I like to tinker and experiment.
When I wondered what to do with some leftover carbon felt I used for insulating a furnace things got a bit out of hand LOL
Graphite is a good electrode material for certain things, carbon felt works even better!
You can even deposit some copper on it to solder wires on - total pain but works…
Need some kerosene lamp for your cabin in the woods?
Try carbon felt as a wick - it will never burn out and lasts forever…
Soldering a lot or using a little laser engraver/cutter??
These days people think that an air purifier that also ionises the air is good for their health…
In reality though they can produce excessive amounts of Ozone and as they usually come AFTER the filter really have no use…
Ionisation came into place to remove small particles from the air…
The stuff, back at the time, normal paper and cloth based filters would not remove or could not remove due to the low flow and pressure the fan provided.
Having said that…
If you ever used one of these vintage ionisation boxes for a while and then opened them up you know how well they accumulated the finest of particles and preferably in places impossible to reach for cleaning.
Grab one of these bug zappers from the hard rubbish.
People usually throw them out because the lamp failed but the high voltage part for the zapping still works.
Use that as the supply for a little air filtration channel.
But instead of the zapping wires you have two pieces of carbon felt connected to them.
Placed inside the tube with a distance of about 3 to 5cm will do fine.
Wash with soapy water, acetone or alcohol when needed but do turn the power off first 
Since no real current is required one bug zapper circuit can provide enough power for two carbon felt pieces of 20x20cm - if you make sure they stay properly separated…
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I’ve found carbon felt to be incredibly versatile beyond plumbing—it’s great for high-temp insulation, battery electrodes, and even filtration in certain chemical processes. If you’re exploring alternative applications, checking specs like thermal resistance and conductivity can help match it to the right task.
Carbon felt is one of those materials that quietly sits in the “industrial leftovers” category but ends up being useful in far more areas than expected. Its high temperature tolerance, conductivity, and chemical resistance make it suitable not only for furnace insulation but also for experimental electrochemical setups, filtration media, and custom electrode builds.
The idea of using it in air movement systems is particularly interesting. Compared to rigid graphite plates, carbon felt offers a much larger effective surface area, which can improve interaction in low-current applications. In setups like modified ionisation or particle capture systems, spacing and airflow control become just as important as the material itself. The concept of repurposing a bug zapper’s high-voltage module for low-current ionisation is clever, especially when replacing fragile wire grids with a more durable medium like felt. Proper cleaning cycles using alcohol or mild solvents while fully de-energised is also a sensible maintenance approach.
For anyone building small DIY filtration or workshop setups, having proper mounting, wiring insulation, and enclosure work done neatly is important, this is where PS Handyman Singapore(pshandymansingapore .com) can help with practical on-site fabrication and installation support, especially when adapting older electrical housings or integrating custom airflow channels safely.
Overall, carbon felt continues to prove itself as a surprisingly adaptable material when paired with controlled electrical input and thoughtful mechanical design.