Pipe de- Carbon

[vaaprider]

What is the best way to de-carbonize the inside of the pipe?(Soak in oven cleaner maybe)

[kxpegger]

I use some oven cleaner, lots of soap and a few handfuls of 1/2" sharp edge landscaping rocks from my front yard. Shake until clean or clean enough!

[cbxracer30]

Our local hardware store carries wire brushes that attach to a drill motor , that will fit right into the head of a K5 pipe. I use this to clean the heavy build-up there and oven cleaner to get the rest. Ever since I started running my fuel mix at 70 to 1 no build-up at all. I was using PowerLube but will be switching to Moterrex.CBX

[DoldGuy]

A friend had a vintage bike he was restoring and the pipe Hot Tanked & it looked like it was freshly stamped out at the factory inside & out. I do not know it's condition prior to, but was impressed with the end result.

[vaaprider]

Thanks everyone

[hughes]

Try this.

[Jopiz]

Can that technique be used with nickel coated pipes like FMF gnarly? Does the heating (to orange glow) damage the coating?

-J

[hughes]

With that much heat it can and will dis-color some.

[KX500freak]

we use too pour gas in it ,ignite the fumes ,stay back ,let it burn ,
when done ,a few gentle beats with a piece of wood and the carbon falls right out.

with my fatty i dont do this ,but that pipe is on a good jetted bike ,so its pretty clean

[kxpegger]

With that much heat it can and will dis-color some.

May also distort the bend of the pipe and cause fitment problems when it cools.

[barryadam]

Unfortunately, uncontrolled heating can do more damage than good.  Cherry red is great for decarbonizing, but can change the properties of the pipe material and alter the shape.

The original pipes are not stress relieved after fabrication and welding, so there are residual stresses.  Unless you have a way to fixture the pipe in the process, you will have to control the heat at a low temperature.  You want to be well below the transformation range, and the critical temp for carbon and low-alloy steels is in the 1335 - 1370 F range.
In fact, at 850 or so, the nickle plating will oxidize and discolor.  The heating process will temper the pipe material which acts to increase ductility and toughness, but reduces hardness and strength.  The higher the temperature, and the longer the cycle, the lower the hardness and strength.  Also, not so good.

If you can heat and cool the pipe uniformly, and control the temperture to about 800 F, you might have a business.  Of course, if you could find someone who has a tooling burnout furnace, that'd be easy.  If you could convince someone to dirty up their vacuum furnace, you wouldn't have to worry about discoloration. (That's a whole other funny story about why consumers buy "blued" titanium exhaust cannisters, etc.)

Your self-cleaning over gets up to 900 F or more, but mostly, they are not so worried about the same performance issues and material properties as your pipe.

Oh, and the original "hot-tanking" went out here in Calif about 10 years ago.

Anybody got a furnace at work we can all use?

Barry

[KXcam22]

I have always used the bushleague torch method, but then that was not with a plated pipe.  I never had to repaint a pipe afterwards so the heat could not have been excessive.  Most of these were not done to decarbonize but as an accidental side effect of fixing a dented/bashed pipe.  At 60:1 my K5 pipe stayed clean. Cam.