RE: flexible aluminum... ugh

["Tesla list" <tesla-at-pupman-dot-com>]

Original poster: "Lau, Gary by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <Gary.Lau-at-compaq-dot-com>

I also covered my first corrugated 4"x15"  Al duct toroid with a
two-part wood filler, probably very similar to Bondo.  It took an
enormous amount of elbow grease to sand it smooth, and while it did
ultimately come out looking nice, the filler added considerable weight
and I doubt it would survive a minor fall or good bump without cracking.

I have not found a simple means of smoothing a corrugated duct toroid,
although several layers of masking or duct tape may work.

There are two secrets to getting Al tape to lie flat.  The first it to
cut the tape strips into a width that is appropriate for the minor
diameter of your toroid.  For my 4" by 15" toroid, I think I cut the 2"
wide tape into 1" wide strips.  For my 7"x30" toroid I used the full 2"
width.

The second trick is to use a wooden tool to (laboriously) burnish each
strip after it's applied.  I don't know how well this will work if the
surface beneath the Al tape is less than hard (like several layers of
duct tape).

Regards, Gary Lau
MA, USA


>Original poster: "Mike Novak by way of Terry Fritz
<twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" ><acmnovak-at-msn-dot-com>
>
>Hi All,
>I was hoping some people might share their knowledge of making smooth,
>homebrew toroids... I'm so sick of looking at those flexible duct
toploads
>:-þ
>I was thinking of using bondo or something to coat a flexible aluminum
>toroid to make it smooth, then coat with aluminum tape. However, when I
>apply the tape, it always forms these unsightly wrinkles along the
>curvature... how do I avoid these?
>Thanks a ton...
>-Mike