Cleaning aluminum antennas

[Marconi]

a wet SOS pad should be alright in keeping the dust to a minimum right ?

Tuner, I don't know if adding water to the mix will make it safe or not. When I made the mistake, I could see the dust in the rays of sunlight as it came thru the windows...and I immediately took the work outside...but obviously for me...it was too late.

As a note, I was using fine grit Emory cloth and not regular sand paper and I am a low level asthmatic, so my resistance would naturally be low.

 

[tuner]

I see , Eddie , thanks for the heads up.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

I am 51 years old and have been sanding aluminum for the last 36 years on and off. I even sand blast (glass bead) it at work which is a lot worse than simply sanding down a few pieces of antenna tubing. If you are really that paranoid about it then YES wetting it down will reduce/eliminate the dust particulates in the air. Exposure to aluminum occurs every day in the food you eat, the water you drink, and even the air you breath. Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust.Any additional exposure from sanding aluminum tubing elements is negligible since it is time as well as amount of exposure that determines any detrimental effects.

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/phs/phs.asp?id=1076&tid=34

 

[DainBramage]

.... Exposure to aluminum occurs every day in the food you eat, the water you drink, and even the air you breath...

... and don't ever take one of the more popular an acid tablets (Rolaids).

 

[bob85]

pure aluminum is considered fairly inert but antennas are never made from pure aluminum,
Eddie was sanding and breathing in 6061-t6 plus 30 years buildup of dirt,

http://www.alcoa.com/global/en/environment/msds_view.asp?LoadMSDS=276214

 

[222DBFL]

What about never dull. It's made for cleaning aluminum wheels and such and does a good job. It's one of the few I have found that doesn't stain or leave that milky discoloration.

 

[Captain Kilowatt]

If someone was exposed to high levels of dust for prolonged periods then yes I agree a health hazard exists but it would if aluminum was not a component in the dust anyway. For God's sake we are talking about a little sanding of a few pieces of antenna element tubing in open air and not sand blasting in an enclosed environment. Half the food you eat today is more detrimental to your health than sanding a few pieces of tubing.

 

[JoeDirt]

You will absorb more aluminum from your antiperspirant deodorant than by sanding on aluminum.

Sanding wet, dust mask and being outside would help.

 

[Slowmover]

LC WAX AlumaSlick

Owning an anodized all-aluminum travel trailer with what seems like one-thousand square feet of that material gives one an interest in what works.

Bare & Anodized call for different products in general.

But the above-referenced (at HD or Lowe’s; see website) is good for GP use after degrease complete (or not).

Aluminum windows, screen doors, etc.

And antennas.

For bare only: MOJO Metal Polish

.

 

[AudioShockwav]

SOS pads contain steel.
It can get imbeded in the soft aluminum and rust.
Yes we are exposed to aluminium every day but it is still not a good idea to breath the dust and dirt into your lungs.
We used to build aluminum dryer trays for industral dehydrators and always used dust masks to prevent inhaling dust.
Polish is good.
Stainless steel pads or scotchbrite is great and can be used with water.
That's just my opinion, for what it is worth.

73
Jeff

 

[Tokin]

If someone was exposed to high levels of dust for prolonged periods then yes I agree a health hazard exists but it would if aluminum was not a component in the dust anyway. For God's sake we are talking about a little sanding of a few pieces of antenna element tubing in open air and not sand blasting in an enclosed environment. Half the food you eat today is more detrimental to your health than sanding a few pieces of tubing.

AMEN...

 

[jessejamesdallas]

Never Dull is what I have used before on my Predator 10K's...shines them up like chrome!...Probably last a few weeks, depending on the weather...You can find it in the automotive section at Walmarts where the rest of the wheel polish is at...One can will last for years.

 

[groundwire]

Mothers aluminum wheel polish. It will make aluminum look and feel brand new. Awesome stuff. I use it to maintain my aluminum antennas. You can even get it at walmart, auto stores etc....

 

[TIN_CAN]

If I was to buy a new aluminum antenna I would mask off where the joint contact is and scuff the rest and clean and prep and coat with uv stable clear. The scuff contact area and lube with dielectric grease and build antenna.

 

[Alexis Mercado]

This is the stuff I use to clean my antennas. I think it is the SOS competition. I wet everything first, while cleaning it makes a black film, then I wash thoroughly with water.

Optional step: After doing the cleaning with Brillo, you can use Magic to make it super shine, but it is cumbersome to do it. I just clean with this steel sponge and that’s it.