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By englerz2
#403617
Hi folks,
Well, I REALLY whacked last weekend (another story) and broke my carbon base tube in half. What to do now? Buy a new one from Wills for $930( !!??). Fix it (not gonna happen if I have to do it)? Change to aluminum (don't wanna)? Thus this post.
Does anyone know someone who is willing to fix carbon fiber for a reasonable price? We're taking several hundred dollars here for a high quality job. If not that, how about someone who has somehow destroyed their glider, but the carbon base tube is in reasonable condition? OR how about someone who really wants a carbon base tube (they are nice and warm on the hands during those high flights), and would be willing to fix a broken one (we could make a deal - it's yours for less than half the cost of a new one). Maybe there is some option I haven't thought of? Go ahead and propose something! No need to propose learning how to land - I already know that :(.
Oh yeah - the size of just the carbon part (not including the machined aluminum ends) is 50 inches. It's from a T2C136.
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By Wonder Boy
#403623
unfortunately i doubt you will find anyone that can / will do the job. (correctly)
Its a structural part of the glider .
If done wrong, the failure could be more costly than the part (your life)

Pony up the dough and live a long fruitful life flying .
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By miraclepieco
#403624
Aluminum.

CF is too easily compromised by typical hang gliding environs with sharp rocks, etc. Factory pilots can get away with the stuff because they replace gliders so frequently, but after a couple of seasons my CF basetubes have been so gouged up that I never felt safe with them.
By seb
#403625
Hey If the control frame on the 136 is the small one I had a sport 2c 135 a year ago that I sold and gave the control bar(carbon wills small control frame ) to Matt at Lookout Mountain. I still think its in their display rack. Its maybe got 10 flights on it, zero wacks! Im sure it priced awesome! Call lookout mountain flight park and speak to them regarding the carbon base tube in the display case.
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By trnbrn
#403626
Wonder Boy wrote: Mon Jun 04, 2018 2:46 am unfortunately i doubt you will find anyone that can / will do the job. (correctly)
Its a structural part of the glider .
If done wrong, the failure could be more costly than the part (your life)

Pony up the dough and live a long fruitful life flying .
On a similar vein, you can find someone to plug repair a ZR rated motorcycle tire but is that what you want when your life depends on it? I've caught a nail before in a fairly new rear tire and had to make that choice. I went back and forth for a minute or two but then went ahead and replaced it. Nasty $300 dollar bill. Didn't want any thoughts about failure creeping into my mind heading down the front straight during a track day.
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By klh
#403633
FYI, the downtubes and basetube for the T2C 136 are unique lengths specific to the T2C 136 ("64 bar") so a basetube or downtube from another size/model WW glider won't be right and the 136 downtubes and basetube aren't right for any other size/model WW glider.
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By Lucky_Chevy
#403641
Aside from what other have said, I have an idea of how you may get a CF base bar at a discount, but it's going to take a bit of work on your part.

Buy a glider with a carbon fiber base bar that is in good shape. Replace that base bar with an aluminum base bar and sell the glider. I recently sold my 2014 U2 with it's carbon base bar for $2,300. If it had an aluminum base bar the price wouldn't have been much different. Alternately, I suppose you could offer someone who was selling some money and an aluminum base bar to make the trade.

Just a thought,

Dan
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By Tormod
#403682
Repair can be done, the manufacturers don't recommend it but that's more due to them not wanting to develop a repair procedure than anything else. The bar is manufactured in 1 piece and it's difficult to restore full strength if broken in any place else than the ends but by installing a inner aluminum tube to restore strenght and then doing the actual composite repairs (as per composite repair procedures for aircraft structural components). Surface finish is a challenge and 100% weave match is near impossible.

Skill. equipment and expensive materials are essential and it won't pay to acquire that for only 1 basebar. I've done some repairs on busted up ends and 1 broken bar so far. I'm thinking of making a mold to make finish easier and prettier.

You can also, if looks aren't important, just coarsely sand down the adjacent area 4 inches on each side and wrap it in carbon fiber and resin until an added thickness of at least the original wall thickness.