Re: flexible aluminum... ugh

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

Original poster: "Ed Phillips by way of Terry Fritz <twftesla-at-qwest-dot-net>" <evp-at-pacbell-dot-net>

Tesla list wrote:
> 
> 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).

	Pretty well from my experience here.  Starting with the masking tape
helps a great deal.

Ed