Goo on rigging wire
My expertise is with electronics and electrical systems, not rigging. Regardless, I have taken Brion's advice to heart many times without regret. I've been dealing with problems of corrosion and rigging wire since '80 and have noticed that there is a problem common to printed circuit boards and rigging. People who apply various goos to either one do not, or cannot, commonly keep the applied area free from the intrusion of dirt and dust.
All goos retain dirt at the interface between where the goo ends and the rigging wire (and more) which is the site for the beginning of corrosion due to the interaction of the chemicals in the dirt and the absence of oxygen. SSB installations which connect various wires to the rigging are a particular problem in this instance and great care must be made when making such connections to prevent the collection of dirt. I have recommended that such connections be made by the use of solderless watertight terminals between the uplead and a pendant rigging wire exactly compatible with the alloy to which the pendant is attached. The pendant gets served to the rigging wire again using compatible serving wire. Leaving everything clean, one can inspect the whole junction and wash it frequently. With the application of goos, one cannot discern the integrity of the rigging wire. In general, there is no chemical reason to expect a "protectant" to microscopically adhere to stainless surfaces. Vibration, wind, and water can affect dirt particles to undermine the interface between the goo and the stainless entraping the particles which remain to do damage.
There is a myth amongst cruising sailers that the application of WD-40 will clean and protect electronic circuit boards. In truth, the chemicals of WD-40, and others, invade the package leads of integrated circuits which changes the resistive values between leads, especilly when dirt is trapped. Often they are rendered permanently irreparable over time due to the same effect that rigging wire gets damaged. One exception to this, in my experience, is the use of Corrosion Block liquid to clean salt intruded circuit boards. The Corrosion Block is the only one that has actually enabled my to dissolve (24 hours) an affected board, which otherwise would no operate, and return it to service AFTER thouroughly cleaning off the chemical with high grade alcohol so that the Corrosion Block not trap dirt.
It would seem logical that if there were a "goo" appropriate for use with swaging rigging wire it would be made by a company such as Permatex or Locktite. Comments?
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