[TowerTalk] Fiberglass Insulators

[Roger (K8RI) on TT]

Insulators are easy to make, either by laying up cloth to make your own 
base to staer, or turning dowm larger rod.
BUT: Three things to remember:
Fiberglass is very sensitive to UV and moisture.
Fiberglass insulators need to be sealed with a UV protective coat and 
one that prevents moisture ingress.
Fiberglass is very abrasive to tools.  It will quickly dull ordinary 
tools.  Keep the dust off ways and bearings.
At Amateur power levels they do not need to be overly long, even at half 
wave length radiators..  Were I to make them, I'd add an overhang that 
would prevent water from forming a low resistance path to ground. In 
many areas, we are long past the days of clean, soft, high resistance 
rain water.  Around here the stuff eats solder joints and quickly turns 
shiny, smooth Al to a rough, dull finish that will rub off as a dull 
white powder.

You don't need to be an EE to make them.  Just look up the designs 
(shapes) used for available towers.
They do need to be large enough to provide enough strength to hold the 
vertical and prevent arcing.
Fiberglass with sufficient lengthwise fibers provide strength against 
breaking from leverage
A core made with alternating layers of linear and 45 deg bias fibers 
should be extremely strong.

73

Roger  (K8RI

On 12/11/2015 12:09 PM, wosborne44 at gmail.com wrote:
> Hi All,
> Thanks for all the comments on guying aluminum towers.   I should have 
> told you that this tower is only for wires or verticals so little wind 
> load except for the tower itself.
>
> So second question does anyone have fiberglass insulators for the base 
> of a universal tower or know someone who makes them for a price?  I 
> see them for Rohn 25 sometimes but never for the Universals.  They 
> look like all you need is a lathe and some fiberglass dowels to start, 
> but what do I know I am an EE NOT ME.
>
> Thanks,
>
> William Osborne--K5ZQ
>
> 270-205-9565
>
> Wosborne44 at gmail.com
>
>
>
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-- 

73

Roger (K8RI)


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