Hi everyone! After a few years I've finally managed to finish this carbon fiber pokeball!

In this video tutorial you'll see me go through a few different prototyping techniques to finish this pokeball.

First the two carbon fiber halves are made using the technique called resin infusion, this is a technique where epoxy resin is pulled through the carbon fiber using vacuum. This means that the carbon fiber is put into a mould with a layer of peelply on top, followed by an infusion mesh and then sucked under vacuum using a vacuumbag with tacky tape.
Once the resin is cured the part is removed and trimmed. To achieve even better results, I've sanded the part and gave it a layer of epoxy on top. Trimming is done as well by hand using a dremel and permagrit rotary disk.

The middle part with the 'push' button that will let the pokemon out is made out of epoxy resin. First a master was made using a 3D print. The 3D print is finished using a spray putty, then finished with a layer of clear. Once everything is ready the silicone mould is made using Additional cure silicone that has a transparant finish. The two halves of the mould are made using a spray release agent inbetween for easy demoulding. Once everything is fully cured we are ready to pour the epoxy resin into the silicone mould. I Went for a clear red tinted epoxy, Once cured the part is pulled out of the mould and sealed with a layer of 2K clear.

For the wooden veneer stand the pokeball is put on I've used some wood veneer with some fiberglass and epoxy resin inbetween. When Still wet, so not fully cured, I've bend the sheet into it's final shape. Using vacuum and a vacuumbag for this is ideal as it will tightly compress all the layers, resulting in a strong, thin laminate.

In case you want to find the products used in this video, you can find them on following website:

https://www.easycomposites.co.uk

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#pokemon #pokeball #carbonfiber #howto