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<< Lancair Builders' Mail List >>
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I must agree with Mr.Chipetine on his dissertation of using anti
seize compound on control cables. Almost all of these compounds use
metal such as copper, silver, aluminum, etc. The metal is mixed in with
a petroleum base along with who knows what other chemicals. Only the
manufacture of the anti-seize can tell you. But even if you are able to
find out exactly what is in the compound, you still don't know what
the long term effect would be on the integrity of the cable once
subjected to the compound. Remember, anti-seize compounds were not
formulated for lubricating moving parts. They were designed to prevent
the seizing of two simular metals, under pressure, in contact, for
an extended period of time. I suspect, if you put anti-seize
compound in with your crankcase oil, you'd be buying a new engine in
short order. So, you ask, what is the alternative? Well, since you
asked, let me tell you what I did. Two years ago when I was stringing
the rudder cable through the nylon
tubing, I thought a lubricant would be nice to reduce the friction and
reduce the wear on the tubing from the stainless steel cable. What
to use, what to use? For 4 or 5 days I went through the analysis of
what I could use with stainless steel and nylon. Nylon is in itself
self lubricating, as long as the surface is not scratched or abraded. But as soon as nylon looses its surface integrity it will wear pretty
fast. To make a long story short, I settled on using Polytetrafl-
uoroethylene(PTFE)or TEFLON POWDER. And it really works great. The
teflon is produced and sold by Whitcon Corp. The designation
for the stuff I used is Whitcon TL-10. I am a injection molder and use
this stuff to compound into other materials for lubricity. Teflon was
and is the ideal material to use in the rudder cable as a lubricant
and meets all the requirements.It is dry, no electrolysis, no bleeding
out, it is enert, no chemical reaction with the cable or the nylon and it!
is very, very slippery. Application is also easy.Put a little bit
in a rag, lay the cable across the teflon, squeeze it in your hand and
pull it through while feeding it into the tubing. The idea is to pack
as much of the powder into the cable as you can. When I finally hooked
the rudder and peddles to the cable it only took a few ozs. of pressure
to move the rudder.
Since I stock the teflon powder, I will make it available to anyone
that wants it. I will send you enough to do your rudder cables and
some to spare. The cost is $25.00 for about a half cup. Yes the stuff
is expensive, but it's the best and it's safe. Send me an e-mail (dick@arrowplastics.com)with your mailing address and I'll send you
your teflon the same day. When you receive it, mail me a check or cash. PS > I still have a few sets of those rudder gears left, if anyone needs
them.
Dick > N80D IV-P
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