I’m going to attach two photos on this post about my question. The first photo is showing my carbon grip at a slight angle looking from the bottom up, away from me so it reflects light. The finish looks like glass and the streak of light is straight as you’ll see. I’ve always used the way light reflects on my finish as a way to see if my finish looks flat asides from feeling it.
In the second photo, it is looking from the top down. It almost looks like my grips has texture showing through the finish that isn’t visible from the first angle. The finish feels smooth and glossy to the touch but if you are looking at that second photo, to me it looks lumpy and textured (but again, it feels smooth. No lumps whatsoever.)
I put a couple coats of epoxy on this grip, then sanded smooth and level. Then put two coats of permagloss using a grey foam brush. I sanded the first coat of permagloss as it had a few waves towards the top of the grip and a couple of bubbles. Then brushed off dust and applied a second coat.
My question is, am I being to particular and is this normal? Should I be using streaks of light as a method of seeing if my finish is level?
It’s confusing to me as to why from one angle the grip looks like it’s glassy and perfect but the other angle it has a different look.
I understand at a different angle it’s reflecting less light and what not, and it may be hard to tell in that 2nd photo what exactly I’m talking about but it almost seems like the carbon texture pokes through the finish when looking at the grip from top down.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/20/2024 12:30PM by Al purvis.

Second photo

A close up of the top down photo

I've never done what you're doing, but I'm going to throw out a guess that it is something to do with the lay of the fiber.

If you look at a roof that has shingles from the ground, it looks totally different from looking at it from standing on the peak. From the peak all the shingles seem seamless, but clearly not so from below.

Sorry I can't address your issue but wondering why epoxy coat a carbon grip?

Ed Rose Wrote:
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> Sorry I can't address your issue but wondering why
> epoxy coat a carbon grip?


He used urethane. This makes the grip more tactile and 'sticky' in terms of being able to hold it in wet weather. Non coated grips will get a little slicker feeiling when wet. Sort of why you coat hardwood basketball courts. Makes them more 'sticky.'

My impression is WOW great job!

The finish will take the shape of the form and sleeve. Unless the form and the sleeve are perfectly round and symmetrical the light refraction through the finish will vary.

Even if you sand the OD of the grip totally smooth the finish thickness will change because of variance of the form and sleeve, causing the light reflection to inconsistent.

Some time you should try Perma Gloss, it is very thin and enhances the weave pattern as well as adding additional protection, also it is very forgiving when viewed under light. .

Have fun

Looks pretty darned good to me. If you are worried about the little bit of cloth texture that shows, I consider it simply the nature of this type grip. I would be very pleased to get the look you achieved.

Thank you guys for the compliments. They mean a lot to me! I just want to make sure I’m doing things the right way.

What you are seeing is the undulating nature of the carbon weave through the clear top-coat. It's actually a smooth surface.

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Tom Kirkman Wrote:
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> What you are seeing is the undulating nature of
> the carbon weave through the clear top-coat. It's
> actually a smooth surface.
>
> ............


Thank you for the insight Tom