At 02:50 PM 8/16/2007, Stargate wrote:
>Hi all,
>
> I know sometime in the future this will be a CONCERN of my wife's so
>I am trying to "nip it in the bud" so to speak. When I install my short
>20' tower, I will be using a homemade house bracket made from
>the angle steel with holes all down it's length. Lowe's sells
>this material but as far as I know it's not galvanized and rust
>will undoubtedly form and stain the siding on the house.
>
>Does anyone have any suggestions so I can mitigate this problem
>before it actually becomes one:-)
ACtually, the stuff might be galvanized.. (the stuff I bought was),
however, the galvanization might be iffy quality (particularly on the
punched holes), and you might scratch it.
A good paint job is your friend. Choose a primer that is designed for metal.
You can also buy a similar material made from aluminum (or just get
some 2x2 aluminum angle stock and fabricate yourself). The
perforated steel isn't all that strong.. it's more to use as an
expedient bracket material for low stress applications. Most of the
big box stores have a display with short (3,4 foot) lengths of
smaller standard structural sizes of aluminum and steel. You could
probably build something out of 1/8"x2" steel strap (vise, clamp,
bend, etc.). But in the steel case, you're back to "paint is your friend"...
We're not talking the 5 minute shot with the $2 spray can here. It's
going to take a few coats.
When I build small stuff like this, I cut the metal to the right
approximate length. Clean it up and shoot it with primer in a pretty
casual way. That way all the mill scale and crud doesn't keep
rubbing off onto things. Do the fabrication work (drill, bend, etc.)
which will scuff and ding the primer. The primer also provides a
nice surface to take scribe marks. AFter you're all done and
deburred, Respray with primer. Then do the finish coats.
It's pretty easy to get a good color match to your siding and trim
colors too. With the right primer, you can even put latex paint over
it, but, so far, I've been able to get pretty close with all the
off-white spray cans (almond, sand, navajo white, swiss coffee,
etc.). You could also go for a distinctly contrasting color (British
Racing Green, Fire Engine Red, or the ever popular eggshell black)
Another thing to look into... powder coating. Don't do it for
anything which is heat treated if you want the strength to be ok
(e.g. don't do this 6061 T6 aluminum). But, you might be able to get
stuff powder coated quite inexpensively (as in <$20).. ask around,
particularly at places that do auto and motorcycle
fabrication. Powder coating, done right, is really nice.. thick
resilient layer that resists the casual ding. Just don't use it on
something that gets hot. Likewise, plating can be inexpensive, if
you find the right place. It can also be hideously expensive. High
school or community college auto and metal shop teachers (if there is
such a thing near you, any more) are a great resource for finding
stuff like this.
Jim, W6RMK
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