[TowerTalk] Force 12 Aluma-o-weld wire

[Grant Saviers]

I've never heard of aluminum clad MIG welding wire.  Bare or very thin 
copper flash over many steel alloys are common, flux cored and solid.  
Not enough copper thickness to be useful for antennas. Solid aluminum 
MIG wire in various alloys.  Usually a very soft temper so also useless 
for antennas.

Clad copper-aluminum-steel combinations are used in high voltage 
distribution systems but I doubt anything of a size small enough for 
Linear Loading antennas. http://www.rmjtcable.com/products/bare-conductor/

I use solid aluminum electric fence wire for elevated radials, available 
9 to 17 ga.  High-tensile US made in my experience with 8 elevated 
radials of 12.5 ga x 125' for my 160m vertical has demonstrated strength 
and very little stretch.  My guess is good solid Al wire in 9 ga is 
strong enough that it has replaced aluminum clad for weight, cost, and 
ease of use reasons for fencing.  At 35ksi yield that is more than 300# 
tension.  My F12 86' 80m rotatable dipole was LL before I changed it to 
a Tornado variable inductor.  The YagiMech analysis showed it needed the 
LL wire truss for strength among other mechanical weaknesses.  9ga Al 
fence wire would have been strong enough to replace what was there 
originally.

I have a carton (1000'?) of 11.5 gauge Alum-Clad steel electric fence 
wire I bought in 2011 from Kencove.com.  I couldn't find it on their web 
site today.  Free to first request if you pick it up.  I found it 
impossible to work with.  Check other farm/ranch suppliers for a source 
if you must have clad steel.

Grant KZ1W
Redmond, WA

On 5/4/2018 7:30 AM, jimlux wrote:
> On 5/4/18 5:59 AM, Richard Thorne wrote:
>> Local welding supply shop should have it.
>>
>
> Just curious, what would one use aluminum clad steel for in welding?
>
>
>
>> Rich - N5ZC
>>
>> On 5/4/2018 7:46 AM, Julio Peralta wrote:
>>> What would be a suitable replacement for the Aluma-o-weld wire that 
>>> F-12
>>> uses on their antennas. I did a google search for Aluma-O-weld and 
>>> didn't
>>> find anything.
>>>
>>>
>>> Julio, W4HY
>>>
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