Carbon fiber wing tubes
 

My problem, I have a carbon fiber wing tube that no matter how much I sand it it just get fatter. I can make it fit one day and the next day it is tight. Are there good and bad carbon fiber wing tubes. In advance

Thanks Bob

Don't sand the tube, sand inside the wing tube socket using a drill motor and some 80 grit sand paper fixed to the end of a wooden or metal shaft, take your time going in a in & out motion until you have a good fit. Make sure you remove all dust particles when you are finished and wax and polish your wing tube with any automotive wax as well.

Bob

I'd worry that you've compromised the strength of your wing tube if you've removed significant thickness from it. The strength of these composite parts comes from the fibers being sealed in the resin. If you take away the resin and get into the fibers, you've lost the strength those fibers were meant to give you. Sensei is right; you adapt the wood hole to the wing tube, not the other way around.

I agree that the socket should be sized to the tube but I would not worry about the tube strength. It would take hours to sand enough material to thin down the wall enough to be an issue. Surface resin really has very little to do with strength. Its the resin content in the fabric that does that. most of these tubes are made my wrapping material around a mandrel and then machining the OD to the correct dia. The manufacturer may put a gloss of resin or clear coat over the machined surface just to make it look pretty again. The issue is that the socket is either too flexible or too thin and when the ribs expand to humility changes the tube gets tight. In the end it's going to be a live with the PITA situation. Bobs suggestion of waxing the tube is spot on and I would add that I would wet sand the tube with 1000 grit and then wax. Dry sanding will only get carbon dust in you lungs.

Try baby powder or soap stone as a lube in the hole