...that's what the dowels are.

I put 3 tubes on the BBQ on high. After 45 minutes of "cooking", the first dowel shrunk considerably. I tapped it right out with the rod.

The next two are still cooking and steaming. I added 8 more. Wish me luck!!!

Shawn

: Some of you may have read, or heard of, Ray Bradbury's novel Fahrenheit 451.
: It concerned a society that burned books, and the title was taken from the
: ignition point of paper. 451 degrees Fahreneheit.

: The wood in your tube should char at pretty close to that temperature. The
: melting point of aluminum is 100 to 200 degrees above that, so if you can
: keep your temperature fairly well controlled you should not have a
: problem.

: A shame the tubes are so long. Your kitchen oven probably gets up to 450 or
: 500 degrees, but those tubes would not fit inside it. Or would they? Take
: out the shelves in the oven, stick in a dozen tubes and let half the
: length extend out the partially opened oven door. Set the thermostat to
: 450 or above and roast those tubes for 20 minutes. Then flip them over and
: roast the other end.

: Pull one out while it is hot (and expanded), and with the hottest end (most
: expanded end) on a brick, try to drive out the hopefully slightly charred
: stick. Inside of an hour you should have a dozen cleaned out tubes. Oven
: mitts should be all the protection you'll need, but htose tubes will stay
: hot for a while, so have a place to put them as they cool.

: A wire-handled bottle brush can be dragged through the emptied pipe to clean
: out the soot so it doesn't make a continuing mess inside your boat.

: Other thoughts on a less invasive process: WD-40 apply liberally and let it
: soak in. Then apply some more.
: Ether, acetone, denatured alcohol -- You can get a can of ether for starting
: cars. Spray some in and cap the end you sprayed it in from. The others are
: liquids which you an just pour in, then cap the end with a plastic bagg
: and rubberbads, or a cork. Stay away from heat with these! The idea is
: that a thorough soaking will destroy the glue bond between the wood and
: the tube, or maybe lubricate the bonding area.

: Instead of pounding out the recalcitrant rods, you might try drawing them
: out. You'll need a 1/4 inch hangerbolt, a length of 1/4 inch threaded rod,
: some fender washers which will fit over the 1/4 inch bolt, two 1/4 inch
: nuts, and a threaded coupling used for joining lengths of 1/4 inch
: threaded rod.

: Use an electrician's bit, or an extension and a conventional drillbit to
: drill a starting hole (7/32nds or 3/16ths) in the end of the dowel. Use
: the coupling to connect the machine threaded end of the hangerbolt to the
: length of threaded rod. Drop this into the tube, and start to screw it
: into the wood. Drop two fender washers over the free end of the threaded
: rod and spin on a pir of nuts. The two nuts, jammed together on the
: threaded rod will allow you to grip one with a wrench and continue
: tightening the hangerbolt. Get it in solid. Then separate the nuts and
: spin one down to rest on the fenderwashers.

: Tightening this nut will cause it to rotate on the fenderwashers like
: bearings, and pull up the dowel like a cork out of a wine bottle. IF it is
: free enough to be drawen out.

: With this arrangement in a tube you can pretension it and see if the dowel
: loosens with the application of heat from a heat gun or propane torch.

: Or, you can bolt a come-along to the threaded rod sticking out of the tube
: and put some REAL force on it.

: What would you need a ferrule for? You already have those great wooden dowels
: inside your tubes. Make use of them. cut the end off of one of the tubes
: so that you have about 6 inches from the end ofthe tube to the beginning
: of the embedded wooden dowel. Cut the next tube so you remove the aluminun
: tube enough that you expose 6 inches of the embedded dowel. Slide those
: two pieces together. Instant ferrule!

: Hope this helps. Oh, and happy grilling.

: PGJ