Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #08532
To: beam@sgiblab.sgi.com
From: rdraycott@CPL.co.uk
Date: Tue, 21 Dec 1999 11:56:54 +0000
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Carbon fiber, very dangerous and construction overkill
re the recent chat on carbon fibre
as I pointed out before carbon fibre splinters dont tend to be visible to the
naked eye and once in your skin migrate around your body,
the recomendation is that when handling the raw cloth or strand rubber or latex
gloves are worn,
when cutting the stuff as some have described large coluds of the stuff become
airborne so when cutting rod lubricate with washing up liquid (soap) that way
you will keep down the stuff , NEVER NEVER NEVER sand the stuff without a
wetting medium.
The use of carbon in our context is downright stupid since its just overkill for
the task, I remember the chaps that made a walker in 1/8 th carbon sheet !!
they dont even use stuff that sort of sheet dimension often aircraft let alone a
mincing little bot. These fools apparently sanded the stuff to shape !!!!!!
This stuff is only of any value if you use it in the correct places for the
right reason rather than for the sake of using it !!!!!
Remember that Carbon Fibre is stiff but britle and in rod form the resin that
surrounds the inividual fibres will delaminate from the fibres long before the
actual fibre snaps.
I recomend that beamers stick to safer alternatives that are plenty strong
enough for our task unless you know the PROS and CONS of Carbon,
have a valid reason to use it ,
and intent to use it in sensible construction techniques.
Rob D
AKA " Powerbuilder"
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