I decided to make a composite during the wildcard week. Rob gave a demonstration and it seems like the process itself is quite simple.

I want to create a composite of the letters of my name. I jumped into the design software and quickly mocked up something simple. It was very easy to cut out on the laser cutter.

I cut out two pieces of flexible cloth to use as the base of my composite. I realized that I would have to choose just one letter to start off — so I went with "T" because I had two of them and could stack them on top of each other, to create a deeper contrast.

The first step is to add a layer of plastic and coat it in mold release. This separates the template from the composite and allows the final product to be removed more easily.

The I mixed the epoxy. 1 part A to 1 part B. I tried not to introduce any bubbles — not sure if that matters in this case.

_{I got the proportions of the mixture wrong. I should have used 1 part A to 2 parts B. In the end, my composite was still quite flexibile and did not harden all the way.}

Once the epoxy is well mixed, I thoroughly coated the two cloth layers in the substance and then laid the cloth on top of the template.

The next step is to make the bleeder layer. You want to have a way for the excess epoxy to escape. This requires another layer of plastic that is punctured to allow the liquid to escape.

Finally you add cotton on top of the bleeder to absorb all the excess epoxy that is let through. And then wrap all of that in one last layer of plastic.

The last step is to vacuum seal the package which will apply pressure uniformly across the composite and cause it to solidify in the shape we want.

I came back to check on my composite the next day. It was still floppy. I talked to Rob and we realized that I had mixed the epoxy in the wrong proportions.