Micrometer woes

[John McNamaraParticipant @johnmcnamara74883]

Car headlinings are another victim of the foam gremlin, the foam backing fails and the lining falls down, two have done to me…. not easy to fix and expensive, you have to take the windscreen out for some in order to get the headliner out.

[DMRParticipant @dmr]

All fine commiserating responses but not really answering Phil's question. I too have suffered the powdered foam and replaced it with some women's materials. My wife tells me it is called Synthetic Wadding available in sheets of different thicknesses and mine is white. I just layered up what was donated to me. It cuts well enough, but would not replace felt lining as it is very open in texture and quite hardish.

Just done an Amazon for that name and it brings up some that may be far too soft. Suggest going into furniture restorers or women's materials shops. I cannot be more specific.

I have the stuff in a few places with some oil applied for good measure and it shows no signs of breaking down so far. About 5 years for some of it I would say. I also have applied some felt in places but also oiled that as well.

Dennis

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by DMR on 30/01/2019 23:27:00:

All fine commiserating responses but not really answering Phil's question.

.

Sorry Dennis, but I must beg to differ

Philip's question was:

Need to source some hard foam to make some new nesting packs, suggestions anyone?

and .. my two consecutive posts on page_1 were quite explicit.

MichaelG.

[DMRParticipant @dmr]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 30/01/2019 23:38:51

Sorry Dennis, but I must beg to differ

Philip's question was:

Need to source some hard foam to make some new nesting packs, suggestions anyone?

and .. my two consecutive posts on page_1 were quite explicit.

MichaelG.

The very reason I don't respond to much on this site. You gave him a possible suppliers name, about which he may have to buy a lorry load to obtain what he needs. I don't know, but my solution may get him an offcut for nothing which is all he needs. I am gone.

Dennis

[Peter CaswellParticipant @petercaswell93233]

Posted by peak4 on 27/01/2019 00:45:53:

It's an issue with many plastics as the plasticisers evaporate, or migrate to the surface.

N.B I'm not a chemist, just an observer.

Rigid plastics get brittle, foam disintegrates, which might actually be the same process.

I'm guessing its more obvious with foam due to its much higher surface area. I wonder of the longer term solution is the old fashioned one and to use felt as a box liner.

The other really obvious problem with disintegrating foam, is in the compliant pars of loudspeaker cones. Rubber lasts longer, but the foam falls apart after a few years, especially if you live near the sea.

Fortunately this one is curable as kits are readily available to repair the driver units.

Whilst on the subject of HiFi, anyone with an old collection of vinyl would be well advised to check the inner sleeves. Many of those used to have a plastic liner to the paper inner, and it's now getting to the age where it's starting to break down.

The same problem that Philip has with his micrometer can also affect LPs, but in this case the damage is audible rather than just in appearance, and is harder and more expensive to cure.

Bill

Edited By peak4 on 27/01/2019 00:48:11

Thanks for that tip on the vinyls Bill, have several cases from 60's and later stashed away, will have to have a check, no looking to forwarding to accessing them though..

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by DMR on 30/01/2019 23:59:52:

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 30/01/2019 23:38:51

Sorry Dennis, but I must beg to differ

Philip's question was:

Need to source some hard foam to make some new nesting packs, suggestions anyone?

and .. my two consecutive posts on page_1 were quite explicit.

MichaelG.

The very reason I don't respond to much on this site. You gave him a possible suppliers name, about which he may have to buy a lorry load to obtain what he needs. I don't know, but my solution may get him an offcut for nothing which is all he needs. I am gone.

Dennis

.

Both our suggestions were valid, Dennis … My only objection was to you saying that previous responses were not really answering the question.

Plastazote is readily available in small quantities … I gave the manufacturer's details because that's where the technical description can be found.

MichaelG.

[Philip RoweParticipant @philiprowe13116]

Thanks to Michael G's information I have managed to source some Plastazote although I still had to buy far more than I needed and to make matters worse after I it had arrived, a "kind" friend told me that he had loads of scrap pieces that I could have!

Anyway the photo shows the micrometer set after the new nesting material has been cut and fitted.

Now to make a new nesting pack for my Mitutoyo dial caliper, interestingly the foam in that is made up of two 5mm thick laminations using different foams as only the bottom layer has turned to dust, the top layer is still as good as when I bought it 40 odd years ago.

Phil

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Nice job, Phil

MichaelG.

[Tim Taylor 2Participant @timtaylor2]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 10/02/2019 17:09:24:

Nice job, Phil

MichaelG.

I agree!

I have a number of 50+ year old internal & external mics that originally belonged to my Dad – all have felt lined wood cases……..

Tim

[Author]

Posts