[TowerTalk] Cad Welding tips

[Jim Thomson]

Date: Tue, 01 Nov 2016 08:23:57 -0500
From: William K Carr III <k5tu at att.net>
To: towertalk at contesting.com
Subject: [TowerTalk] Cad Welding tips

I am about to embark on use of cadweld for bonding my ground wires to copper ground rods.

Has anyone used a pencil tip propane torch to light the cadweld? It would offer a little more distance to protect knuckles, etc.

Also, I have a K0XG rotating tower base. Richard recommends large diameter (in my case 4AWG) stranded welding cable to ground the tower (above the rotating base) to the ground rods. Has anyone used cadweld on stranded welding cable successfully? ?Or, just go with a bronze clamp?

Your experience and/or suggestions are appreciated.?

Kim K5TU

##  My electrical buddy  forgot to bring the sparker igniter  for my cadwelds. 
We had a bit of a hassle lighting em  with a small pencil tip propane torch, but it worked. 

##  u can also use jetex fuses.... like used for model rocketry.  Then u can get any length u want,
or a whole roll of it, then cut to length.   Then fold into a small circular loop, then embed the loop into 
the starting powder.  

##  The correct sparking device was aprx 12-18 inches long.  There is a knack to doing it.... once the
starting powder ignites,  u get the hell outa dodge..fast like.   Let em cool down real good, b4 you crack the
ceramic base.   

##    I used  2 gauge stranded on all of mine.  Insulated  2 gauge.   Compression clamps used on tower end, then bolted
to tower. Heat shrink used over the end of the compression clamp.   Buddy had the correct tool + die for various size compression clamps.

##  we also C clamped  another compression clamp device onto one of the 3 x 2 gauge wires..... then 45-50 foot of bare stranded  2 gauge,
in the dirt.... to another rod just outside basement window.   Then all 4 x rods are bonded.  Then more 2 insulated 2 gauge into the basement,
via a 3” grey pvc tube through basement wall..... then bonded to a large  .25”  thick  AL plate...which is my spg. 



Jim   VE7RF