There was a short debate on here a while back about whether normal steel wool was suitable for wrapping around the perforated centre tube of your exhaust silencer. Someone said it would burn, others weren't so sure.

Well, I have the answer. I managed a last minute place on a track day the other weekend and had to do a quick repack of my silencer to get past the noise regs. I used normal steel wool wired to the perforated tube and rockwool insulation. (the only materials I could get at short notice). It lasted for the entire trackday (didn't get kicked off) and then about 150 miles or so. I opened the silencer up today and there was almost nothing left. The steel wool was all but gone and the little that was left just crumbled when you handled it. I guess once the steel wool had gone the rockwool was just blown out of the silencer.

Anyway repacked it today, stainless steel wool wired to the centre tube, then a layer of ceramic fibre blanket (which I had left over from repacking it before) and the rest of the space filled with rockwool. I'll let you know how long it lasts.


[Edited on 12/2/06 by givemethebighammer]

Steel wool is flammable by the way, not sure I'd want to put any in my exhaust.

I took the risk because it was all I had. Did the job for the track day but as I said it didn't last long.

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Originally posted by givemethebighammer
I took the risk because it was all I had. Did the job for the track day but as I said it didn't last long.

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Steel wool is only flammable when electrically charged as in dropped across battery terminals, it acts as an element. Milners sell it for their silencer kits and the only reason more firms don't use it is the cost. Ordinary wire wool would have rusted away, not blown out of the end. Leave some outside overnight and see the effect damp has on it.



[Edited on 12/2/06 by Peteff]

Fraid not Pete, welding sparks will ignite it, as well as applied flame. It glows red along the strands and when you put it out the bits that have been red it just disintegrates.

Yea, iron/steel powders are much the same, will set on fire very nicely!

I had a visor ruined by some guy doing that on his race bike..........

When we were on the H&S course the only way we could get it to go up in flames was shorting it across a battery, a PP9 would do the job quite well. It would melt with a blowlamp and oxidise quickly and we never had any success lighting it with grinder sparks. Arcing a welder on it lit it but the sparks had no effect when it was left close to the weld. We successfully lit a bin of rags from 12 feet away while gas cutting though, all under the eye of a fire officer in a risk assessment, that was the furthest we got anything to light. Most dust/powder is flammable, in the right concentration, flour in air is explosive and can be set off by static charge.



[Edited on 12/2/06 by Peteff]

Just to exercise my pyromaniac tendencies, I just tried and it burns quite well with a match applied to it...

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Originally posted by Viper
and i bet anyone following you was very happy when they came to clean there car and found bits of wire wool embeddedi in there paintwork

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I still don't think there's any reason to worry about it in the reasonably oxygen free environment of a silencer, combustion doesn't happen without that valuable ingredient. I've just tried some in the fireplace Mike, it melted but didn't make flames, now pack it tight or twist it up like in a silencer and it melts the loose ends off then stops. Viper, did you have your nose up his exhaust to mark your visor? I'd chalk that one down to experience if it was me and buy a new visor
P.S. the wife's looking at me very strangely now.

[Edited on 12/2/06 by Peteff]

Didn't you ask them to give you a wide berth in case they splashed stuff on your paintwork, I've noticed Rossi doesn't get within 30 yards of anyones exhaust in case he damages his visor If your tailpipe faces sideways or down you aren't going to mark anything with it unless you're swapping paint and touching wheels, not usually allowed on trackdays. I know it's what I'm using when I make my next one. Have a look on here and here and don't worry about who's behind you on the track or the road, they're not worrying about you when they are in front.

very fine wire wool is often used in survival kits as tinder (ie lights easily)

My exhaust does point sideways (and slightly down).

http://www.gilescooper.co.uk/mods/mods2004-8.html

really must tell Giles he needs to modify his wunoff silencer. I modified mine so I can remove both ends (rivnuts fitted instead of rivets). Makes the job much easier.

1. Remove the end with the perforated centre tube, wrap centre tube with stainless steel wool and wire tightly in place.

2. Refit the above

3. remove other end cap and fill the void between the centre tube and the silencer body with chosen packing material.

4. smear a little silicone sealant around the joins to fully seal it up.

much easier.

stainless steel wool will be just about as flammable as mild steel wool, isn't it? I wouldn't put either in an exhaust.

Read how the scouts do it on here . They use an AA battery to ignite it and then add the tinder. I'll ask Ray Mears if I want survival tips, I'll follow the experts like Scorpion exhausts and Milner offroad about exhaust matters.

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Originally posted by Viper
I had a visor ruined by some guy doing that on his race bike..........

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Originally posted by Peteff
Read how the scouts do it on here . They use an AA battery to ignite it and then add the tinder.

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