Carbon Fiber Works / Starke Customs      

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How do you make your real Carbon Fiber parts?
A: Many of our parts use 100% Carbon Fiber, 2x2 twill, other parts use a combination of Carbon Fiber and other composites.  We wet-lay our products using only the best epoxy resins spec'd to withstand the application of each particular part.  The parts are then vacuum-bagged to remove any excess resin making for the strongest and most asthetic part available.  We also us a UV-proctectant automotive clear coat on our real Carbon Fiber parts.

2. Are your Impressions products made with real Carbon Fiber?
A: No, we use a Carbon Fiber print (film) which is injected over a base coat (color) paint.  After the print (Carbon, Skulls, Flames, etc) is applied we hit it with a UV-protectant automotive clear coat.  In some of our pics you'll see the Carbon print over black, yellow, blue or even gold base coats.  You get to choose the base color.

3. Do the Impressions products use my part or do you make the part?
A: The answer is either.   For more common products we may already make the part out of composite materials or plastic for our thinnest overlays.  We can also take any metal, plastic or solid-wood part you have and do a Carbon Fiber, Skull, Flame, or other, print over the base color coat you spec (paints we don't stock may add  to your cost if we have to purchase the paint).  If you have a unique part that we don't have, ship it to us and you'll have it bolted back on your bike/car/other in 3 weeks or less.

4. Are there any parts that can't go through your Impression process?
A: Parts that have a textured surface will require sanding and that will add to the price of the part.  Parts made of materials that can not withstand hi-pressure (compressed wood) will not make it through the process (a fiber-board toilet seat didn't survive the process).  There are also some size restrictions, if you have a part that is beyond a 5' x 2.5' dimension, give us a call for a quote on any metal plastic or hard-wood part.

5. Do I have to take the part off my bike/car/other and send it to you?
A: If we have the part in stock, we'll ship it to you and charge you a "core charge".  The core charge is refunded to you when you return your original part (assuming your original part is in reasonable shape, not new, just something we can sand to make another part).  The pricing on our Products page states whether the part includes a "core charge".  If you have to ship us your part, you should have it bolted back on your bike/car/other is 3 weeks or less.

6. How durable are the Impression products  paint + film + clearcoat?
A: We prepare the part just like any paint job, it's sanded, primed, base-coated(color), injected with your film of choice and then UV clear coated.  You should protect it just like any other paint job.  It is not as durable as powder coating but it does come with a 1-yr warranty under normal use.    You can bend a plastic Impression part and the paint/film/coat won't crack or delaminate.  Many customers that have seen our Impression parts at shows make the comment that the parts acutally look like the film is baked into the part, there's no distortion or rough texture, and with the UV clearcoat, the part really "pops" when it hits the sun.

7. I want to Impress a picture of my girlfriend on my side panels, can you do that?
A: First of all, think deeply about doing that.  If you're still on board with that project, we actually can help you.  The Impressions products are only available in a set of films we have already printed, you can see them on our Impressions page.  However, there is a wrap process we can do to your parts that can take any graphic you have and get it on your parts.  It's not as durable as the Impression process but it will probably stay around longer than your girlfriend.  Give us a call for pricing (and counselling) on projects like this : )

8. Looking at the prices on your Products page, can I actually custom Impress my entire bike for $999 (US)?
A: Yes in most cases.  For instance, we have a kit deal for a Sportster sized bike where we'll do both your fenders, your tank, your fork tubes, your derby cover, air/carb cover, horn and headlight cover for $999 (plus the cost of shipping the parts).  Larger bikes (or more parts) will run a bit more, smaller bikes a bit less. you can also spec different base coats and films for the different parts (e.g. carbon fiber fork tubes and purple skulls on everything else).   It sure beats a $4,000 custom paint job and you get to spec the base-coat color and film for the job.  Call us and ask for Big Mike 904-964-6276 for pricing on kit deals.

Still confused?  Call us with any questions you might have regarding our real or Impressed Carbon Fiber parts and we'll add it to this page 904-964-6276.

Head over to our Products page to order, or if you're interested in the Impression process for your particular part, take a pic of it and email it to us along with rough dimensions and we'll get you a free quote right back to you.

Thanks for the business.