Ugliest Muffler Mod - Stihl MS 500i

[Lindley]

I was in fear of losing my Man Card a couple of nights ago after helping my daughter's bake a birthday cake for my wife. I think I overcompensated by modifying my 500i muffler.

Used a couple of chunks off a stainless steel crawfish boiling paddle (0.030" wall 316L SS), a TIG torch, and some silicon bronze rod to complete one of the more challenging welding projects to date for me. It is UGLY as hell, but I'll take all the credit and blame.

[It was actually more TIG brazing rather than welding; pipe was too damn thin and I couldn't get the stainless TIG rod to flow, so I switched to the silicon bronze rod. Silicon Bronze is a low-lead brass alloy that is generally composed of 96% copper. It's known for its superior corrosion resistant properties, high tensile strength, and higher melting point than typical steel brazing materials.]

Anyway, here it is in all it's hideousness... Judge away. Sounds great though! (NOT hearing safe whatsoever)

Photos attached and a video:

 

[Czed]

I was in fear of losing my Man Card a couple of nights ago after helping my daughter's bake a birthday cake for my wife. I think I overcompensated by modifying my 500i muffler.

Used a couple of chunks off a stainless steel crawfish boiling paddle (0.030" wall 316L SS), a TIG torch, and some silicon bronze rod to complete one of the more challenging welding projects to date for me. It is UGLY as hell, but I'll take all the credit and blame.

[It was actually more TIG brazing rather than welding; pipe was too damn thin and I couldn't get the stainless TIG rod to flow, so I switched to the silicon bronze rod. Silicon Bronze is a low-lead brass alloy that is generally composed of 96% copper. It's known for its superior corrosion resistant properties, high tensile strength, and higher melting point than typical steel brazing materials.]

Anyway, here it is in all it's hideousness... Judge away. Sounds great though! (NOT hearing safe whatsoever)

Photos attached and a video:

View attachment 277370
View attachment 277369 View attachment 277371

I got a lot of smoldering tree's when I did that to a 372

 

[Big_6]

Looks like a good practice session there! You see where you were too slow and the heat on different surfaces.


Sent from my SM-N975U using Tapatalk

 

[deye223]

So how much power did you lose

 

[Absolution]

Man tig brazing is tricky. You either get it too hot or not hot enough and on thin metal . I've had troubles with it so I have no room to judge your stuff.

@deye223 probably not any. Over the on dyno post a 661 did the best with a quad port and no muffler at all was right behind it.

 

[Moparmyway]

What TIG machine are you using ?
What size and composition filler wouldn't flow ?

 

[deye223]

@deye223 probably not any. Over the on dyno post a 661 did the best with a quad port and no muffler at all was right behind it.

Hmmm interesting

 

[Absolution]

Hmmm interesting

I gave up trying to drag my way through 195 pages.

So this is probably a more apple to apple comparison. Sadly it's the only am muffler cover on the market right now for the 500 and at the price point I get why people don't like it.

 

[Cedarkerf]

Ear plugs and ear muffs bet that's a loud Sob

 

[Czed]

I have pics somewhere of the mud daubers nests I've cleaned out of mine and customers modified muffler's
They love 2 cycle oil residue I guess.

 

[lehman live edge slab]

Guy can open them up to breath without waking up your neighbors a half mile away. Seems like leaving the front intact and adding more ports on the side helps keep them quieter.

 

[BangBang77]

I bet that sucker kicks up dust, chips, and debris like a CH47 Chinook when at the bottom of a bucking cut...

 

[Lindley]

Good points by all…

I like fire, dust, flying chips, eye injuries, hearing damage, loss of power, and annoying my neighbors all in the name of looking cool . But I’ll be damn if I’m gonna put up with mud daubers!

Installing a bronze screen over the interior holes. Is that what everyone else uses?

 

[Backtroller]

I’ve used stainless steel mesh I bought on eBay. I’ve never done a front opening like that though so I’m not sure how you can attach it.

The nice thing about your cover is that if you run it and dislike it you can just buy a new cover and go back to stock. No one will be the wiser.

 

[wap13]

Mastermind recently posted somewhere the screen he uses. Its SS with larger "openings" IIRC. I'm sure there are plenty of good choices out there but thats one that has been proven to work.

 

[OldJack]

McMaster-Carr has a variety of stainless steel screens.
https://www.mcmaster.com/stainless-steel-screen-mesh

 

[drf256]

Tack a baffle behind the openings. You can tack on both sides and leave the top and bottom open.

Should flow and still provide some noise cancellation. Can also take a peek at which way the baffle is twisting the exhaust and open the baffle where the exhaust is turned away from. It’s all about letting the waves collide to cancel each other without adding backpressure.

Don’t get too down on yourself. That’s tough stuff to weld. I learned the hard way that you need to remove the surface plating if you want anything to stick to the stainless. The coating rejects most fillers and also makes the stainless under it melt away before the coating does, then it just drops out on ya. If you woulda sanded the opening areas on the cover, the filler would have flowed, esp SiBr.

 

[Michpatriot]

Fit up has to almost not let light through the gaps...025-.030 tig wire, then back purge with argon, .040 tungsten keeps the arc stable at low amps, pulse can help with stability, and as said before mechanically clean like a doctor.

My 880 triple port..

 

[Sagebrush33]

I was thinking of playing with my first 440. My thoughts are to take out the screen and slide a piece of SS in and close the tabs. Picking up an AM cover and putting one 5/8'' piece of tubing in the top corner exiting towards the bar. Installing a piece of SS screen across the whole face so the cover and bolts keep it in place. I was going to let the tubing extend into the muffler about a half inch. Now maybe a little less so I can use @drf256 's suggestion with the baffle. This will probably be my route and the only mod to the saw.

 

[kneedeepinsaws]

Haha it looks like a pig nose!