Mike:

One thing that no one will tell you is why manufacturers use plated hardware
which rusts instead of stainless. Cost? No. Stainless will not stay tight,
while plated hardware will rust up and then never loosen. So, if you use
stainless, it is highly desirable to use Nylon insert locknuts or else
carefully double nut everything, and add Loctite before assembly. It is no
fun finding another piece of the antenna at the bottom of the tower every
day after the wind blows a while.

--
Crazy George

On Wed, 7 Sep 2005 22:02:12 -0500, wrote:

Mike:

One thing that no one will tell you is why manufacturers use plated hardware
which rusts instead of stainless. Cost? No. Stainless will not stay tight,
while plated hardware will rust up and then never loosen. So, if you use
stainless, it is highly desirable to use Nylon insert locknuts or else
carefully double nut everything, and add Loctite before assembly. It is no
fun finding another piece of the antenna at the bottom of the tower every
day after the wind blows a while.

George, I wonder if you tried lubricating the ss parts before
assembly.

Stainess threaded parts are well known for galling, and can bind
before properly tensioning the fastener. It is a widely debated topic,
but common advice is to lubricate the parts. Google for debate on what
to use (wax, WD40, grease, moly etc)

My experience is that stainless threads should be lubricated whenever
used with nyloc nuts to reduce heat damage and galling of the nyloc
insert. Marine grease seems to work fine, and it doesn't seem to
unduly upset the prevailing torgue characteristics.

Mike, ss hoseclamps on telescoping tubes with split ends seems to work
fine. Put a bit of marine grease on the worm in the hoseclamp. I think
you are less likely to crush the tube than through-bolting it.
Remember that the joint is going to flex to some extent. A little bit
of corrosion inhibitor in the slip joint will help maintain a good
connnection through life... depends on the environment as to the
necessity to to this.

FWIW.

Owen
--

Dave, Ralph, George, and Owen

Thank you for your help and suggestions.

Mike

pinpassion wrote:
Dave, Ralph, George, and Owen

Thank you for your help and suggestions.

Mike

Thank You Mike. That's what we are here for.

Dave WD9BDZ

Owen:

We've had this discussion before, and I must be using better quality
stainless hardware than you have used. In the dozens of pounds of stainless
from 0-80 up to 5/8" I have installed in the last 40 years, I could not
specify when the last one galled if I had to. And I take lots of them
apart, in addition to those which I expect to last forever. OTOH, somewhere
around 40 years ago when I first started using stainless, I found plenty of
it on the ground under a month old installation until I wised up about the
fact that lock washers, even split ring style, were not enough to hold under
constant vibration. And especially so on tubing where the tubing collapses
before the lockwasher will bite into the nut.

--
Crazy George
"Owen Duffy" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Sep 2005 22:02:12 -0500, wrote:

Mike:

One thing that no one will tell you is why manufacturers use plated
hardware
which rusts instead of stainless. Cost? No. Stainless will not stay
tight,
while plated hardware will rust up and then never loosen. So, if you use
stainless, it is highly desirable to use Nylon insert locknuts or else
carefully double nut everything, and add Loctite before assembly. It is
no
fun finding another piece of the antenna at the bottom of the tower every
day after the wind blows a while.

George, I wonder if you tried lubricating the ss parts before
assembly.

Stainess threaded parts are well known for galling, and can bind
before properly tensioning the fastener. It is a widely debated topic,
but common advice is to lubricate the parts. Google for debate on what
to use (wax, WD40, grease, moly etc)

My experience is that stainless threads should be lubricated whenever
used with nyloc nuts to reduce heat damage and galling of the nyloc
insert. Marine grease seems to work fine, and it doesn't seem to
unduly upset the prevailing torgue characteristics.

Mike, ss hoseclamps on telescoping tubes with split ends seems to work
fine. Put a bit of marine grease on the worm in the hoseclamp. I think
you are less likely to crush the tube than through-bolting it.
Remember that the joint is going to flex to some extent. A little bit
of corrosion inhibitor in the slip joint will help maintain a good
connnection through life... depends on the environment as to the
necessity to to this.

FWIW.

Owen
--

Stainless also has a passivated [read higher resistivity] surface.
Poorer RF conductor.

wrote:

Mike:

One thing that no one will tell you is why manufacturers use plated hardware
which rusts instead of stainless. Cost? No. Stainless will not stay tight,
while plated hardware will rust up and then never loosen. So, if you use
stainless, it is highly desirable to use Nylon insert locknuts or else
carefully double nut everything, and add Loctite before assembly. It is no
fun finding another piece of the antenna at the bottom of the tower every
day after the wind blows a while.

--
Crazy George