Fractured Axel

I put an order in for about a metre of 5.5 mm putruded carbon tube to replace my lower spreader break

Can I have some advice in the cutting of it?

Will it 'fray" if I take to it with a hacksaw to get my lengths?

Whats the best way to cut the length to the size required? I dont want wastage as its worth at least two new spreaders

I use a fine blade in a junior hacksaw and cut in towards the middle from the outside (i.e. cut a ring and work inward) with light pressure. Finish with a but of sandpaper to remove burrs.

If you are plugging the ends with fibreglass rod, cut in the same way. You can put a neat taper on the ends with a pencil sharpener.

In both cases, avoid inhaling any dust and, with gf, wear latex gloves or similar to keep it off your skin - it's like itchjng powder.


On the batphone, so expect typos...

Oh great...

This is gonna be fun

I gues small hacksaws with metal cutting blades are most common used for cutting carbon. Tape is good idea for protect edges. After cutting an sanding You may use some cyanoacrylate glue to protect the edge of rod.

The best and quickest way is to use a Dremel with a cutoff wheel attached. Once I got the Dremel, I couldn't believe how long I'd been doing without it.

adicakes wrote:

The best and quickest way is to use a Dremel with a cutoff wheel attached. Once I got the Dremel, I couldn't believe how long I'd been doing without it.

You know!!

adicakes wrote:

The best and quickest way is to use a Dremel with a cutoff wheel attached. Once I got the Dremel, I couldn't believe how long I'd been doing without it.

Yeah, so 5 seconds with a dremel and 15 with the hacksaw, dam all those 10 seconds lost.................

Craig wrote:

Yeah, so 5 seconds with a dremel and 15 with the hacksaw, dam all those 10 seconds lost.................

SkyRags wrote:

Oh great...

This is gonna be fun

It's no problem, really easy. Put a bit of paper masking tape around the spar where you are going to cut and mark the length - Remember! measure twice, cut once....you wouldn't be the first to find you've cut it too short!.... Always use a new , sharp junior hacksaw blade - carbon fibre blunts them quicker that you'd believe. Finish off with some wet& dry paper to smooth the end....I must try the pencil sharpener next time. Mind you don't get any carbon fibre splinters in your fingers, they're nasty little bu55ers!

I do it the really slow way! More like 30 mins per cut, not 5.
I rotate the spar and use a sharp blade to cut through the layers of carbon to keep its strength. I was told if you just cut through it then you weaken the carbon.

Broady wrote:

I do it the really slow way! More like 30 mins per cut, not 5.
I rotate the spar and use a sharp blade to cut through the layers of carbon to keep its strength. I was told if you just cut through it then you weaken the carbon.

I'd rather do 30 min of patient precision than a 'hack' job - ba dum pah!

It is info I had from a guy that worked with carbon (he made race bike fairings) and a remote control shop. I don't know if its true or not.

Cheers people

I went the way of junior hacksaw and cut in and around the tube. Tapered it off with sandpaper then put fabric tape around the end close to the centre

The only issue I faced was the replacement tube is 5.5mm whereas the previous tube was 5mm...I gently widened the aperture on the centre -T to accommodate

But everything is back to normal- yay!

sftonkin wrote:

If you are plugging the ends with fibreglass rod, cut in the same way. You can put a neat taper on the ends with a pencil sharpener.

This is well worth the extra effort to avoid a stress raiser where the carbon flexes against a square edge on the FG rod. Same with solid ferrules too.