• chr
  • Member
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  • From: Oslo, Norway
  • Registered: 2005-02-10
  • Posts: 24

Topic: Preventing mast wear at the ferrule

After two, three years of use, the main point of wear on my 550 masts seem to be the bottom of the top half.  The carbon fibre layers come loose, on the inside and the outside. 

Are there ways of handling new masts in order to avoid this?

How do you repair such wear?  I think of glueing the loose parts back, then reinforcing the outside with a wrap of carbon fibre.  Another option would be to cut 10mm from the top's bottom.

Any suggestions?

chr's Website

  • Registered: 2005-01-31
  • Posts: 190

Re: Preventing mast wear at the ferrule

Those are all good options Christian. Cutting back @ 10mm and then reinforcing with carbon tape is the best. Getting a clean cut is a challenge because there is a circumferential yarn orientation which makes it hard to get a perfect perpendicular cut. The circumferentials deflect your saw blade so be careful. The ideal tool is a chop saw with a proper fence that sets up the perpendicular angle. A diamond edged blade on the chop saw designed for cutting composites is also preferable. Not so easy to find however so, if cutting by hand, use a new blade and go slowly while rotating the mast. Finish with sandpaper or a file. Putting the two halves together will show you where the high spots are that need to be worked off to get a perfect fit.