[Towertalk] Bolt Coating

[k4oj]

Anti-Seize is readily available from an auto parts store - the NAPA down 
the street from me has a nice sized container with a brush attached to 
the lid - should last the average ham several years easily...I also 
highly recommend greasing the Rohn overlaps - BUT - swab the inside of 
the female (upper) tube - this way you ground crew can stay ahead of the 
needed section as opposed to having to worry about the exposed goo 
landing in some dirt of grass clippings, etc. and their only being able 
to grease it up immediately prior to raising the section - note that by 
greasing the inner tube any extra goo should go up into the middle as 
opposed to out onto the place where you grab and step [not a good thing 
with slippery stuff]...

Note - the last tower install we did we had a production line set up - 
one guy (Dad, W1CW) had a dowel  with a rag wrapped around it and he 
used it to clean out any possible crud inside the legs from messing 
things up - the sections then were gooed up with the lid brush of 
antiseize - do not be real worried about strict uniformity of 
application - since it is on the inside it will get pushed along the 
inside surface as the section is mated...

We were fortunate enough to have the use of an electric winch for that 
job - talk about suhweeeet, it had a variac and a reversing switch on it 
- once the section started going up the lucky motor control guy (me) 
opened up the variac for full "throttle" - as it got close to the top I 
slowed it down until the tower man said "whoa" - then would change 
direction of the motor and slowly lower it on down... the top man had to 
do a little bit of wrastlin mating the sections. Those on the ground 
assisted him in boosting the gin pole up every ten feet - bottom line 
was it was not all that physical - like Dad always said:

"...you need the right tool for the right job"

...if anyone happens to have a Braden Winch available I would like to 
know where they found it - since I saw that unit, let's just say it was 
love at first sight!

73,

Jim, K4OJ




Ward Silver wrote:

>Regarding coating bolts to prevent either seizing or rusting, I've had very good results from both bicycle chain lube (comes in a handy squeeze tube, too) and wheel bearing grease.  Both are designed to be used in demanding, exposed applications and stay put.
>
>Also, gooping up tower joints (bearing grease is cheaper) makes that next section slip right on (or off, much later).
>
>73, Ward N0AX
>
>
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