On 12/24/2010 9:27 AM, Wayne Rogers wrote:
> I have managed to put a crack in my chimney (SK-506 for 4-1000 etc). The
> crack is such that I am afraid that even the pressure from the metal clips
> will cause a large piece of the glass to break off.
>
> Has anyone had any luck either repairing such a crack or having a glass
> repair firm do it? I have looked around for some such repair service, but
> have not had any luck. I was hoping to find someone that repairs antique
> glass. I would think that in the right hands the glass could be heated and
> re-joined?
Yes, this sort of thing can often be repaired...Note that's "often" and
not always.
If the chimney is Pyrex and not plain glass the repair is pretty
straight forward, if it's not Pyrex it's risky at best, but even Pyrex
welding is not without risk when it's a large area consisting of
relatively thin material.
I would suggest searching for a "glass blower" or place that fabricates
laboratory glass ware. They are fairly common in or near towns with
large and diverse chemical plants.
Then the question becomes on of: will they undertake a small job like
that AND can you afford it.
"Typically" even Pyrex items of that size need to be brought up to a
reasonably hot and uniform temp. The cracked pieces are welded back
together using a hydrogen flame. Hydrogen is used because it's clean.
The flame temp is actually less than OxyAcetylene, but you can get a LOT
of BTUs through a small tip. Once welded the item/chimney should be
cooled slowly to prevent undue stress from building up or it'll just
break again.
> As these chimneys are getting scarce I'd like to repair this one - but I'm
> probably looking at a cost equal or greater than what I can pay for a
> replacement. Any thoughts?
You *might* get lucky, but it's likely you could purchase several new
ones for the price of repairing one. As I said, you could get lucky so
don't give up and keep looking.
Gas lantern chimneys are often used for 4-400 and 3-500s, but I think
the 4-1000 is a bit larger. Still, there might be something out there.
73, Good Luck, and Merry Christmas
Roger (K8RI)
> Merry Christmas to all.
> Wayne N1WR
>
> _______________________________________________
> Amps mailing list
> Amps@contesting.com
> http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps
>
_______________________________________________
Amps mailing list
Amps@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/amps
|