Carbon Fiber Rodding

[coolhandchris]

Those I beam slots seem like it would make it harder to rough it up.

[kdnoel]

I doubt there is a need to rough it up... especially if they use an epoxy. Whea will probably recommend the same "glue" as what was used to extrude the i-beam shaped rod.

I doubt they would bother coming out with it unless it performed better than the old fiberglass.

The new one is pre-impregnated either with epoxy or acrylic and looks to be extruded so the carbon fibers are aligned with each other for additional strength.

Dan could do a simple test between the fiberglass and carbon fiber simply by clamping them on edge in the center and use a scale or weight on each end. The flexural difference should be very different between the two.

Fiberglass is boat grade and carbon fiber is fighter plane grade and is used by NASA as well.

I'm betting on the carbon fiber.

Since omni-clamps came to my shop I have all but abandoned "rodding" altogether. We fill all gaps under the rail and sink base area with a polyurethane material which was known as PL400 Premium but now carries the LocTite name.

Time tells all... we have broken 1 in 200 rails over the last year or so. It was pre-broken by a bowed backer in transport.

[kdnoel]

Forgot to mention that the ultimate in new bridges is extruded carbon fiber I-beam and Angle Bars.

They are maintenance free and do well in earthquake zones. Never need painting because they don't rust.

[clhilde]

But you can tell your customers you use carbon fiber to rod their granite, that has to be worth $50 in cool points and getting the job , maybe??

[pkomorowski]

But you can tell your customers you use carbon fiber to rod their granite, that has to be worth $50 in cool points and getting the job , maybe??

There was shop here that used to charged $250 extra for rodding. They apparently sold a good amount of it. No shame in trying.

If the cost isn't much higher than fibreglass it may be worth doing just so you can brag about it.

[coolhandchris]

I ordered some today from weha will let you know how it turns out as soon as it gets here. I don't have any regular fiberglass rodding, but I do have threaded rod.
Map out testing procedure and I will perform a quick test.

They have free shipping over 300 bucks and a free set of dry or wet pads with a polisher. So I got one of their polishers (180 bucks) and 328' of carbon fiber rodding (190)

[Todd Luster]

It looks and sounds much more attractive than all thread no doubt!!

[pkomorowski]

Any more feedback from testing?

[coolhandchris]

It isn't here yet.

I am going to test on some brazilian gold, tropic brown or violetta.

I am going to put it up against allthread and nothing. No need to beat a dead horse and put it up against the 1/2" cold rolled.

[Mark DeFusco]

I can get you either one.

[coolhandchris]

The allthread was stronger in my brief, unscientific test. The allthread definitely made the test piece stiffer than the carbon fiber rodding. And it is cheaper.

FS- 324 feet of carbon fiber rodding.

[Mark DeFusco]

How much is the allthread per foot, and doesn't it rust?

[dustinbraudway]

It won't rust if it is installed correctly. Encapsulated in the resin. It is super cheap and can be bought at HD or Lowes. Personally I stay with flat stock steel.

[Mark DeFusco]

I am not "selling" one over the other. We carry flat metal rod, fiberglass and carbon. Since there are plenty of cases where metal rods have rusted it is important to note that while a lot of shops will rod with Poly, epoxy is the way to go when rodding since it won't crack and allow moisture in .

[coolhandchris]

How much is the allthread per foot, and doesn't it rust?

It is Zinc Coated. I left a piece outside just to see how long it would take to rust. It has been almost a year and it still looks fine.
50 cents a foot for allthread. It really does get rigid when encased in epoxy.

I left a regular rod outside on accident. It is pretty rusty.

[Mark DeFusco]

That is about the same price as fibergalss, more expensive if you are getting 1/4" fiberglass. With the fiberglass there is no waste. If you get a 10' piece of steel there is usually some waste. Just my $0.02 .

[Lake Granite]

I buy 1/8"x 1/2" cold rolled precut into 38" pieces for $0.25 per foot. Then we also buy a couple pieces full length and cut for special applications. Check your local steel yards they are hurting for business just like everyone else. We thought about going to fiberglass but changed our minds, we have never had a issue with encasing the cold rolled in epoxy. If we ever start getting calls about rust spots or fractures then we would change.

[johnschaeffer]

Okay I use flat steel rods, and I buy them in 48" section from a "magazine store (BB)". Where can I get this stuff cheaper at? I have thought about going to fiberglass, does it hold up (especially around 60/40 sink holes) as well as flat rodding?

[Mark DeFusco]

It depends who you ask. We sell steel in raw stock as well as in replacement fish tape rolls. We also carry the fiberglass. According to the MIA fiberglass is better than steel, but according to the SFA steel is better than fiberglass.
YRMV.
Mark

[graniteman]

Okay I use flat steel rods, and I buy them in 48" section from a "magazine store (BB)". Where can I get this stuff cheaper at? I have thought about going to fiberglass, does it hold up (especially around 60/40 sink holes) as well as flat rodding?

I buy stainless steel in bulk from a local metal fab shop. That is the best way in my opinion. I would have to look it up to see how much it is. As for fiberglass, when we switch to it we had several broken tops in a short period of time. I know it was handled wrong but the steel seems to hold up a lot better. Don't use plain old steel it will eventually rust and crack the counter top, maybe not every time but at some point it will cost you more to replace a whole kitchen than to use stainless.

There are a lot of guys on here that don't rod their tops but I haven't been able to get away without rods

[johnschaeffer]

I can not get away with out not rodding either, other local shops lack of rodding keep me in business.

[Dan R.]

How so?

[johnschaeffer]

I have had several cases where other shops cracked sink holes transporting them (even with sink savers "but probably mis-used") and install the pieces and try to "mask" the crack. I have had to redo them. End of the day... rodding makes me sleep better... that all that counts right? lol

[Nick]

Sleep well until the rods start failing

Just joking, I don't rod, but most do. I wouldn't make the leap that broken tops come from not rodding. The lack of rodding by your competition isn't what keeps you busy, it sounds like it is the competition itself.

[Ken Lago]

I have had several cases where other shops cracked sink holes transporting them (even with sink savers "but probably mis-used") and install the pieces and try to "mask" the crack. I have had to redo them. End of the day... rodding makes me sleep better... that all that counts right? lol

I'm happy for you that it only take several cases of cracked sink holes to keep you in business, are you a really really small shop that do maybe only a job a month?, please explain how.

Ps. Please fill in your signature John, thanks