[TowerTalk] Amount of "Goop" to use in Telescoping Aluminum Tubing Connections?

[Bob Shohet, KQ2M]

Hi Rich,

You want just enough of a thin film to provide lubrication and to prevent corrosion/oxidation – no more lest you partially or completely insulate one section of the telescoping tubing from the other.  (I put too much one time and had to take the antenna down to wipe it off because the swr and bandwidth was way off!)

NOW what I do is as follows:

I put on a pair of large nitrile gloves ($20 for a box of 400 at Costco) and put about 1/2” of  Noalox on one glove and then grasp the tubing and smear it on with my hand in a circular motion up and down a few times for about 3’ on the element.  (I know it reads like something obscene but it is not.  LOL!)

Then I take a paper towel and gently grasp the tubing and wipe off and go up and down and the paper towel takes most of it off and leaves a thin continuous film all the way around the element.

Since I adopted that method, I have never put too much on nor have I had a problem taking apart an element years later.

The best part is that you do not get any goop on your hands or hands – clean up is really easy - you just throw the gloves and the paper towels in the garbage and you are done!

73

Bob KQ2M


From: Richard Smith 
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2018 8:04 PM
To: towertalk at contesting.com 
Subject: [TowerTalk] Amount of "Goop" to use in Telescoping Aluminum Tubing Connections?

"Goop" = Penetrox, Noalox, Jet-Lube SS-30, or other

A while back, there was a good discussion on this reflector of which goop is recommended for telescoping aluminum tubing connections in antennas. My question here is not intended to recap all of the "Which Goop is Better" points, but rather to ask how much goop to use. Over the years, I have heard recommendations from "very minimal" to "lots". 

I would be interested in recommendations from this very experienced group. The trade-offs in my mind are:
Very minimal amount: Pros: Allows the aluminum to aluminum contact to provide the electrical connection. The goop provides some lubrication, maybe some corrosion protection.                                   Cons: Not enough corrosion protection, not much help in separating telescoping parts when desired years later.
Lots of Goop:           Pros:  Assists in making a good electrical connection, provides more corrosion protection, easier to separate parts when desired years later
                                Cons:  Maybe too much lubrication, harder to get hose clamps tight enough to prevent unwanted slippage.
Maybe this is very basic, but I am interested in your comments.

Thanks in advance,
73, Rich, N6KT



   
_______________________________________________



_______________________________________________
TowerTalk mailing list
TowerTalk at contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk