On 1/29/2013 11:08 AM, Jim Lux wrote:
On 1/29/13 7:35 AM, n8de@thepoint.net wrote:
I'll be obnoxiously repetitive ... use SILICONE SEAL as the lubricant
... after some hours .. the silicone seal will cure and 'harden', though
it will still be pliable years later.
Silastic(TM) is a Dow Corning brand of Room Temperature Vulcanizing
(RTV) Silicone. When used out doors and in a non confined space and
particularly on steel or SS it matters not whether it uses acetone, or
alcohol for a curing agent. Don't use it inside connectors or on
electronic circuits.
I've used it on PL259s (outdoors) with no adverse effects, but it can
make them a bitch to get apart so I'd use something else there.
As far as I know GE reverse engineered DC's stuff so they are the same
as DC's RTV.
DAP purchased the DC line years back, although I think DC still produces
it for them (not positive about that)
DAP also has a line of Latex RTVs so read the labels carefully and don't
get them mixed up.
BTW as these RTVs use water vapor to cure they are water proof, but not
absolutely moisture proof. OTOH very little vapor gets through
NOTE RTVs have a shelf life and once a tube is opened they don't
normally last very long.
I discovered that by placing tubes (whether they've been opened or not,
but with the caps still tight) if you place then in a tightly sealed
Tupperware" container they will last a very long time. I have some that
has been opened that is over 20 years past the expiration date that is
still good. I purchased a lot of it at the company store many years ago
including high temp and conductive versions.
73
Roger (K8RI)
The silicone seal will act as a lubricant while tightening ... and will
protect the 'gears' from moisture.
Use the type made for aquariums to avoid the problem of acetic acid
formation while curing.
What brands have you found work well with exposure to sunlight UV? I
had some old Dow stuff that worked fairly well, but about 5 years ago I
had another brand (don't recall which.. Permatex perhaps) which kind of
got "crunchy" on the surface after a couple years. And yet others (I
think it's a GE caulking compound.. it was in a big tube) seem to hold
up well.
So it appears that there are some that are better than others...
BTW, for this application, I doubt you need the aquarium/non-acetic acid
type. I've got regular ungalvanized nails and bolts that are covered in
gooped silicone and they seem ok after 10 years, at least where they're
covered by the silicone.
I think, also, that the acetic acid curing varieties work better on
surfaces that might have water on them. In particular, things like
masonry and stucco.. not that this is relevant here with hose clamps,
but I use a lot of silicone sealing up things like faceplates where
cables go into the house.
This is all about single part silicones, not the two part type you mix.
I will say though, that the caulking stuff doesn't survive in the tube
very long. Better get all your silicone-ing done in a weekend. After a
month, the entire tube seems to gel,or at least, the entire nozzle..
When I was younger and cheaper, I probably would have cut the tube open
to see if the rest could be used, but today, I just throw the tube out
and get another one.
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