I would guess that it is mica. I have seen it flake and disintegrate due to age and heat, but not change as you mention. Might only do that under certain heat + pressure conditions. On the other hand, I suppose there might be some substitute for mica available today. If there is, I have not come across it. But, if so, I wonder how it would be for a gauge glass protector? alan@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx www.alanstepney.info Model Engineering, Steam Engine, and Railway technical pages. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Roger Mason" <roger.g3tdm@xxxxxxxxxx> To: "Model Engineering List - Latest" <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2004 8:41 AM Subject: [modeleng] Mica? Hi All, I've just had a disaster! I have a large electric soldering iron (300 watts). I was using this the other day when a sort of Frying noise came from it. Shortly afterwards I realised that it was cooling down, despite still being plugged in and turned on. I quickly discovered that the element was open circuit. So in the "nothing ventured - nothing gained" spirit I opened up the iron. I eventually found the secret to getting inside it and found the element very easy to get to. The element was a simple coil of heater wire insulated in sheets of translucent material which I assumed was mica. However as I delved deeper into the element the sheets of mica became "welded" together. It appears that the element produced a 'hot-spot'. In this region the mica has changed in appearance and texture. Instead of being sheet material with a slippery feel, it was a pink brittle uniform substance, which looked for all the world like the pink plaster one uses on walls of a room. I carefully chipped this away and came to a hollow lump of what looked like a black glassy substance - very like silver solder flux which has melted and solidified. I presumed this is where the frying came from - a little arc between the element and an end wire. My questions are - was this insulation material really mica? Does mica behave in this way? If it was not mica what was it? Have the chemists come up with a modern alternative for natural mica? In the meantime I am trying to find a source for a new element. The iron was made by Goot, a Japanese company who have a web site, so I have asked if they have a U.K. dealer who can supply me - but maybe someone on this list has this knowledge. I look forward to the list's input on this topic. Cheers, Roger Mason, in St. Agnes. MODEL ENGINEERING DISCUSSION LIST. To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, send a blank email to, modeleng-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line. MODEL ENGINEERING DISCUSSION LIST. To UNSUBSCRIBE from this list, send a blank email to, modeleng-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with the word "unsubscribe" in the subject line.