Working with stainless tubing. How hard?
 

I am thinking of making some hombrew antennas for ham out of stainless
for the rust resistance and look. I have never worked with stainless
before. Is it hard to drill into or thread the ends?

It is not hard, but it tends to be gummy which means you need sharp tools
and a suitable cutting oil for best results.

Randy

wrote in message
oups.com...
I am thinking of making some hombrew antennas for ham out of stainless
for the rust resistance and look. I have never worked with stainless
before. Is it hard to drill into or thread the ends?

You need very sharp tooling and cutting fluid (oil or water base). I
hate working with stainless because the chips and slivers are like tiny
knives, and they always end up in my finger tips. Stainless is 3X
heavier than aluminum, but it's not really that much stronger for a
given weight of material. Have you considered making the parts from
heavy-wall aluminum with gray anodizing?

wrote:

I am thinking of making some hombrew antennas for ham out of stainless
for the rust resistance and look. I have never worked with stainless
before. Is it hard to drill into or thread the ends?

Does this corrode or tarnish?

Does this corrode or tarnish?

Yes... No... Depends...

Where do you plan on using this? If it is somewhere sort of seen, then use
white anodized. The corossion on the aluminum will at least partially
match.

It's tough... But it is not ever safe to use where salt is going to be
present.
--


Regards,
Joe Agro, Jr.
(800) 871-5022
http://www.autodrill.com
http://www.multi-spindle-heads.com

V8013

In article ,
says...
Does this corrode or tarnish?

Yes... No... Depends...

It's tough... But it is not ever safe to use where salt is going to be
present.

There's anodizing and there's anodizing. Sailboat masts are often made
of anodized aluminum that holds up to decades of salt exposure, but I'm
sure that's not common hardware-store-grade anodized tubing.

--
is Joshua Putnam
http://www.phred.org/~josh/
Braze your own bicycle frames. See
http://www.phred.org/~josh/build/build.html

Joshua Putnam wrote:

In article ,
says...

Does this corrode or tarnish?

Yes... No... Depends...


It's tough... But it is not ever safe to use where salt is going to be
present.


There's anodizing and there's anodizing. Sailboat masts are often made
of anodized aluminum that holds up to decades of salt exposure, but I'm
sure that's not common hardware-store-grade anodized tubing.

There is two items here - one the type of Aluminum is used and then the
quality or process of anodizing. Sometimes it is a slight etch so color
can be implanted or sprayed on paint. More tooth than anodizing.

Used to send Al boxes out to be 'dipped' so when handling them we wouldn't get
black hands. It made the Al - stable in that sort.

Martin

--
Martin Eastburn, Barbara Eastburn
@ home at Lion's Lair with our computer
NRA LOH, NRA Life
NRA Second Amendment Task Force Charter Founder