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Hi Ian,
hmmmmmm, slippery slope mate, LOL.
But at 21+ kilos you really have Hobsons choice to be honest. IIRC my 10" f5 newt ready to use in a C/F tube was well under 12 kilos, probably about 11kg.
I had used "sonotube" for years, and decided to build a CF tube.
For this I used a mold of shiny Formica, rolled around a series of customwood disks, all strung on a dowel rod. The Formica I then covered with cling film "Gladwrap" is what it is known as over here. This was my "release agent".
CF matting was available, and I got about a 100mm length, which was long enough, and rolled it around the tube. That's the short version, as the long version was following advice I started with a layer of Kevlar, and that didn't really do the goods so I then used the CF on top.
A guess at the thickness would be a couple of millimeters possibly. You can accurately assess the finished weight. The cloth is a known as is the resin you use to make it stick. I would expect about 2 kilos max.
Strength? I added hoops of thin alloy strip inside the ends, and also a couple about where my tube rings were likely to be. Unnecessary possibly, but it felt better.
Cost? CF matting was about $150 per meter, resin about $50 IIRC. Lost lots of sweat though. Figure disposable gloves, masking tape, paint brushes etc. All sourced from the local fiberglass shop.
If I was to try it again I think I would peel back half the sonotube cardboard, and just CF top coat that.
There is plenty of "how-to's" on the net, but really the only way is "into it yourself".
Gary
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