[TowerTalk] Lube om Hose clamps

[K8RI]

On 1/29/2013 11:08 AM, Jim Lux wrote:
> On 1/29/13 7:35 AM, n8de at thepoint.net wrote:
>> I'll be obnoxiously repetitive ... use SILICONE SEAL as the lubricant
>> ... after some hours .. the silicone seal will cure and 'harden', though
>> it will still be pliable years later.

Silastic(TM) is a Dow Corning brand of  Room Temperature Vulcanizing 
(RTV) Silicone.  When used out doors and in a non confined space and 
particularly on steel or SS it matters not whether it uses acetone, or 
alcohol for a curing agent.  Don't use it inside connectors or on 
electronic circuits.

I've used it on PL259s (outdoors) with no adverse effects, but it can 
make them a bitch to get apart so I'd use something else there.

As far as I know GE reverse engineered DC's stuff so they are the same 
as DC's RTV.
DAP purchased the DC line years back, although I think DC still produces 
it for them (not positive about that)

DAP also has a line of Latex RTVs so read the labels carefully and don't 
get them mixed up.

BTW as these RTVs use water vapor to cure they are water proof, but not 
absolutely moisture proof. OTOH very little vapor gets through

NOTE RTVs have a shelf life and once a tube is opened they don't 
normally last very long.

I discovered that by placing tubes (whether they've been opened or not, 
but with the caps still tight) if you place then in a tightly sealed 
Tupperware" container they will last a very long time.  I have some that 
has been opened that is over 20 years past the expiration date that  is 
still good.  I purchased a lot of it at the company store many years ago 
including high temp and conductive versions.

73

Roger (K8RI)


>>
>> The silicone seal will act as a lubricant while tightening ... and will
>> protect the 'gears' from moisture.
>>
>> Use the type made for aquariums to avoid the problem of acetic acid
>> formation while curing.
>
> What brands have you found work well with exposure to sunlight UV?  I
> had some old Dow stuff that worked fairly well, but about 5 years ago I
> had another brand (don't recall which.. Permatex perhaps) which kind of
> got "crunchy" on the surface after a couple years. And yet others (I
> think it's a GE caulking compound.. it was in a big tube) seem to hold
> up well.
>
> So it appears that there are some that are better than others...
>
> BTW, for this application, I doubt you need the aquarium/non-acetic acid
> type.  I've got regular ungalvanized nails and bolts that are covered in
> gooped silicone and they seem ok after 10 years, at least where they're
> covered by the silicone.
>
> I think, also, that the acetic acid curing varieties work better on
> surfaces that might have water on them. In particular, things like
> masonry and stucco.. not that this is relevant here with hose clamps,
> but I use a lot of silicone sealing up things like faceplates where
> cables go into the house.
>
> This is all about single part silicones, not the two part type you mix.
>
> I will say though, that the caulking stuff doesn't survive in the tube
> very long.  Better get all your silicone-ing done in a weekend.  After a
> month, the entire tube seems to gel,or at least, the entire nozzle..
> When I was younger and cheaper, I probably would have cut the tube open
> to see if the rest could be used, but today, I just throw the tube out
> and get another one.
>
>
>
>
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