or stitches if it was on yo!r flesh -e.g. yo!r shoe r!bbing against yo!r crankset constantly'
road debris scratches on yo!r C> front brake*frame*rims/. &ome scratches are act!ally stainsH 9o!r brake
lever scrapping a painted wall may leave a "scratch" which is really a softer paint than yo!r lever"s clear coat
being deposited onto yo!r lever. It"s easy to tell if this is the case5 and yo! can scrape the "scratch" lightly with
a test pen to ens!re if it is.
If it"s only a stain' sc!ff mark or shallow scratches' yo! can most likely repair it with some polishing !sing
b!ffing and polishing compo!nds -read step )/. This is easier than applying a new clear coat.
&addle scratches*sc!ffs are very shallow and can be easily removed by hand$b!ffing with both compo!nds.
This saddle was also wa#ed with A!togylm ;#tra :loss =rotection previo!sly' so the scratches inc!rred
weren"t too bad.
8eeper damage to the clear coat' e.g. deep scratches or b!bble pits -when there"s air trapped !nder the
s!rface and the part is c!ring !nder press!re/ can be hard to spot with the naked eye. If yo!"re wet sanding'
it"s a tro!blesome feedback process of making s!re that yo!"ve removed the scratch before yo! start to
patch !p*polish the s!rface. Instead of wet sanding' I have a trick for this... &pread some b!ffing compo!nd
or shoe polish -cream color/ over the flaw' and gently wipe the e#cess. The incision is now clearly marked in
white. The b!ffing compo!nd is very st!bborn to removal' and will only disappear when yo!"ve sanded away
the whole incision. Apply some b!ffing compo!nd on yo!r sandpaper' which will act like water $ so yo!r clear
coat won"t be very ro!gh by the time yo!"re removing the incision. ;nd yo!r sanding with at least ,300 grit
sandpaper. After sanding' the blemish sho!ld be relatively even with its s!rro!ndings. Dinse' then dry with
lint$free cloth.
Ehen yo!"re done with sanding' and yo! can feel the fiber weaves of the cosmetic layer by to!ch' it means
that yo! need a new clear coat. >ollow the instr!ctions for &=DA9IN: A N;E C?;AD CAT -pict!re on top
right/ Then sand and polish again. I notice that the carbon fiber will look grey and !gly after clear coating if
yo! left the s!rface ro!gh before applying the clear coat. +ence' don"t end with a high grit. +aving a
smoother s!rface also makes yo!r clear coat more consistent' re@!iring less polishing at the end.
A common man!fact!rer flaw' b!bble "pits" on the s!rface are deeper and can be spotted with r!bbing
compo!nd or shoe polish.
This techni@!e -sanding with b!ffing compo!nd/ is very fast' and leaves only gentle sanding marks that can
be b!ffed away with a sponge and some compo!nd. +ere"s a repeat of this trick' with a scratch on the frame
as demonstration. In this case' the clear coat was thick eno!gh that I didn"t need to apply a new coat.
There"s a kink and a scratch here -indicated with red arrows/' pretty common if yo! lean yo!r frame against a
wall or something.
As we begin sanding with b!ffing compo!nd' the b!ffing compo!nd sinks into the kink and scratch @!ite
clearly.

9o! can contin!e sanding !ntil the b!ffing compo!nd that sank into the flaws cannot be observed anymore'
as seen here. >ollow !p with hand$b!ffing then polishing compo!nd' rinsing inbetween.
!ote+ I also had the traditional AG$lightness seatpost problem where the seatpost"s clear coat was too thick
for insertion' b!t it still looked brand new after some removal work -sanding $I b!ffing $I polishing/. 7ost
people miss the b!ffing*polishing part' so they have a matt$and$gloss bo!ndary which looks !gly $ I know yo!
g!ys... yo! try to p!sh all of the matt !nder the seat clamp so that no one sees it right% I !sed to do that...
8on"t worry' there"s eno!gh clear coat there to regain a gloss s!rface witho!t needing to apply a new clear
coat.
&ee also for pro4ects by other weightweenies.
II0 REM2>I!. /E-AL ?!/ER -LEAR -2AT
This is typically done when the original decals spoil yo!r color scheme' or 4!st look like crap -e.g.
Campagnolo levers' rear deraille!rs/.
