Bald spot from tire rub. What to use to seal raw carbon?

[Catagory6]

ive heard nail polish can be used to clear coat over raw carbon, but i imagine its not very durable for an area of the frame that sees a lot of abuse.

[AJS914]

The clear coat should stay on unless the tire rubs it off again.

[fromtrektocolnago]

too aggressive with tire selection?

[Catagory6]

The clear coat should stay on unless the tire rubs it off again.

Well, thats the plan, but what can i use to clear coat the raw carbon?

And to answer the following question, i had broken a spoke a number of times which moved The rim out of true, causing the tire to come into contact with the chain- and seat stays

[MJB]

If it's a small coin sized area that is effected then I'd be looking to clean the area with acetone, warm it up with the hair drier and paint on some clear coat automotive touch up paint. A small pot of touch up with an application brush should do the trick nicely. This has worked long term for me on stone chipped chain stays.

If the area is larger or in a highly visble spot and you want to maintian max. cosmetic appearances then look to your local auto panel spray painter or better still an airbrush artist.

[AJS914]

Be cautious with a hair dryer, you could over do it. Honestly, I don't think a hair dryer is necessary and acetone sounds a bit strong to put on the existing resin.

[DamonRinard]

Structurally, no paint is needed.
Cosmetically, might be nice to touch up.

[Catagory6]

Structurally, no paint is needed.
Cosmetically, might be nice to touch up.

its an 11 year old frame. at this point i'm not TOO concerned about a bare spot in the stay-crotch.
but i've heard that carbon absorbs water, so i want to at least seal the area

[BikeAnon]

Any auto clear coat will do.

You can get one of those that have the built in paint brush. Or use spray. Whichever suits your skill level and desire for a finely flat, blended finish.

Me.... I'd probably brush some on, lightly sand it afterwards, then polish it.


I'd also avoid the acetone. The carbon will be fine, but we don't know how the neighboring finish will feel about it. It would probably be fine.


I'd clean it with a degreaser, and then rubbing alcohol. Air-dry. Or blow dry.

[Rick]

Reposting the same info from a similar question about a week or two ago:

Is it just a cosmetic "scratch" or a deep and distinctive "gouge" ?
If a gouge:
Wash the region thoroughly with dish soap and water. Really scrub out the gouge with a nylon or similar brush (toothbrush?).
Rinse thoroughly and air dry.
Masking tape off the surrounding area.
Squeegee some 5 minute epoxy, available at any hardware store down into the defect and smooth off with an old credit card or similar.
Immediately, carefully remove the masking tape. Let cure thoroughly.
5 min epoxy will dry clear, hard as nails, and will hold tight. Other methods work too, but it is difficult to match the hardness and tenaciousness of epoxy.

Or, ....just paint some clear fingernail polish into it and don't worry about it. It probably really won't make a difference to structural integrity or reliability.

[Hellgate]

Structurally, no paint is needed.
Cosmetically, might be nice to touch up.

its an 11 year old frame. at this point i'm not TOO concerned about a bare spot in the stay-crotch.
but i've heard that carbon absorbs water, so i want to at least seal the area

Carbon doesn't absorb water. It's not a sponge.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5010 using Tapatalk

[xcnick]

Kind of relevant;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieeCqlQy5sY&t=243s