[modeleng] Re: Mica?

  • From: "Len Smith" <parnobal2@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Sun, 8 Aug 2004 21:45:32 +0100

Noo... Tel...that's my hubble-bubble...peace man, aint the moon a funny 
colour!...
Len
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Terry Lane 
  To: modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2004 2:55 PM
  Subject: [modeleng] Re: Mica?

  Electrics - ain't that the system that runs on lil smoke-filled copper
  pipes?

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: "Allen Messer" <al_messer@xxxxxxxxx>
  To: <modeleng@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  Sent: Sunday, August 08, 2004 11:40 PM
  Subject: [modeleng] Re: Mica?


  > Sorry, Roger, electrics are beyond my ken.  Hopefuul
  > one of the others will know.  Is there no "little
  > electric repair shop" tucked in a little space "round
  > the corner from Main Street" in your town that
  > specializes in repairs of this sort?
  >
  > Al Messer
  >
  >
  > --- Roger Mason <roger.g3tdm@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
  >
  > > 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.
  > >
  >
  >
  >
  >
  > __________________________________
  > Do you Yahoo!?
  > New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - Send 10MB messages!
  > http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
  > 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.

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.

Other related posts: