I had to put a carbon rod into service as a stab axle once. All I had was one of insufficient diameter. Luckily, I had a piece of brass tubing that it fit into perfectly, and the brass tube fit perfectly into the carriers in the stabs. I thought this was a perfect marriage of the stiffness of the carbon and the pliable durability of the brass. The brass tube kept the carbon from bending and the brass tube kept the carbon from getting nicked and precluded the eventuality of it breaking. I've probably exposed myself to the risk of being called an idiot by the ravaging hordes of engineers that patrol RCSE, armed as they are with equations and wielding calculators, and I am probably guilty of that, but I can say that I have lived to tell the tale. Bill Wingstedt
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