The appearance of this cloth generally depends on the size of thread and the weave chosen. Carbon fibre is naturally a glossy black, but recently colored carbon fiber rods have become available.
The ribbons mentioned above are then combined with epoxy resins to form reinforced composites which are very light and very strong for their weight. In fact, carbon fibre composites are often used to replace metals in airplanes, tennis rackets and golf clubs!
Carbon fiber rods and tubes are made by pulling or wrapping carbon fibers and epoxy resin to a specific diameter which in turn forms a densely reinforced carbon composite.
How to Work with Carbon Fiber Here's a handy tip: did you know that CA or "Krazy Glue" debonder (acetone) dissolves CA glues but does no damage to carbon fiber rods? This means that you can re-use old rods and tubes by soaking the part in acetone for a couple of hours and then wiping it off!
Cutting rods: use an abrasive cutoff wheel chucked in a Dremel tool or else a very fine 32 teeth-per-inch hacksaw. Do not use a band saw. However, to cut small rods up to 3mm in diameter you can also use a bicycle braided-cable cutter available from many bike stores. The V-shaped jaws prevent the ends from splintering. If you work with a lot of carbon fiber they're well worth buying.
Attaching overlapping carbon fiber rods: tack the rods together with a small DROP of medium CA, let dry then take a length of cotton thread (or Kevlar thread for super-strength) and wrap the joint several times all the way around, then soak the joint with thin CA. You'll be amazed at how strong and flexible the joint is!
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