I will be working on a project where I am covering brass pipes with carbon
fiber and then soldering the pipes together. The torch will be about a half
inch from the dried carbon fiber. Does the fiber react to heat or flames
in any nasty way?

LLB

"LLBrown" fired this volley in
:

I will be working on a project where I am covering brass pipes with
carbon fiber and then soldering the pipes together. The torch will
be
about a half inch from the dried carbon fiber. Does the fiber
react
to heat or flames in any nasty way?

LLB




Is it just pure carbon fiber, not a carbon fiber composite (with epoxy
or polyester resin)?

IF it's just pure fiber with no plastic binder, you can protect it by
totally excluding oxygen from the hot area -- by sealing it up in
metal tape, putty, a flood of inert gas... whatever.

But if it's a carbon-reinforced composite... forget it. It's going to
bubble, swell, burn, stink, smoke, and generally go all to pieces at
soldering heat. (unless you got lucky and used an epoxy designed to
the purpose, like that used in PCB material).

LLoyd

On Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:06:44 -0600, LLBrown wrote:

I will be working on a project where I am covering brass pipes with
carbon fiber and then soldering the pipes together. The torch will be
about a half inch from the dried carbon fiber. Does the fiber react to
heat or flames in any nasty way?

LLB

The carbon fiber part will just burn, producing CO2.

The plastic that it's laminated with (the part that "dries") will burn,
producing whatever nasties it produces. What's it laminated with? Epoxy?

--
Tim Wescott
Control systems and communications consulting
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Need to learn how to apply control theory in your embedded system?
"Applied Control Theory for Embedded Systems" by Tim Wescott
Elsevier/Newnes, http://www.wescottdesign.com/actfes/actfes.html

Great answer, thanks!

"Lloyd E. Sponenburgh" lloydspinsidemindspring.com wrote in message
. 3.70...
"LLBrown" fired this volley in
:

I will be working on a project where I am covering brass pipes with
carbon fiber and then soldering the pipes together. The torch will
be
about a half inch from the dried carbon fiber. Does the fiber
react
to heat or flames in any nasty way?

LLB




Is it just pure carbon fiber, not a carbon fiber composite (with epoxy
or polyester resin)?

IF it's just pure fiber with no plastic binder, you can protect it by
totally excluding oxygen from the hot area -- by sealing it up in
metal tape, putty, a flood of inert gas... whatever.

But if it's a carbon-reinforced composite... forget it. It's going to
bubble, swell, burn, stink, smoke, and generally go all to pieces at
soldering heat. (unless you got lucky and used an epoxy designed to
the purpose, like that used in PCB material).

LLoyd

I think your best bet would probably be resistance soldering, and not flame.
Resistance soldering is often a tweezer/tong like tool that creates heat at
the contact points well, between them, actually, using the contacts to
create a path for the low voltage current.

With the RS method, the heat is generated within the workpiece itself, not
transferred or conducted into the workpiece from a source, such as torch or
electrically heated tip.
This has been the preferred method of assembling mulit-conductor connectors
with many solder connections.. such as military and aircraft avionics
connectors.

You would need to practice with some pieces of the same size to find the
best heat range to attain full solder penetration of the joint, but the RS
method would accomplish the job with the least amount of damage to the
nearby composite material.

American Beauty is one maker, but there have been numerous others, and maybe
there still are a few.

A little added margin of protection could be had by using a cooling material
on the composite material, such as heat barrier foam or putty which could
easily be removed.

--
WB
..........
metalworking projects
www.kwagmire.com/metal_proj.html


"LLBrown" wrote in message
...
I will be working on a project where I am covering brass pipes with carbon
fiber and then soldering the pipes together. The torch will be about a
half inch from the dried carbon fiber. Does the fiber react to heat or
flames in any nasty way?

LLB

On Thu, 1 Jan 2009 00:47:21 -0500, "Wild_Bill"
wrote:

I think your best bet would probably be resistance soldering, and not flame.
Resistance soldering is often a tweezer/tong like tool that creates heat at
the contact points well, between them, actually, using the contacts to
create a path for the low voltage current.

With the RS method, the heat is generated within the workpiece itself, not
transferred or conducted into the workpiece from a source, such as torch or
electrically heated tip.
This has been the preferred method of assembling mulit-conductor connectors
with many solder connections.. such as military and aircraft avionics
connectors.

You would need to practice with some pieces of the same size to find the
best heat range to attain full solder penetration of the joint, but the RS
method would accomplish the job with the least amount of damage to the
nearby composite material.

American Beauty is one maker, but there have been numerous others, and maybe
there still are a few.

A little added margin of protection could be had by using a cooling material
on the composite material, such as heat barrier foam or putty which could
easily be removed.


Ive got an elderly resistance soldering device. A big transformer
attached to a pair of tongs resembling a handle for a bullet mold.

Graphite blocks in the end of the tongs are milled out to about 3/8 half
rounds.

Anyone can have it if they want to come and get it.

Gunner

"Upon Roosevelt's death in 1945, H. L. Mencken predicted in his diary
that Roosevelt would be remembered as a great president, "maybe even
alongside Washington and Lincoln," opining that Roosevelt "had every
quality that morons esteem in their heroes.""

Makings of a stick welder sounds like it.
Add a high frequency spark and away you go.

