Review of a cheap 'carbon fiber' vinyl CPO

nmantas

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Donor 2011, 2019
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I have a very small wooden control panel on a generic minicabinet so my only options for a cpo was full on custom or solid color. With the multiple 90 degree turns I didn't think a quality polycarbonate laminate would work well so instead I went for vinyl. In my search I found some self adhesive carbon fiber print vinyl sheeting on eBay that are pretty cheap and are intended to cover car parts (both interior and exterior). The 12x24" rolls I received were only $6 each shipped......there are thousands of auctions selling it. The stuff was easy to apply on my sanded and painted control panel using a heat gun and a vinyl application squeegee. I think having the carbon fiber print is more appeasing to the eye compared to generic textured vinyl.

I was impressed with how easy it was to work with, the value, and the results.
 

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I have a very small wooden control panel on a generic minicabinet so my only options for a cpo was full on custom or solid color. With the multiple 90 degree turns I didn't think a quality polycarbonate laminate would work well so instead I went for vinyl. In my search I found some self adhesive carbon fiber print vinyl sheeting on eBay that are pretty cheap and are intended to cover car parts (both interior and exterior). The 12x24" rolls I received were only $6 each shipped......there are thousands of auctions selling it. The stuff was easy to apply on my sanded and painted control panel using a heat gun and a vinyl application squeegee. I think having the carbon fiber print is more appeasing to the eye compared to generic textured vinyl.

I was impressed with how easy it was to work with, the value, and the results.

Awesome, I am going to order some black to go on my "Halloween" cabinet.
 
I used some black carbon fiber vinyl on a Street Fighter CPO I did a while back and it turned out great. (dynamo cab)
 
I won the auction on ebay for a 13"x50" piece for $1.52...awesome.
That is awesome! I had a Christmas Eve deadline so I had to pay more for a US seller that was only 30 miles away so I got it quick.

Its like any other vinyl where the surface needs to be extremely prepped because imperfections will show through because of both the thinness and flexibility. Some of the carbon fibers that advertise their thickness are in the 15mill region which is much thicker than the 9mil self adhesive speaker covering vinyl that alot of guys on here have used. A heat gun or hairdryer comes in handy because once you warm it up its more flexible and is more removable......I had one screw up where I had to pull up on a large section and it was stuck good but did slowly release so I could relay it down. There are many things you could use as a squeegee instead of ordering one such as a plastic ruler or silicone putty knives like the pic:
 

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