Quote:
Originally Posted by Dukedesmo
I didn't bother with blind rivets as I had plenty of the normal kind laying around plus, I think if it starts blowing gases through the rivets then it's a sign that you need to re-pack anyway!
I wrapped the entire package of wadding with aluminium tape - there are several benefits to this;
You can 'form' the correct shape for the can, making it easier to insert.
Slides in easier as there is no wadding to snag on the sleeve
Adds an extra layer of heat protection to the carbon once the wadding has burnt out.
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Unfortunately you can't really use this method when using Acousta-Fil as you pack it quite loosely because it expands when heated filling any gaps in the process (you can actually hear the can has got quieter after it's first proper hot run up).
Acousta-Fil ready to go in:
So after giving the inside of the can a wipe over with some IPA (Isopropyl Alcohol) I then use an adhesive aluminium or aluminium glass mat tape stuck to the inside of a carbon can to protect it and because Acousta-Fil doesn't fill (sorry for the pun) the can initially there is no real problem when putting it all back together.
Again, when re-assembling I also smear a light coat of clear RTV silicone sealant on the faces where the can meet the inlet and exit spout just to ensure there are no leaks (a fussy MoT inspector could fail it for not being gas tight even if he accepts the volume- stupid I know but there you are) then I finish it off with blind rivets.
All the cans I have done, whether stainless, alloy or carbon have all had stainless steel gas tight rivets used so it seems logical to use the same when re-packing them and because the carbon is essentially 'sandwiched' between the metal spout and the rivet band it doesn't do any harm in my experience.
Gas tight stainless rivets compared to open aluminium ones:
As for drilling them out I use a 7mm Dewalt Cobalt drill bit in my Makita cordless drill- it takes the heads off nice and clean and then I simply tap out the rivet body with a correct sized punch.
They go through Stainless like butter:
For drilling the bands I make a mark and centre punch where I want to drill and go up in 0.5mm increments from 1.5mm (the smallest my cordless drill chuck will take) until I get the size I need and I just hold the band with a pair of pliers and drill into a piece of wooden block.
A late 80's Micron for a CRMC race bike I am doing, notice this is an alloy can with a chromed steel spout and no bands were/are used for this combo:
A 1990's MIG race can I have salvaged for my Yamaha Thundercat which is slightly unusual in that the inlet is Stainless Steel and is also the link pipe (like our Monster's) while the spout is alloy and the can as you can see is Carbon:
Finally the rivets on the FBF cans on my Monster after their re-packing:
