On 5/18/2013 9:37 PM, Steve Maki wrote:
On 5/18/2013 11:51 AM, K7LXC@aol.com wrote:
Products like coax seal are worth using liberally wherever it
can be
applied if needed.
Just make sure you never have to take it off. It's the WORST
stuff in
the world to get off of anything. You put in on a connector - you
have to
throw the connector away.
Much better butyl rubber for this is just about anything else;
e.g. db
Products vapor wrap, the plumbing stuff you buy at the hardware store.
etc.
If you put a layer of electrical tape down first and then put
the Coax
Seal over it, you can actually get the CS off. Otherwise use it at your
own risk. Your mileage won't vary.
OK, here's my secret, which I swore (to myself) to never reveal but it's
now become necessary for unknown (to me) reasons:
This is the critical step: for the "courtesy wrap", use silicone tape.
Years ago I had rolls of the stuff. I do not know if it was the same
stuff you are talking about. It was rolled with what appeared to be
cellophane between layers. A roll was maybe up to 8 or 10 inches in
diameter. I don't know how long that would have been It was reddish
orange with a white line down the middle and an inch to an inch and a
half wide. It had maybe a half inch wide section in the middle/center
that was the thickest. Then it tapered down to a rather thin edge on
both sides. This allowed you to make an extended wrap all the same
thickness. It was also "stretchy" and wouldn't stick to anything except
itself and that wasn't just stick, it would vulcanize into one
inseparable piece! Once it touched itself it became one piece that
never let go. We used it at "the plant" to wrap high voltage
connections, both DC and RF. They bought new stuff unlike the rest of us.
Thing is, I've not seen any in over 20 years. I think what i had were
research samples, but i don't remember that it needed any protective
layer. It wasn't sticky and you could just brush it off. OTOH you
could ruin a piece with dust, dirt, or lint if the surface was
contaminated before use.
I'm pretty sure it was made by Dow Corning and we could get stuff from
the company store. But "years ago" is probably 20 or 30...maybe?
Now that stuff was the ideal cover for connectors. It'd form a barrier
around an SO239 that was like a gasket formed in place. The only
problem was if you let a wrinkle form at the surface that left a void.
Your only alternative was to cut it all off and start over.
73
Roger (K8RI)
Add on top any damn thing you wish - vinyl tape, butyl rubber and then
vinyl, just about anything that will keep the UV off the silicone for
the amount of time that you want the weatherproofing to last.
It's just plain magic. Slit the weatherproofing with a razor knife 15
years later, it just pops off revealing a shiny connector.
-Steve K8LX
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