Re-stuffing Vintage Caps

[Wagner]

The old cardboard tube "Electro-Caps"

After stuffing; how hot would you think would be TOO hot to get the assembly (most importantly, the new film types) in order to seal them back up?

In short, how tolerant are film types like the ubiquitous Daytons or Solens to direct "focused" ambient heat?

Always cautious when using a hot air gun; melting and pouring the wax isn't going to get it done or a good seal

I should have my head examined

Thanks

[NickH]

Well most electrical component can handle 500 degrees f for 5 seconds for soldering. Film caps are pretty indestructible when it comes to temperature. Too a point though. If your getting near the melting point of you dielectric film you need to rethink your whole plan. If it were me I'd use potting epoxy and not wax. But that being said its perfectly fine for electronic potting. It was used for many a years.


What's the liquid temp of your wax?


Nick

[Wagner]

Well most electrical component can handle 500 degrees f for 5 seconds for soldering. Film caps are pretty indestructible when it comes to temperature. Too a point though. If your getting near the melting point of you dielectric film you need to rethink your whole plan. If it were me I'd use potting epoxy and not wax. But that being said its perfectly fine for electronic potting. It was used for many a years.


What's the liquid temp of your wax?


Nick
I thought about epoxy and wish I had gone with it now for several reasons............but, it's too late now

They are done, now I'm just anxious (don't want to install a potential problem)

No where near 500 degrees

Not so much the temp of the wax, rather the exposure to the heat gun that worries me, but I can't answer specifically how high the surface temps reached, albeit briefly, I kept things moving...............hot though! :)

On first one, a small amount of molten wax poured into tube and cap pressed in (I know no problems here) Messy trying to pour, so on the balance just melted the wax in the tube, inserted cap assemblies (main values with by-pass) and set aside

I let everything cool overnight and get solid before doing the sand fill and end caps this morning

I had carefully removed the top wax plugs intact when cleaning out the tubes in order to minimize mess going back together; figured no more heating would be required than to shrink wrap something, this proved NOT to be the case

Took a right fair amount of heat and adding small amounts of wax to get a good seal

I could see that white dielectric on the end of the two large value Daytons starting to sweat and I swear a small bit of the black tape dye (MAYBE) release into the clear (molten) wax on one of them

I fear I've just planted one of those easily avoidable bull shit things in my head that is going to torment the hell out of me now

They all measure fine; it's not as if I blow torched them! I just feel like they were "handled" too long

Not my thread, but same "project". I fear too that now I have enough wax in and on the grain of the paper that adhesives won't stick (not for the long term anyway), so, it's going to be zip ties anyway. So much for great lengths taken to try and stay 100% original and authentic! :):

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?31778-Recap-your-crossovers-Keep-that-factory-look-and-feel