Home brew CF tune pipe

[MikeP]

I have been looking for high temp epoxy, I found a place that has some with the heat distortion of 375 deg.

http://www.resinservices-reklein.com/laminate/htcl.htm

Is 375 deg. high enough for a pipe?

-MikeP

 

[shoboat]

Mike,

I think for a 21 and 45 that will be fine. A 67 or higher I think not.

Thanks,

Mark Sholund

 

[Propjockey]

What's going on in that twisted brain of yours, Mikey?

 

[MikeP]

I read about a process that looked easy to do.

Design a pipe, make it out of what ever you want(wood, steel, foam) or you can use a pipe you already have. Wax it up good and wrap a layer of CF on it. After it sets up a bit but still soft ( they call it still green) slice it down one side a pull it off the plug. Join the cut back together with a little more epoxy and insert a stinger and a piece of aluminum tube on the inlet side. After it sets up wrap another layer or two on it.

I am going to make one off the MAC .12 pipe first and see how it goes.

-MikeP

 

[wswatzell]

that does sound easy!! It doesn't sounds like it could be vacuumed bagged that way though, or do you have an idea on that.

 

[MikeP]

You can vacume bag it, there is also some heat shrink wrap that is supposed to work good for compressing and removing extra epoxy. I think you could also just wrap it real tight with a long strip of 1 or 2 inch wide peelply.

Mike

 

[wswatzell]

I thought you might have an idea.

 

[Slideblues]

Mike that do sound like a KEWL idea!!!!

Ian is in tight with Bolly in Oz, He might have a line on the resin they use on their .67 and up CF pipes,

Gene

 

[MikeP]

Here is an interesting idea, kitchen food saver vacume bag.

http://www.jcrocket.com/kitchenbagging.shtml

 

[Guest]

cool idea! & my wife has been buggin for one of those!! he he he!!

 

[Bob Kensill]

Better yet,carve your pipe plug out of wax, Lay up over the wax. When it is cured,just melt out the wax. Aerospace Composites has woven carbon fiber "socks" in different sizes. You just slide it over the plug and then pull it tight like one of those "Chinese finger puzzles" and apply the resin. BTW they also sell the high temperature resin.

Bob

 

[XtremeRcBoats]

A german epoxy mfg has a epoxy that goes up to about 450 F (230 celcius)

http://download.r-g.de/handbuch/kapitel_02.pdf

Mike, Great project.

What's next, CF lower unit for an outboard?

 

[Ian Inverarity]

Gene/MikeP

I asked Les Bollenhagen what epoxy he used but he wouldn't tell me! A special blend apparently, and quite poisonous in liquid form from what I understand. He uses the same resin for all the pipes.

I have heard of people having quite good success with vynel-ester (SP?)

The Bolly pipes are made in a two step procces, the converging and diverging cone mandrels are seperate peices and two single layer but resin rich cones are made up with carbon sock material. When these have set the two haves are joined and another carbon sock is placed over the oustide and it is spirally bound withg what looks like thin cotton. The outside doesn't look too special but the inside is pretty smooth and the pipes are very light and strong.

At a guess you probably want to stay resin rich with pipes or they might be too porous. I gather the carbon sock is the big trick to doing the pipes.

Nitrocrazed racing: Pipe designer when I get time one day....

 

[Propjockey]

Instead of slicing the carbon in the "green stage", how about carving the mold from foam, and when the epoxy is cured, pour it full of gas and melt it out?

 

[GTR]

Hi Guy's

This could actually be a use for the spray pack expanding foam - rather tna carving foam each time you would only need to produce a female mold and spray the faom in each time, take it out and do the carbon thing, and then disslove it like suggested. Sort of a foam version of the lost wax process.

Lots of ideas if only MikeP wants to try them.

GT :blink:

 

[TimD]

Good idea GT,

Only problem is you still need a mould.

Anyone know if you can "machine" down a solid wax in a lathe?

Tim.

P.S I asked Gadjet Craft what resin is used on the pipes - it's a secret. I do know it needs to be heat cured for a period of time to harden it if that helps.

 

[wswatzell]

How about this. Make a wax plug, then make a FG mold. Then use the plug again to make a pipe melting the wax out when it is done. When you want to make another pipe, pour melted wax into the mold & then you have an exact copy without having to machine up another plug.

 

[MikeP]

lots of good ideas, I like how you can post something and the ideas just start flowing in.

I see alot of different ways to get the same outcome, I have also noticed that people like to use processes and materials they are comfortable with using.

Here is what I got so far that would work for me.

As far as making a plug it would be easy for me to turn one out of aluminum. Aluminum would be easy to polish and wax, it would also hold up to post cure heating if it was needed. Some of the epoxy I am looking at needs 250 deg. post cure.

Nitrocrazed gave me an idea with the divergent and convergent as seprate pieces.

I would like to make a set of divergent cones and a set of convergent cones maybe 3 or 4 different angles of each. I can screw them together in different configurations.

-MikeP

 

[Guest]

Try High Temp Epoxy http://www.cotronics.com Ray Sametz

 

[Guest_Joe_Knesek]

I think CTS makes something youcan wrap the pipe with that soaks up the extra epoxy. This eliminates the need to bag it.