[TowerTalk] Final words on the Bolt issue...DE K0FF

[K0FF]

Well, this thread has gone around and around, so I called on
 some experts, and the best answers I got were from the
Customer Service Engineers at Permatex. They took a lot of time
and filled me in on more than I ever wanted to know about lubricating bolts
etc.
First off, the "old wives tale" is true. If you lube a bolt with a good
grease, a
 lot more of the applied force on the nut winds up on the bolt, and not
wasted
as friction, and can more easily break the bolt.
Because of this,they told me
that industry-wide  manufacturers ( Like GM etc) have issued bulletins to
their
mechanics to derate the torque figures by 20% when
using an anti-seize. Everyone agrees that an over tight bolt is a bad thing.
Even
though Anti-Seize products are not lubricants per se, the do add "lubricity"
to
the process.
Of course that's not the reason we want to put goo on the bolt in the first
place, rather
 we want to minimize galling and corrosion,  and have a safe joint to boot,
and maybe
 even have a chance to remove it in one piece some day a bonus.
They have 3 products in their line, and the base is either petroleum or
mineral oil. It's the additives that do most of the work evidently and
include
Moly, nickel, and graphite. A new mix is made specifically for
Stainless Steel, and contains copper. Looks very interesting, and has a
 part # of 31163. If Champion Radio doesn't carry it, I'm sure they soon
will.
Good news is that it is inert, and has an unlimited life in the threads.
For sure I'll have a tube in my kit from now on.

73 Geo>K0FF


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