givemethebighammer
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 07:23 PM |
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exhaust packing update
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]
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gazza285
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 07:38 PM |
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Steel wool is flammable by the way, not sure I'd want to put any in my exhaust.
DO NOT PUT ON KNOB OR BOLLOCKS!
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givemethebighammer
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 07:40 PM |
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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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Viper
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 08:13 PM |
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quote:
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.
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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Peteff
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 08:15 PM |
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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]
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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gazza285
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 09:02 PM |
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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.
DO NOT PUT ON KNOB OR BOLLOCKS!
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NS Dev
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 09:05 PM |
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Yea, iron/steel powders are much the same, will set on fire very nicely!
Retro RWD is the way forward...........automotive fabrication, car restoration, sheetmetal work, engine conversion
retro car restoration and tuning
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Viper
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 09:11 PM |
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I had a visor ruined by some guy doing that on his race bike..........
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Peteff
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 09:29 PM |
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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]
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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MikeRJ
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 09:36 PM |
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Just to exercise my pyromaniac tendencies, I just tried and it burns quite well with a match applied to it...
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givemethebighammer
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 09:49 PM |
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quote:
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
Never thought about that one . However, judging by the state of my cars bodywork (covered in melted rubber and other crap, there was plenty of other
rubbish coming out of /off other people's cars as well.
Now I know I won't be doing it again.
ps Pete the stuff I repacked it with today was from Milners and it was stainless steel wool.
[Edited on 12/2/06 by givemethebighammer]
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Peteff
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 09:53 PM |
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You're using different stuff to what we had.
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]
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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Peteff
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| posted on 12/2/06 at 10:17 PM |
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bits of wire wool embeddedi in there paintwork
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.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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MikeR
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| posted on 13/2/06 at 10:01 AM |
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very fine wire wool is often used in survival kits as tinder (ie lights easily)
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givemethebighammer
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| posted on 13/2/06 at 09:03 PM |
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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.
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blueshift
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| posted on 13/2/06 at 09:57 PM |
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stainless steel wool will be just about as flammable as mild steel wool, isn't it? I wouldn't put either in an exhaust.
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Peteff
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| posted on 13/2/06 at 10:24 PM |
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very fine wire wool is often used in survival kits as tinder (ie lights easily)
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.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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SteveH
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| posted on 14/2/06 at 10:52 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Viper
I had a visor ruined by some guy doing that on his race bike..........
Bit OT, but might make sombody laugh...
I used wire wool as the fuse element in some stage thunderflashes once. The idea was to reduce the amount of power we were using... had to turn the
lights of to set of the flashes normally.
The bits of burning wool set the lead singers hair on fire... & the bass players instrement got an interesting pok marked effect on it's
paint job.
I didn't have much to do with the band after that....
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DarrenW
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| posted on 14/2/06 at 11:04 AM |
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quote:
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.
Where do you get beat from?
(Remember, any fire needs the following three things: beat, fuel and oxygen.).
The fire designs are interesting - one looks like meat and 2 veg.
I managed to set fire to wire woll when welding my sump - very easily done. Have you seen aluminium go up before? Quite scary. Ive seen this in the
factory when aluminium work benches were being made from extrusion. The swarfe from the saw started to burn just with the heat generated.
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