Making a pipe chamber

Waternut

Waternut

Customizing addict
Location
Macon, GA
I'm looking into the possibility of making a composite b pipe chamber for myself and maybe for others if it works out. However, I've run into a major problem. I can't find any composite resins that can withstand the temperatures. Anyone know of anything that can withstand 250°F+ temperatures or even close?

I know prepregs have ratings in the 250° and 350° range but those fabrics are very expensive and even more expensive to cure properly. The West epoxy systems show heat deflection at around 120°F. I emailed US composites and they say that their highest temperature resin is 170°F but didn't say whether that was absolute max or sustained max. Even on a nice spring day the pipe would get hotter than 170 and if the cooling line got blocked or you forgot to hook up the line after working on it, a nice expensive chamber would be completely ruined in a matter of minutes.
 
Waternut

Waternut

Customizing addict
Location
Macon, GA
eastbay said:
doesnt wamiltons make one?
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Wamiltons does make one. It's $495 and it's a mod chamber instead of a limited...hence the reason I'd like to try to make one myself.

Foximus said:
Why wouldnt you just make it out of steel? Waay more power to be had, and far easier to work with.
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First, steel is very heavy, it rusts, and it's not the easiest thing to bend and shape. Composites are much easier to work with IMO, much lighter, and WAY better looking. Who here honestly wouldn't want a black and blue carbon/kevlar chamber in their hull as opposed to a nasty ass dull aluminum chamber?
 
Waternut

Waternut

Customizing addict
Location
Macon, GA
Foximus said:
Id take a stainless chamber any day over some junk composite chamber.


But thats me. I like functionality over form.
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Have you ever welded stainless steel? I'll admit that I haven't but I asked a bunch of people about welding me a pole bracket and they all cringed when I said I wanted to make it out of stainless. So based on the multiple responses I got from welders, I'm going to assume working a complex structure out of stainless and welding it together would be VERY difficult.
 
scotts2t

scotts2t

Head Woop!
Location
Lake Erie
A composite chamber would be sweet!!! Read the temp of your chamber after a good ride with one of those laser reader things. I dont think it would get above 170. Just hope that you dont lose your pipe cooling, doest happen often that you would. Welding stainless is simple. Cutting/milling it is a nightmare bacuase its so hard.
 
eastbay

eastbay

Location
Bay Area
Waternut said:
Wamiltons does make one. It's $495 and it's a mod chamber instead of a limited...hence the reason I'd like to try to make one myself.



First, steel is very heavy, it rusts, and it's not the easiest thing to bend and shape. Composites are much easier to work with IMO, much lighter, and WAY better looking. Who here honestly wouldn't want a black and blue carbon/kevlar chamber in their hull as opposed to a nasty ass dull aluminum chamber?
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i wasnt saying just buy it new! just saying they make them. so it should be no prob!
 
yamanube

yamanube

This Is The Way
Staff member
Location
Mandalor
Waternut said:
Who here honestly wouldn't want a black and blue carbon/kevlar chamber in their hull as opposed to a nasty ass dull aluminum chamber?
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I had one, loved it, wish I still had it. I am sure the carbon insulates the heat alot but my chamber barely got warm to the touch, never hot.
 
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Waternut

Waternut

Customizing addict
Location
Macon, GA
Dustin Mustangs said:
Fiberglast epoxy resin lists a glass transition temp of 196`F:

http://www.fibreglast.com/downloads/00057-B.pdf

and their vinyl ester is 209`F:

http://www.fibreglast.com/downloads/00061-B.pdf

Not perfect, but better. Stainless is obviously a superior material but there is no way it would be as easy or as cheap as frp.
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That vinyl ester resin looks good. It has a heat distorting at 209°F which is not necessarily the fail temperature so it might withstand higher temperatures long enough for me to figure out that I F-ed up and forgot to hook up a fitting....cause you never know. 3 month shelf like sucks though...lol
 
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GIL

GIL

Power In The Hands Of Few
Location
Cullman AL
Foximus said:
Id take a stainless chamber any day over some junk composite chamber.


But thats me. I like functionality over form.
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Easy there jr.

I have been running a carbon limited made by a friend of mine for almost 2 full seasons now. I have tested back to back with a TNT, blaster mod, normal B limited and normal B mod. The normal B limited is in my wife's RN, I have loaned my B mod to Kennay on a temporary/permanant basis, traded the TNT for t/l and gave the blaster mod to my neighbor. I spent 6 months trying to prove the carbon limited did not work and all I found is that it does. ( I have had a cooling line pop off twice and got the chamber soooo dam hot that it was soft-after it cooled off it went to original shape and is still great to this day).

Granted-the guy that made my chamber is probaly one of the top composite guys in the US. He makes carbon legs for a living.

Oh yeah, as long as cooling lines all stay connected I would say my chamber never gets over 120 degrees to the touch on the outside.
 
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sportfish258

sportfish258

What is the weight savings ? They do look nice . You could do a lost wax mold using carbon sleeves . You should ask a professional .
 
McDog

McDog

Other Administrator
Staff member
Location
South Florida
Waternut said:
That vinyl ester resin looks good. It has a heat distorting at 209°F which is not necessarily the fail temperature so it might withstand higher temperatures long enough for me to figure out that I F-ed up and forgot to hook up a fitting....cause you never know. 3 month shelf like sucks though...lol
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Not if you make them all at once.
 
Waternut

Waternut

Customizing addict
Location
Macon, GA
I'm sure the weight savings wouldn't be much (<5lbs). It would primarily be for looks and if I can make it work, it would get some limited chambers to all the people that are looking for them.

Here is a pic of the wamiltons chamber and I'd like to use a blue/black weave for that extra effect.
 

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Foximus

Foximus

CFL Cheapass.
Location
Oviedo, Fl
I'm not saying they dont work Gil. But you cant dent them, you DO indeed have to keep in mind that there is a point where you have to run them marginally cooler, and then... Well gosh darnet. I'm gonna feel bad when I mar up my $600 pretty carbon chamber.

LoL.
 
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