fv1609 Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 (edited) Although this short article is focussed on Shorlands & Pigs, it should be of interest to anyone whose AFV is lined by Trakmark or indeed anyone who sleeps on camping mat roll! http://www.shorlandsite.com/images/Shorlands,%20Humbers,%20Fire%20&%20Trakmark%20Article%202016-v2.pdf Edited January 14, 2016 by fv1609 Link to new version Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Herbert Posted January 7, 2016 Share Posted January 7, 2016 (edited) So the Trakmark is reasionably fire resistant but not the foam - great ! I used to have my business next to a guy who made bench seating for pubs. The foam he used was not in itself fire resistant but he had a water based thin liquid that he sprayed onto the foam after it had been cut to shape but before fixing. The amount needed was quite small, definately not soaking wet. The foam pads would be allowed to dry overnight and would be ready to use the following day. If you directed a blowlamp at it it would grudgingly burn but it was impossible to get it to burn by itself. One wonders why the MOD couldn't have done the same ? I have a FV434 that was rebuilt at Bovy in 2002. As you probably know the standard beige diamond pattern Trakmark became obsolete in about 2000 and my 434 is entirely padded with the much finer pattern material that superceded it. Does anyone know what this is called and where it comes from ? On first sight it has a matt finnish but it is actually a very fine, regular, pattern of dots. It goes hard, discolours and curls up just like trakmark and most of mine would benifit from replacement. I have trawled the web but to no result. David Edited January 7, 2016 by David Herbert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 David do you think yours might have had the pin head surface Trakmark, that was also available? Not that I have ever seen any. They might have been using it up when they ran out of the diamond pattern. I was very surprised some years ago that the roll I bought from Withams was maroon. Perhaps the MOD used up anything they could get when the beige diamond stuff stocks were exhausted? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Good stuff, Clive! I think there's also an interesting question about the aluminium fire-resisting paint. The description of 8010-99-943-4732 says "normally applied as a two-coat system", which implies that it wasn't originally applied direct to the bare metal. Some parts of my Abbot show a red primer under the silver - look at the patch on the top right: Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Herbert Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 David do you think yours might have had the pin head surface Trakmark, that was also available? Not that I have ever seen any. They might have been using it up when they ran out of the diamond pattern. I was very surprised some years ago that the roll I bought from Withams was maroon. Perhaps the MOD used up anything they could get when the beige diamond stuff stocks were exhausted? Hi Clive, I did wonder about the "Pin Head" style trakmark but I didn't think of the posibility of the MOD panic buying any remaining stock. It is certainly possible but the fine pattern material is a slightly lighter, less rich colour than 'real' trakmark which might suggest a different manufacturer. There was also a very unpleasant green colour that was used on 432s as the original diamond pattern became unobtainable. This seems to have been supplied already glued to its foam as there were no covered edges, it had obviously just been cut out of big sheets and glued straight to the vehicle. Andy, It could be that "normally applied as a two coat system" means that it took two coats of the silver to get coverage rather than that it must have a primer. As it was supposed to be fire resisting they seem to have cut down on the laquer content which is why it rubs off so badly and that would also have made it harder to get a decent coat without it running. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 David I have a roll of the normal stuff but I also have a length of Trakmark that looks identical but is self-adhesive. But given the time since it was manufactured I suspect it will be as about as effective as these modern self-sealing envelopes (bring back proper gummed envelopes!) Andy I only have experience of the paint on Hornet & 2 Pigs but these show no evidence of a primer, but they were painted in 1960s-70s. The two-coat system occurs in all the COSAs I have 1980, 1983, 1986, 1993, 1996. I don't know what earlier products were, but I had assumed it was paint it twice because it is difficult to cover bare metal. Wood is the worst, some of the guides in the Hornet's missile tray were wood & for the 14 years I had it, the paint had not set! A trap for the unwary is that there is a two-pack (rather than two-coat) aluminium paint that has primer, undercoat, finishing coat for the protection of internal metalwork on heavy duty vehicles, including amphibians that has no stated flame resisting properties. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Enigma Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Interesting article about trakmark, even if I don't have any practicle use for it. Most plastic or foam like items can belch out noxious smoke and is something to consider. A bit like modern "plastic" coats and jackets. Warm but can burn easily. That's why at new year I wear a long leather coat so stray sparks or flames won't melt onto the skin if things do go wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Clive - the rolls of Trakmark I have are also allegedly self-adhesive but aren't! Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
g0ozs Posted January 8, 2016 Share Posted January 8, 2016 Further to the comments on modern "plastic" coats and jackets I would add cheap shirts - I once had one ignite from the sparks from an angle grinder and looked down to see a widening hole with glowing edges around where the spark hit - the stupid thing I did was try to extinguish it with my gloved hand after putting down the grinder - the hot plastic then stuck to what was underneath ... I am careful to choose workshop clothes of 100% cotton now Iain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted January 8, 2016 Author Share Posted January 8, 2016 Clive - the rolls of Trakmark I have are also allegedly self-adhesive but aren't! Andy Ah just like the envelopes then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andym Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Ah just like the envelopes then Yes, I've got some of those, too! :-) Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rangie Posted January 9, 2016 Share Posted January 9, 2016 Excellent article Clive! :thumbsup: Alec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fv1609 Posted January 14, 2016 Author Share Posted January 14, 2016 I have put up a new version: http://www.shorlandsite.com/images/Shorlands,%20Humbers,%20Fire%20&%20Trakmark%20Article%202016-v2.pdf The problem was I conducted these tests in the summer then lost my records for the temperature, so relied on my memory. I have since found the records, yes on the back (& front) of an old envelope! I have adjusted the temperatures accordingly. I had forgotten that I managed to get the Trakmark up to 300 deg C & it still didn't drip or collapse, just went hard & crusty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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