!ecessar#+ sandpaper
,. Eet sand the s!rface over the decals with the coarsest grid sandpaper. Dinse fre@!ently. -I fo!nd
Campy decals really diffic!lt to reach. I advise !sing a hand file' if yo! have one' for this step. I had
a hard time !sing 220' so maybe lower than that will also work./ Immediately stop when yo! see the
decals starting to fade.
2. Demove remaining of decals completely by wet sanding with the the ne#t lowest grit sandpaper.
3. Contin!e wet sanding' increasing the grit of the sandpaper !ntil yo! reach yo!r highest grit -at least
,300/. D!n yo!r hand across the s!rface to ens!re that it is fairly smooth. >or smaller items' e.g.
levers' sand across the entire s!rface' even those areas not marred by the decals. This keeps the
clear coat thickness as consistent as possible' giving yo!r part the best appearance at the final
stage.
2. Ehat remains is essentially the spraying of a new clear coat. =roceed to &=DA9IN: A N;E C?;AD
CAT -read above for instr!ctions/.
tep 8+ The original levers and the levers while hand filing at a toilet sink.
tep *0 The levers after some final ,300 grit sanding and prep$cleaning.
tep *0 A look at the grips" ro!gh s!rfaces where I dremelled*sanded.
-;rgopower levers waste abo!t 20g for the hoods" mo!nting notches.
By doing away with traditional hoods entirely' I co!ld remove these./
tep @0 The levers after the first layer of clear coat.
tep @+ This case ill!strates a clear coat which needs polishing. -left pict!re/ Notice the ro!gh layer along the
sides of the lever blades $ this part has the te#t!re of orange peel. &ome b!ffing compo!nd will do the 4ob.
-right pict!re/
III0 THE MAR<ER TRI-<
There are little bits of silver on the ;rgopower levers' or most other components which have a base black
color. This doesn"t look good... It"s common to to!ch these !p with a permanent marker' or a transparency
marker -might have a p!rplish tint/. +owever' these to!ch$!ps wear off easily. The trick is to give these
to!ch$!ps a clear coat. A paint marker also looks best' and won"t give yo! the p!rplish tint.
!ecessar#+ paint marker' aerosol clear coat
,. I like to start by giving the metallic s!rface a base clear coat to prep the s!rface so that it"s smooth.
=roceed to &=DA9IN: A N;E C?;AD CAT -read above for instr!ctions/. Be s!re to tape !p the
other areas to protect them from the spray. 9o! don"t have to refine the base clear coat with
sanding*b!ffing.
2. Apply the paint marker on the base clear coat. Allow to dry and ens!re there are no e#posed
patches.
3. :ive the to!ch$!ps at least two more light clear coats to seal the color in. =roceed to &=DA9IN: A
N;E C?;AD CAT -read above for instr!ctions/. Between the coats' ens!re that yo!r marker has
covered the entire s!rface $ if somehow yo! missed some small part' yo! can still patch it !p over
light clear coats. A!st make s!re there"s clear coat over the marker to!ch$!ps at the very end. 9o!
can do some very b!ffing*polishing to smoothen the final s!rface.
tep 4+ =atiently shade the contrasting bits with a paint marker.
-Areas indicated with red arrows./
I>0 12?R 2)! EM&2E/ L2.2
If yo!"ve got time' c!t a template with a cereal bo#' and gl!e together 2$3 layers s!ch that it"s thick eno!gh'
then apply a clear coat over the template -will be faster by br!sh/. >ollow$!p with b!ffing and polishing for
smooth edges.
-2!-L?I2!
In fact' these are ideali1ed sit!ations. 7ost of my repair 4obs re@!ired a mi#$and$mash of the techni@!es
above' and I la1ily skipped one or two steps. &ome serio!s repair 4obs will re@!ire epo#y patching' which I"ve
not covered here. I"ve had all sorts of strange repair works... a brake set that my dog !sed as a toy' a
handlebar that was !sed as a bra hanger...
That"s how it sho!ld be0 be fle#ible with yo!r steps' and be confident with yo!r techni@!e. The most
important tip I have is that anything involving the clear coat is a reversible process $ sand*polish to remove5
new clear coat to add. 8on"t worry abo!t "screwing !p"' beca!se there"s no permanent "screw !p" here.
Ac%nowledgments+ Act!ally' my hands were too dirty to take proper pict!res' hope these are eno!gh.
Besides me' there"s >ernando 7. ?aksith' probably one of the best car mechanics in the co!ntry -stripped his
first engine when he was like ,2/ working in the backgro!nd... I also sacrificed 2 stickers to sanding and
alcohol tests. -hehe/