[TowerTalk] Orion mast clamp question

[k7lxc at aol.com]

Howdy, TowerTalkians -
     IMO the Orion mast clamp is a very poor design and has 2 fatal flaws. The first being that the finish is dimpled and the dimples get flattened down over time and the clamp loses its grip. The second flaw is that  the teeth only provide a small fraction of a square inch of actual clamping area - 0.1 sq.in.? - and the teeth get ground down by mast movement hence it loosens up no matter how much you tighten it. I've sold much superior after market clamps in the past but can't get my supplier to make more.      My question is can you hone the existing clamp for a better fit? IOW can it be bored for a 2" or 3" mast? It'd be something like boring a cylinder to a specified size. If the teeth were filed down, there would be much MORE clamping area and thus the clamp would actually hold the mast. In my experience I've only talked to a couple of owners who claimed theirs didn't slip and ones that I've installed seemingly always slipped eventually.  Cheers,Steve     K7LXC