McLaren MP4/6 Monocoque Color/Texture
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Re: McLaren MP4/6 Monocoque Color/Texture
I looked at both the video and the gurney flap pictures. Any color you see is reflected light from around the room. Any green you're seeing come from fluorescent lighting.
When I said flat black I shouldn't have emphasized the word flat, It's definitely black with no color, but early carbon did have a semi-semi-sheeny surface to it (almost flat) that reflects colored light from around the room. Proper color balance has been a problem in photography for 100 years. It still is.
The monocoque of the MP4/6 is black.
When I said flat black I shouldn't have emphasized the word flat, It's definitely black with no color, but early carbon did have a semi-semi-sheeny surface to it (almost flat) that reflects colored light from around the room. Proper color balance has been a problem in photography for 100 years. It still is.
The monocoque of the MP4/6 is black.
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Re: McLaren MP4/6 Monocoque Color/Texture
Looks more interesting with a hint of colour and the use of artistic licence.
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Re: McLaren MP4/6 Monocoque Color/Texture
I think it stands alone itself as a pretty interesting car, even in it's real colors.
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Re: McLaren MP4/6 Monocoque Color/Texture
Oh it's a beauty whatever colour it is, that's a fact. Great to have your input on this Steve.
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Re: McLaren MP4/6 Monocoque Color/Texture
Hi all,
Yesterday i made two pictures of real carbon UD (unidirectional) parts wich i make for work (space solar panel substrates).
The shiny one is a mold side finish, the matt one is the peel ply side.
I put a black rattle can cap on it to compare.
So it is black.. but not really though.. also with naked eye it has a sort of glow/silvering to it wich give it a kind of deepness.
Hein
Yesterday i made two pictures of real carbon UD (unidirectional) parts wich i make for work (space solar panel substrates).
The shiny one is a mold side finish, the matt one is the peel ply side.
I put a black rattle can cap on it to compare.
So it is black.. but not really though.. also with naked eye it has a sort of glow/silvering to it wich give it a kind of deepness.
Hein
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Re: McLaren MP4/6 Monocoque Color/Texture
I met with Bil Attridge when he was on a duty trip with the Canadian Navy. He came to port in Pearl Harbor. Super nice guy. He shared with me his carbon formula, as I was building the MP4/6 at that time. I also got to see his MP on a trip to Victoria Canada. He also shared his technique on the radiator side pods. He played tissue paper over them, painted with thinned white glue and flat black.
I think it came out great although it is labor intensive. Now a days I use Tamiya metallic black or gray spray.
As an aside, Bil told me that he had a small work area on board so he could continue the MP4/6 build and meet the deadline for TamiyaCon.
Dave
I think it came out great although it is labor intensive. Now a days I use Tamiya metallic black or gray spray.
As an aside, Bil told me that he had a small work area on board so he could continue the MP4/6 build and meet the deadline for TamiyaCon.
Dave
Re: McLaren MP4/6 Monocoque Color/Texture
Thanks for taking the trouble to photograph the panel! I'm kinda surprised how gray the peel ply side looks. I guess that's the result of all the 'broken' epoxy from when the peel ply is removed, that in itself will look whitish. Black + white = gray, so it does make sense. I've got a similar panel, but it could take some time to unearth it.Hein wrote:Yesterday i made two pictures of real carbon UD (unidirectional) parts wich i make for work (space solar panel substrates).
The shiny one is a mold side finish, the matt one is the peel ply side.
I put a black rattle can cap on it to compare.
So it is black.. but not really though.. also with naked eye it has a sort of glow/silvering to it wich give it a kind of deepness.
I'm currently reading John Barnard's biography. It tells the story of the first MP4/1 monocoques being built by Hercules. The first one delivered was full of wrinkles and creases, to the horror of Barnard. I recognised the wrinkle problem: unless your vacuum bag is perfectly done, you will have these. It is near impossible to avoid the foil wrinkles - I would dare to say that a perfect vacuum bag will only happen on a thin flat laminate. So I'm wondering now how Hercules managed to build the subsequent monocoques without wrinkles..
Rob
Re: McLaren MP4/6 Monocoque Color/Texture
My own analysis of why Hein's panel looked gray (black + white = gray) made me think some more. The epoxy resins that I am used to is all fairly low-temperature stuff, say 80C max, and the generally stay clear, or white when its broken (like when you rip off the peel ply).robdebie wrote:Thanks for taking the trouble to photograph the panel! I'm kinda surprised how gray the peel ply side looks. I guess that's the result of all the 'broken' epoxy from when the peel ply is removed, that in itself will look whitish. Black + white = gray, so it does make sense. I've got a similar panel, but it could take some time to unearth it.
However, typical autoclave epoxy resins are cured at higher temperature, say 130C. That often results in a brownish /golden color of the epoxy itself. I don't know what color results when you break this brownish /golden resin (peel ply), but I would guess a yellowish color. Therefore, the MP4/5 peel ply surface *could* be slightly brownish / golden after all! But I have never seen it myself - maybe someone else can comment?
Rob
Re: McLaren MP4/6 Monocoque Color/Texture
Another thought: since the monocoque was built on a male mould, the inside of the monocoque is probably be glossy, like Hein's panel, top photo..
Rob
Rob
Re: McLaren MP4/6 Monocoque Color/Texture
I found a page with some great hi-res photos of the MP4/1 monocoque, where you can see the roughness, some wrinkles and the matt black color:
http://www.eurocarnews.com/187/0/0/5164 ... etail.html
Rob
http://www.eurocarnews.com/187/0/0/5164 ... etail.html
Rob