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Re: Case screws rusting

Posted by w7aqk on May 26, 2009; 7:09pm
URL: http://elecraft.85.s1.nabble.com/Case-screws-rusting-tp2968823p2976586.html

Hi All,

Wayne says he's looking into this, which would be great!
I'll tell you though, there is a big difference between just
plain old humidity and salt air!  I don't think backpacking
in damp forests will even come close to causing the problem
that just a little exposure to salt air will cause.  And if
the screws are rusting, you had better take a look-see
inside as well.

When we go to the Oregon coast during the summer, we are
only a little more than a hundred yards from the water.  I
can almost "watch" my stuff rusting and corroding right in
front of me!  Seriously, I put up a Buddipole for a couple
of days, and then took it down.  I couldn't even unscrew the
sections!  The antenna mount on my vehicle needs constant
treatment for rust and corrosion while I'm there.  Even my
tools, which are kept in a toolbox and inside the storage
area of my motorhome, get rusty and corroded.  You should
see what salt air does to chrome!

There is a product out there called "KwikLube", and it's
made by an outfit called Kwikee Products in Cottage Grove,
Oregon.  The guy who works on my motorhome up there swears
by this stuff.  There are other products out there, but he
insists this stuff does better than any of them.  It will
inhibit and/or stop rust and corrosion.  If you are going
into a salt water environment, you might want to
periodically daub a little of this on the screwheads.
Problem is, you can really protect everything that probably
needs protecting.  I also would be inclined to pull the
covers off afterward, and attend to any noticeable problems.

I was born in Oregon, but lived away from the coast.  Now I
live in the desert.  One of the big reasons the military
chose Tucson for its big aircraft storage location ("The
Boneyard"), is that they can even leave good planes out
there for years without worrying a lick about rust or
corrosion.  So, this has been a whole new experience for
me--keeping up with rust an corrosion in salt air
environments--and it can darn near be a full time job!

Dave W7AQK


----- Original Message -----
From: "David Pratt" <[hidden email]>
To: "g7vjr" <[hidden email]>
Cc: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Tuesday, May 26, 2009 7:30 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] [K3] Case screws rusting


> In a recent message, g7vjr <[hidden email]> wrote ...
>>On returning to England I can see that the salty, humid
>>air has done
>>some damage to the K3, and caused the black case screws to
>>rust.
>
> I cannot remember this ever being an issue with the K1
> which uses
> similar screws, nor with the pan-head screws on the K2.
> The K1 is often
> used for portable backpack use where moisture could be an
> issue. This
> suggests that Elecraft could be supplying screws from an
> alternative
> vendor for the K3.
>
> As an alternative to the suggested stainless steel, are
> there any brass
> 100 degree countersunk screws available?  If so, they
> could be less
> expensive.
>
> 73
> --
> David G4DMP
> Leeds, England, UK
> ------
>
>
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