The AM Forum
April 29, 2024, 11:19:56 AM *
Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
 
   Home   Help Calendar Links Staff List Gallery Login Register  
Pages: [1]   Go Down
  Print  
Author Topic: Dealing with dissimilar metal oxidation  (Read 1852 times)
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
WA2SQQ
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 1094


« on: January 04, 2017, 01:17:18 PM »

A few months ago I was rebuilding a 2M 11 ele. yagi and discovered that the set screws on the gamma matching block seemed to be fused. I literally twisted an Allen wrench trying to loosen them. After a little research I discovered it was “dissimilar metal oxidation”, or what occurs when you put a galvanized set screw into an aluminum block. I wound up cutting the block off and making a new one. Last night a friend of mine who is a helicopter mechanic told me the trick for freeing the screws. Use ~ a 100W soldering iron to heat up the screw. It will expand, but after it cools it will break away from the corrosion. I had the old block (I’m a pack rat) so I tried it. Like magic, the screws came loose.
Logged
WBear2GCR
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 4135


Brrrr- it's cold in the shack! Fire up the BIG RIG


WWW
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2017, 12:15:46 AM »

Stainless steel screws & some of the goop they use for copper to aluminum electrical connections on the holes/threads
will likely obviate that problem to a great extent...

                               _-_-
Logged

_-_- bear WB2GCR                   http://www.bearlabs.com
WA2SQQ
Contributing
Member
*
Offline Offline

Posts: 1094


« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2017, 08:38:04 AM »

The "goop" , such as "Never Seize", would but these were stainless steel. It seems it's all about two different metals. You would think that M2 would have included a small vial with the antenna. Mosley includes Noalux with their antennas.
Logged
WBear2GCR
Member

Offline Offline

Posts: 4135


Brrrr- it's cold in the shack! Fire up the BIG RIG


WWW
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2017, 05:33:26 PM »



Sorry, ya lost me on the curve!

I think you said you had galvanized screws... so that's going to be a problem in aluminum, no matter what.

But yes, Mosley used their goop... I think the stuff used for AL-Cu wiring would do the trick too. So-called
Nev-r-Seize just ain't the stuff it used to be.

Afaik it started out as lead
Then it became nickel.
I looked in the store for it, it was ALUMINUM!!!

HUH??  WTF??? Yep, I checked and then looked on line too.
No way am I going to goop on Aluminum when I don't want electrolytic corrosion!!

Must the the enviro people pushing "dangerous metals" out?? Makes zero sense to me.

Found a pint can of old school as a back up - contains 100% dangerous metals! Smiley
Logged

_-_- bear WB2GCR                   http://www.bearlabs.com
Pages: [1]   Go Up
  Print  
 
Jump to:  

AMfone - Dedicated to Amplitude Modulation on the Amateur Radio Bands
 AMfone © 2001-2015
Powered by SMF 1.1.21 | SMF © 2015, Simple Machines
Page created in 0.042 seconds with 19 queries.