Hi all, I am Dan Stout.

[Dan Stout]

Hey everyone!  I am Dan Stout.  I am currently working as a Quality Engineer (QE) at a composite manufacturing company.  I have worked in composites for about 9 years and have been in quality for about 10 years (~8 years as a QE). Despite working around composites for many years, I never attempted building my own parts until about a year ago.  When I first started in composites I was a technician, but instead of building parts I was truing carbon fiber bicycle wheels (thus no hands on molding, etc. experience).  After truing wheels, I moved into a quality inspector role.  Eventually I went back to school and got an engineering degree, I have worked as a QE ever since!

Looking back, I wish I had gotten hands on experience actually manufacturing composite parts.  I have been around lots of cool processes: roll wrapping, filament winding, bladder molding, triaxial braiding, RTM, VARTM, hand layup, etc.  If only I had started back when I first got into composite, imagine what I could be building now!  But alas, I am doing it now.  I wonder what I will be able to build in my garage 10 years from now...

My first time getting my hands dirty in composite was at a community college night course taught by the legendary composite guru @John Kimball!!  This is where my passion to hand make my own parts began.  I highly recommend the class!

Enough rambling for now... I'm excited to meet everyone and bounce ideas off of each other as I work to improve my skills! 

[John Kimball]

Please! I’m blushing. 
And keep at it. 

[Paul Kim]

Hi Dan!