To far away for a visit. :-)

Martin

Gunner Asch wrote:
On Thu, 1 Jan 2009 00:47:21 -0500, "Wild_Bill"
wrote:

I think your best bet would probably be resistance soldering, and not flame.
Resistance soldering is often a tweezer/tong like tool that creates heat at
the contact points well, between them, actually, using the contacts to
create a path for the low voltage current.

With the RS method, the heat is generated within the workpiece itself, not
transferred or conducted into the workpiece from a source, such as torch or
electrically heated tip.
This has been the preferred method of assembling mulit-conductor connectors
with many solder connections.. such as military and aircraft avionics
connectors.

You would need to practice with some pieces of the same size to find the
best heat range to attain full solder penetration of the joint, but the RS
method would accomplish the job with the least amount of damage to the
nearby composite material.

American Beauty is one maker, but there have been numerous others, and maybe
there still are a few.

A little added margin of protection could be had by using a cooling material
on the composite material, such as heat barrier foam or putty which could
easily be removed.


Ive got an elderly resistance soldering device. A big transformer
attached to a pair of tongs resembling a handle for a bullet mold.

Graphite blocks in the end of the tongs are milled out to about 3/8 half
rounds.

Anyone can have it if they want to come and get it.

Gunner

"Upon Roosevelt's death in 1945, H. L. Mencken predicted in his diary
that Roosevelt would be remembered as a great president, "maybe even
alongside Washington and Lincoln," opining that Roosevelt "had every
quality that morons esteem in their heroes.""

On Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:10:05 -0600, "Martin H. Eastburn"
wrote:

Makings of a stick welder sounds like it.
Add a high frequency spark and away you go.

To far away for a visit. :-)

Martin

the transformer only puts out about 2 volts, but at signficant amps.


Gunner Asch wrote:
On Thu, 1 Jan 2009 00:47:21 -0500, "Wild_Bill"
wrote:

I think your best bet would probably be resistance soldering, and not flame.
Resistance soldering is often a tweezer/tong like tool that creates heat at
the contact points well, between them, actually, using the contacts to
create a path for the low voltage current.

With the RS method, the heat is generated within the workpiece itself, not
transferred or conducted into the workpiece from a source, such as torch or
electrically heated tip.
This has been the preferred method of assembling mulit-conductor connectors
with many solder connections.. such as military and aircraft avionics
connectors.

You would need to practice with some pieces of the same size to find the
best heat range to attain full solder penetration of the joint, but the RS
method would accomplish the job with the least amount of damage to the
nearby composite material.

American Beauty is one maker, but there have been numerous others, and maybe
there still are a few.

A little added margin of protection could be had by using a cooling material
on the composite material, such as heat barrier foam or putty which could
easily be removed.


Ive got an elderly resistance soldering device. A big transformer
attached to a pair of tongs resembling a handle for a bullet mold.

Graphite blocks in the end of the tongs are milled out to about 3/8 half
rounds.

Anyone can have it if they want to come and get it.

Gunner

"Upon Roosevelt's death in 1945, H. L. Mencken predicted in his diary
that Roosevelt would be remembered as a great president, "maybe even
alongside Washington and Lincoln," opining that Roosevelt "had every
quality that morons esteem in their heroes.""

"Upon Roosevelt's death in 1945, H. L. Mencken predicted in his diary
that Roosevelt would be remembered as a great president, "maybe even
alongside Washington and Lincoln," opining that Roosevelt "had every
quality that morons esteem in their heroes.""

Yep - forgot.

Gunner Asch wrote:
On Thu, 01 Jan 2009 21:10:05 -0600, "Martin H. Eastburn"
wrote:

Makings of a stick welder sounds like it.
Add a high frequency spark and away you go.

To far away for a visit. :-)

Martin

the transformer only puts out about 2 volts, but at signficant amps.

Gunner Asch wrote:
On Thu, 1 Jan 2009 00:47:21 -0500, "Wild_Bill"
wrote:

I think your best bet would probably be resistance soldering, and not flame.
Resistance soldering is often a tweezer/tong like tool that creates heat at
the contact points well, between them, actually, using the contacts to
create a path for the low voltage current.

With the RS method, the heat is generated within the workpiece itself, not
transferred or conducted into the workpiece from a source, such as torch or
electrically heated tip.
This has been the preferred method of assembling mulit-conductor connectors
with many solder connections.. such as military and aircraft avionics
connectors.

You would need to practice with some pieces of the same size to find the
best heat range to attain full solder penetration of the joint, but the RS
method would accomplish the job with the least amount of damage to the
nearby composite material.

American Beauty is one maker, but there have been numerous others, and maybe
there still are a few.

A little added margin of protection could be had by using a cooling material
on the composite material, such as heat barrier foam or putty which could
easily be removed.

Ive got an elderly resistance soldering device. A big transformer
attached to a pair of tongs resembling a handle for a bullet mold.

Graphite blocks in the end of the tongs are milled out to about 3/8 half
rounds.

Anyone can have it if they want to come and get it.

Gunner

"Upon Roosevelt's death in 1945, H. L. Mencken predicted in his diary
that Roosevelt would be remembered as a great president, "maybe even
alongside Washington and Lincoln," opining that Roosevelt "had every
quality that morons esteem in their heroes.""

"Upon Roosevelt's death in 1945, H. L. Mencken predicted in his diary
that Roosevelt would be remembered as a great president, "maybe even
alongside Washington and Lincoln," opining that Roosevelt "had every
quality that morons esteem in their heroes.""