yepe

Hi guys, I got an ES design carbonfiber pipe that was broken due plane crash. The pipe has 5 or more small cuts. How can I repair this and seal the cuts.

rodney tanner

Yepe: You can cover the cuts with gf cloth, or cf if you have some handy and then wick CA to bond the cloth to the pipe. Another way it to fill the cuts with JB weld, let it set and then sand it flush.
Good luck.

UK_Flyer

Carbon is viscious stuff to work with so if you go sanding make sure you have a face mask.

Personally i would get some light gram carbon sheet cut to the length of the pipe, wrap around the full width so the join is on the inner side close to the fuselage (out of sight), and then epoxy as normal and leave to dry. If the cuts are small the epoxy should seal and if done right it will look like new.

yepe

Thanks for the info. I think we need high temp. epoxy for this. I already check JB weld website and its says: Not recommended for use on manifolds, exhaust systems, and other engine components which normally operate at temperatures above 500° F. Any alternatives?

apereira

Epoxies are different, we use low temp, there are epoxies that can wihtstand in excess of 2500F, it is better to ask ES or Central Hobbies, it may be procured locally, but, as the suggestion above, use CA first but with no cloth and thin CA, you need to seal the internal part first, once it is broken it can delaminate and if the oil gets there then you will reduce the life of the pipe.

yepe

apereira,

thanks for the info. Where can we buy this epoxies that can withstand high temperature.

sweetpea01

My Feedback: (10)

don't forgot.....if you don't clean the heck outta it nothing is going to hold. The oil from the exhaust will separate the glue from the CF.


I used a combo of CA, then JB then cloth then expoxy on my tip to the ESD pipe that broke.

apereira

Yepe,
It is not accessible to everybody, is from the aerospace industry and has to be stored at freezing temperatures and cured in autoclaves at high temp/pressure, I was trying to explain that there are more epoxies than the regular we can get in the modeling industry, so maybe manufacturers of CF pipes can get their hands on special epoxies cheaper than we could, but they don't come in small packages, thus the necessity to get in contact with the manufacturers.

Best regards

AAbdu

My Feedback: (18)

Henkel / Loctite has a complete line of epoxys that are designed to operate at different temperatures. The popular Hysol product that the jet guys use is a generic term for any one of 40 different formulas of two part epoxy. Check with an authorized Loctite distributor and they should be able to help.

Angus Balfour

You could try "Optitec" high temp fibre optic epoxy. I used this to repair my Asano pipe which eventually failed completely - the repair is still good it's the Asano bit internally that failed. You have to cook it at 150 degrees C for about 15mins or thereabouts to get it to set.

Temp range is -60 to 250 degrees C with short periods at 350 C

http://www.intertronics.co.uk/products/opt5054t.htm

A

f3a05

Crude,but it worked for this one..Hangar rash cracked stinger.....washed with cellulose thinners, sanded surface,thin cyano in cracks, sanded again, attached a length of carbon tow with a drop of thick cyano, wrapped stinger, soaked in thin cyano.

cameron

I think bolly makes high temp modeling epoxy, I guess this is what they use on their own pipes etc?, maybe not, but worth an email if you are stuck.

Adamg-RCU

f3a05, can you elaborate on these cellulose thinners? I avoided biology classes as much as possible, so any info is appreciated. Are they useful as a cleaner before painting a gelcoated fuselage?
-Adam

rwlewis

My Feedback: (4)

I see where ACP Composite has a high-temp version of EZ-Lam epoxy listed on their web site...says it is suitable for exhaust systems, etc...

http://www.acp-composites.com/

Richard

f3a05

Yes, sorry, it's just the European name for the thinners used for the old-fashioned paint thinners used with automotive paints from the olden days before two-pack epoxies, acrylics, isocyanates&c. used nowadays on cars.
It's a good general-purpose degreaser, and ,although quite a breathtaking smell, nothing like as toxic as the more modern paint components such as isocyanate---you can use it without precaution in any old space (Nearby naked flames excepted).
And yes--it would remove the "waxy bloom" on cured epoxies, and probably any separating agents on their surface.
I'm no painting expert, though---I believe some form of etch primer is the required thing for best results when painting epoxy surfaces, but that's as much as I know.

xalm04

Hi Yepe. I have 2 ES Carbon Fiber Pipes, and both have some minor crashes that I repaired with JB Weld. There are two types of JB Weld, and both seems to work fine, but I think it´s better the one with 24 hour cure time. Put some JB Weld in the part you want to repair, cover it with CF cloth and then put another thin layer of JB Weld. Trust me I´ve done this and never worried again.

yepe

Hi, xalm04. Thanks for the info. I'll try this to my ES pipe

yepe

xalm04, I forgot to ask you. What engine are you running with this pipe YS 4 stroke? Thanks