Hi all,
I've recently been able to source some carbontex sheet to cut my own drag washers out of. The stuff i have is 1mm thick (actually 0.975mm on the calipers).
I was wondering about methods people have to cut their own carbontex sheeting? I've tried scissors but the cut drags are never perfectly round so i then connect it to my dremel and basically use it like a cutting wheel against sand paper until it's round.
Any other ideas you use would be appreciated.
Die cut it with hand dies. They used to use them to cut custom gaskets for engines and things. Basically circular shaped cutting edges with a handle that you strike with a mallet. For production some use a Clicker press with custom dies for each shape. We used these to cut out embroidered emblems. the nice part of using dies is you get consistency without the dust from grinding - I'm thinking that carbon and fiberglass dust may not be good to breath.
Jim N.
I have found that a sheet metal step drill works well to cut or enlarge center holes, and bolting a single or stack of washers to a metal one, then 'turning' it on a belt sander does the O.D. fairly quick and accurate. For an eared washer you're back to an exacto knife or a dremel.
Quote from: aus bass on April 01, 2011, 03:24:09 AM
Hi all,
I've recently been able to source some carbontex sheet to cut my own drag washers out of. The stuff i have is 1mm thick (actually 0.975mm on the calipers).
I was wondering about methods people have to cut their own carbontex sheeting? I've tried scissors but the cut drags are never perfectly round so i then connect it to my dremel and basically use it like a cutting wheel against sand paper until it's round.
Any other ideas you use would be appreciated.
Could you tell me where you got the sheets, size and cost? Thanks! Sal
Contact Dawn at SmoothDrag. She sell sheet Carbontex material if you need some. You need to specify thickness needed. It ain't cheap though.
Thanks Bryan!
The few I have cut out & shaped (5) I did with scissors, exacto knife & sand paper to smooth and shape edges.
Went pretty fast & easy, but I did have the old washers to use as a guide/template also..
The Cabrbontex is easy to work with luckily...
http://www.downriggershop.com.au/carbontex-drag-washers.html
I use gasket punches and get my sheets (1mm and 0.5mm) from Andrew at Downriggers (above).
He's a nice bloke.
I used to cut with scissors/exacto etc and refine with the dremel, but I find the dust to be a real irritant on the skin.
The punches are perfect every time - no mess, no fuss...
All the best, Justin
Quote from: redsetta on September 19, 2013, 02:09:27 AM
I use gasket punches and get my sheets (1mm and 0.5mm) from Andrew at Downriggers (above).
He's a nice bloke.
I used to cut with scissors/exacto etc and refine with the dremel, but I find the dust to be a real irritant on the skin.
The punches are perfect every time - no mess, no fuss...
All the best, Justin
You're right about the dust Justin, I also use the punches or scissors when large in size, any drilling gets done outdoors.
I've also purchased those from Andrew, but that was appr. two years ago. Are those laminated? The ones that I purchased at that time weren't and failed when testing my custom gears.
This seller does have laminated in a few sizes, his name is Erik.
http://myworld.ebay.com/cfdrag/
Later buddy, Sal
whoa, your post has the sheets at a quarter of the price that i found, awsome , do you think theres a difference in makeup/quality in the two? knowing that both of yall have both one or the other...
oops....spoke to soon, i opened up the option menu....nvm almost same price......
I source my carbontex from Andrew at Downriggershop for $20 a sheet approx a standard envelope size. They get posted inside an envelope. I have upgraded all my reels with these sheets and have been using a gasket punch as suggested. Plenty of big hard running fish have been caught and the drags have stood up admirably.
If you live in the US it would make sense to buy from cfdrag or Dawn. If you live anywhere else in the world, and don't have a local supplier, then by buy from Andrew @ Downriggers in Aus (20 $AUD per sheet including shipping!). There is no difference (at least for our use :)) between any of them. Dawn's product is produced by Avcarb in the US. I suspect, but don't know for sure, that Andrew's is made by a Taiwanese company - http://www.fulgent-tec.com.tw/eng/products_2.php?kind=1&gid=3. I have approached this company with some success.
I started to arrange shipment of two sheets of cf - each sheet is approx. 330mm x 286mm (13 x 11.25 ins :) that's big). The cost was a modest $49.13 USD, that's approx 3x the material for a similar cost! I then found out how much my bank wanted to charge for T/T (bank to bank transfer) >:(. For personal use not worth it. However, If a few good men (sound's familiar) got together and purchased a bulk order. Then split the cost between us - let me know if you are interested.
Has anyone used this seller recently? How about the quality of the sheets? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Carbon-Fiber-Drag-Sheet-Fishing-Reel-Upgrade-/111495328332 Its out of California. I would like to try and make my own. Thanks for all your feedback.
Quote from: MeanMachine on January 24, 2019, 01:30:17 AM
Has anyone used this seller recently? How about the quality of the sheets? https://www.ebay.com/itm/Carbon-Fiber-Drag-Sheet-Fishing-Reel-Upgrade-/111495328332 Its out of California. I would like to try and make my own. Thanks for all your feedback.
I would recommend against those. I was buying from him for my drag kits, but the quality is spotty. Sometimes it's ok, other times I've had a 50% or better failure rate.
And to be clear, these are *not* the same material as what smoothdrag sells. It's an imported knock-off.
Are sheets available on the smooth drag website?
Quote from: MeanMachine on January 24, 2019, 02:31:22 AM
Are sheets available on the smooth drag website?
Can't remember but Dawn does sell them in varying thicknesses.
I keep these up my sleeve for those rare occasions when stock pre-cut washers are unavailable for a reel I am working on.
~
Thanks guys How about this seller? thecarbonlife.com on ebay. Can this material be used for drags? What kind of material is carbon fiber twill?
doesn't look like the right stuff...... :-\
All you have to is open an account with her.
It's easy and painless
Smoothdrag.com