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Re: [TowerTalk] Wire Soap - How Much?

To: towertalk@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [TowerTalk] Wire Soap - How Much?
From: K8RI <K8RI-on-TowerTalk@tm.net>
Date: Sun, 06 May 2012 18:41:15 -0400
List-post: <towertalk@contesting.com">mailto:towertalk@contesting.com>
On 5/6/2012 2:13 PM, VE1DT-Towertalk wrote:
> I've no experience in running cables through conduit, but I do know that I
> want to use a cable lube. I can get Klein #15028 1 quart bottles locally,
> but I don't know how much I will need. Also, I know I don't want to run out
> part way. In browsing through the archives, the answer I keep seeing is
> "lots".
That's the correct answer<:-))  but there's a big difference between 
lots and lots.
Just squirt it in your cupped hand and using both hands just slather it 
on.  Look at the last photo on 
http://www.rogerhalstead.com/ham_files/cablebox.htm .
As you will notice there's a lot of tape on the leading end of the pull 
to give it  a tapered shape.
On a 400' run 2 to 4 bottles should be more than enough, depending on 
how even you put it on. It takes a bit of experience to get enough on 
without overdoing it. Over doing it won't hurt anything, but it sure is 
messy.  OTOH being soap it's easy to clean up.   Most bottles are a 
quart or a liter depending on where they come from.  I didn't use and 
where near a full bottle on an 80' run. It's amazing how much difference 
there is between no lube and properly lubed.  Just try to cover the 
surfaces that will contact the conduit.


>
> In my case, I am using 4" diameter corrugated irrigation tubing for a couple
> of LMR600 cables, a couple rotator cables and a few CAT5 cables. Total
> length is 400 feet. Worst case would be the volume of the conduit.   Using
> the formula,    pi *r^2 *length    tells me about 30 gallons. I am not
> planning on doing that.
Corrugated means no blunt or cable ends on either end of the pull.  You 
might have to back up and it's easy to get caught on corrugations. Lots 
of tape as in the photo and wire soap sometimes just called wire lube, 
or pulling lube, or half a dozen other names  should make it an easy pull
>
> Polywater   http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kr87VQcJeK8  says to use this
> formula for PolywaterJ: Gallons = 0.0015 * Diameter(inches) * Length(feet).
> This comes out to 2.4 gallons. Using 1 quart bottles, this comes to about
> $150 here. Grainger also sells larger 1 gallon containers of 3M WL lube at
> about the same price as two of the Klein one quart squeeze bottles.
>
> Does 3 gallons sound about right?

Usually you are talking about the diameter of the pull. Just go to Home 
Depot or Lowe's. The last I purchased was Cable Lube #77 for  $5.99 a quart
It's at least a two man job. One to pull and one to feed and soap. n 
don't get the freshly soaped pull on the ground.  It's like a magnet for 
dirt.

73

Roger (K8RI)
>
> --
> Gerald Boutin, VE1DT
>
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