I guess this is as good a forum as any for this question: I want to glue a small metal fitting into a hollow carbon fiber tube. Is there a specific glue I should use, or better yet, a specific glue I should not use? I don't want to use anything that could harm the CF.

Thanks.

Edited by idester on 03/21/2010 14:36:34 MDT.

Doug,
Are you looking for a CUBEN fiber glue, or a CARBON fiber glue? The title of the post differs from the post content. Or was that a trick to get us to look at the thread? :)

I'm a tricky little bugger, aren't I!

Actually, just tired from a nice weekend trip in the woods. I meant carbon fiber glue. Thanks.

Edited by idester on 03/21/2010 14:37:38 MDT.

The MYOG article for making trekking poles recommends epoxy. I haven't done it yet, but epoxy seems to really work for everything, especially bonding between materials.

What project are you working on? Good luck on it!

Thanks John. Not a real project. I pulled the rubber expander off the bottom part of my GG LT4s - still in the top part. So I figure the only way I'm going to retrieve it is to put some 'glue' on the inside of the carbon fiber lower shaft, insert it so that it seats over the metal thingamijiggy, let it dry, then pull it out!

I assume the expander has is somehow "locked" in the threaded bolt (this happened to me), and when trying to pull them apart the epoxy on the "nut" gave before the expander? (mine didn't fail and I was able be get it apart.)

I have to wonder if another epoxy would do any better.

Edit: See next post -

Edited by greg23 on 03/21/2010 16:55:02 MDT.

Douglas,
Another thought -
If, indeed your expander is locked on the threaded bolt and is under compression, perhaps just a long-shafted screwdriver would do the trick. No need to hold the "nut".

Try this as a demonstration: Take your good pole apart. Tighten the expander against the bottom section to simulate the frozen one. Now, hold the expander with one hand and with a screwdriver in the other hand, "tighten" the screw, moving the "nut" away from the expander.

Got it? Now go find a long rod you can grind down, and drill a hole through your handle.

Or send it back to Grant.

Edited by greg23 on 03/21/2010 16:59:41 MDT.

Hi Greg,

Thanks for the idea. Indeed, I think I might have overtightened it in the morning before the day's hike, and when getting to camp and trying to loosen (to use with my shelter) the bottom section of the pole came out without the expander! So it's pretty far up the top section.

Your idea would work well, I'm sure. And, as luck would have it, I have a spare cork handle, so I could just 'remove' the handle altogether and retrieve it that way! I'd hate to send it all the way back to Grant for something I think I could easily fix myself.

Thanks again!

Doug

I think a pilot hole followed by a rasp would be easier than cutting off the current handle, but that's your call.

Let us know how things work out.

I decided to go the epoxy route. Put some JB Weld on the inside of the lower section, pushed it in the upper section until I could feel it slide over the metal piece, and let it sit over night. Loosened and disassembled this morning!

Nice. Congrats!

I would have lost a 6 pack. It seems nearly impossible that things would line up that well with those close tolerances.

I'm glad it worked.