[TowerTalk] Insulator life question

[Eric Gustafson]

>Date: Fri, 28 Aug 1998 09:27:29 -0400
>From: "w8ji.tom" <w8ji.tom@MCIONE.com>
>
>I want to make spreaders for open wire line. My plan is to have
>a CNC machine punch out several hundred spacers with slots for
>the main wire and holes for a small tie wire. I'm going to try
>and make the spreader so it just snaps over the line tightly,
>because I have so many to install.
>
>Would Lexan be a good choice for life and ability to be punched,
>or some other material better? The sun is a major worry here in
>the south. I also want a material that won't break, absorb
>water, or a rough or abrasive surface that bonds with dirt and
>stuff. I'd like it to be slick.
>
>73 Tom


Tom,

Probably the best material for your spreaders is UV stabilized
Delrin.  It is extremely tough (but not brittle), has good RF
properties at HF, is realtively easy to work and it will last
many years in the sunlight.  It is available in sheet form or
round or square rod stock from most plastic distributors.

U.V stabilized Polycarbonate rod would probably work OK as well.
But it costs twice as much as the Delrin and it is somewhat more
brittle.

73, Eric  N7CL

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