- Bagging and cure
Vacuum baggingBagging and cure- Curing a repair: heat blankets and thermocouplesBagging and cure · Coming soon
- Basics
- Composite basicsBasics · Coming soon
- Composite glossaryBasics · Coming soon
- Layup
- Ply orientation and the warp clockLayup · Coming soon
- Wet layup and impregnationLayup · Coming soon
- Damage
- Composite damage typesDamage · Coming soon
- Inspecting compositesDamage · Coming soon
- Repair
- Repair or replaceRepair · Coming soon
- Choosing the repairRepair · Coming soon
- Sizing the repair pliesRepair · Coming soon
- Scarf and step sandingRepair · Coming soon
- Honeycomb sandwich repairsRepair · Coming soon
- Bolted and riveted patches on compositesRepair · Coming soon
- Lightning strike protection repairsRepair · Coming soon
- Inserts and potted fasteners in sandwich panelsRepair · Coming soon
- Workshop
- Storing and handling materialsWorkshop · Coming soon
- Fillers and adhesivesWorkshop · Coming soon
- Safety with resins and dustWorkshop · Coming soon
- Moulds and parts for UAV and homebuiltWorkshop · Coming soon
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Vacuum Bagging: Every Layer and What It Does
A vacuum bag lets the atmosphere press the plies together while the air and volatiles leave. None of the bagging materials stays in the part, and each does one job: peel ply leaves a surface to bond to, release film stops things sticking, bleeder takes resin, breather carries the vacuum. Get the order or the bleed wron…
GuideUpdated 2026-10-28
Curing a repair: heat blankets and thermocouples
What it will cover. Room temperature or heat, hot bonders, where the thermocouples go, ramp and soak, the cure record.
Composite basics
What it will cover. Fibres, resins and cores: glass, carbon and aramid; epoxy, polyester and phenolic; prepreg or wet layup; warp and fill.
Composite glossary
What it will cover. The words of the trade, from B-stage to warp clock.
Ply orientation and the warp clock
What it will cover. 0°, ±45° and 90° plies, symmetric and balanced laminates, how a layup is written, and matching each repair ply to the ply it replaces.
Wet layup and impregnation
What it will cover. Weighing fabric and resin, fibre-to-resin ratio, squeegee and vacuum-assisted impregnation, working inside the pot life.
Two-Part Mix Ratio Calculator →Pot Life Timer →Laminate Plies & Resin →
Composite damage types
What it will cover. Delamination, disbond, matrix cracks, broken fibres, core crush, water in the core, heat and lightning damage: what each looks like.
Inspecting composites
What it will cover. Visual, tap test, ultrasonic and thermography: what each finds, what it misses, how to map a damage.
Repair or replace
What it will cover. Damage allowed without repair, damage repaired by a standard scheme, damage that needs an approved repair design, and replacement.
Choosing the repair
What it will cover. Filler and potting, wet-layup patch, scarf or step repair, bolted hard patch: which one fits which damage.
Sizing the repair plies
What it will cover. Filler, repair and extra plies; overlaps; orientation; how many of each.
Scarf and step sanding
What it will cover. Taper ratios, sanding technique, counting the plies as you go, cleaning before the bond.
Honeycomb sandwich repairs
What it will cover. Potting small damage, replacing a core plug, injecting a disbond, one-side or through repairs.
Bolted and riveted patches on composites
What it will cover. Overlap, fasteners for composite structure, drilling carbon, sealing the patch.
Lightning strike protection repairs
What it will cover. Mesh and foil, overlaps, restoring the conduction path, checking the bonding afterwards.
Inserts and potted fasteners in sandwich panels
What it will cover. Potting, insert types, installing and replacing an insert.
Storing and handling materials
What it will cover. Freezer storage, out-time, thawing, shelf life, labelling.
Fillers and adhesives
What it will cover. Microballoons, fumed silica, film and paste adhesives, mixing and thickening.
Safety with resins and dust
What it will cover. Skin, eyes, fumes, carbon dust and waste.
Moulds and parts for UAV and homebuilt
What it will cover. Making a mould, release, laying up on a mould, infusion basics.