Good morning gentlemen,
I have been following the stainless steel bolt-aluminium casing,
thread with interest, and realise that another and perhaps more serious
mechanical problem is mounted at the top of our towers and masts, especially
if the antenna system is exposed to a sea salt atmosphere, which is the
possibility of corrosion caused by the stainless steel hose clamps now
generally supplied and used to clamp the telescoping section joints of yagis
etc. manufactured from aluminium alloys.
In my "G" tower/yagi installation I have always coated the hose clamps and
yagi element joints, in fact the entire antenna metal work of the yagi, with
clear Waxoyl, after assembly and tuning, as a means of protecting the metal
work from the corrosive effects of "over night parking" pigeon "poo", and it
would appear that by accident, I have protected the stainless steel clamp
and aluminium joints from a more basic corrosion problem.
I have also been seeking advice on how to remove salt deposits from vehicles
and the metal work of a Cushcraft X7 that have been exposed to rain and a
sea salt atmosphere for a couple of years. So far, the advice I have
received is to use a solution of bicarbonate of soda, and vehicle shampoo,
to thoroughly wash off and neutralise the salt deposit from the metal,
followed by several rinses using clean water, and dry off using a hot air
source. Then apply a protective coating.
Do we have any "real" chemists out there who can confirm the effectiveness
of the above advice?
Sincerely, John G3JVC/GM3JVC.
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