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mast conduit

Jon Libby

Member II
Well folks, the house is gone and soon so are we. The last thing I need to do is take care of my mast noise. I pulled 8 bags of foam in plastic bags out, which had not been enough to make it quiet. I found the problem is that the conduit has broken away from the fasteners above the spreaders and below the steaming light. I can see the fasteners from the bottom are a type of pop rivet or just rivet with wire that wraps around the conduit every 8 feet or so. If I knew what kind of fastener this was I might be able to grab it above the spreaders. Any body know who build the mast for the 36c in 75? Or this fastener. Or have any Ideas at all. I don't want to ripp all of the conduit out to start over.
 

Martin King

Sustaining Member
Blogs Author
It was most likely Sparcraft. Conduit for the wiring was typically riveted on.
 
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ted_reshetiloff

Contributing Partner
When I was in the rigging business and we had to install conduits on spars we used to make a hook tool out of stiff wire. You would use the wire to pull the conduit up tight to the mast wall then pop your rivet. You will need to experiment with the hook to get the bend just right but you should be able to re-rivet the sections that are loose. You may have to drill one extra hole when you get to the last rivet. Make sense?
 

Jon Libby

Member II
Yes, after a lot more light and on a cloud covered morning, I see wire fished around the conduit and wrapped around the pop rivets to hold it tight. This is really a very easy fix,..... I've spend a life time fishing wires up and down wall,... "Be the snake",.. I've got to update the wires to the spreader lights and clamp them in too. Anybody upgraded to an LED spreader light that they like and can see things with? We'll be doing conduit and finish painting the mast this weekend and then step the mast next week. Thanks for the input.
 

Greg Ross

Not the newest member
Mast Coduit

Jon,
When I landed LAYLAH home from Philly 4 years ago there was no conduit at all in the mast, just the wiring harness flopping around loose. PO had apparently intended to drop the mast for a number of years to repair the non-operating steaming light and anchor light.
I purchased suffecient length of plastic conduit, built an entirely new mast wiring harness and rigged pull lines at both the steaming light elevation and top of mast. Used an electrical fish tape to get all the pull lines in place.
Was quite a challenge since I was feeding from all directions. The Wind Machine multi-core was still fine so it had to feed into the new conduit from the top as the conduit was pushed into the mast. The steaming light wiring was exiting the conduit at mid height and the other witing for new spreader lights plus anchor light were feeding in from the base.
Working by myself it all went together.
To secure the conduit I came up with a modified solution. Since pairs of holes were necessary anyway for the securing method mentioned earlier and I was aware of that method!
I experimented a bit with a piece of sheet aluminum to to get the drilled holes sized and spaced correctly. My strategy, instead of trying to drill into the conduit with wiring already threaded thru was to use electrical tyewraps around the outside of the conduit.
Laid the mast so gravity was working with me with the leading face down and the conduit obviously laying in generally the right place I drilled pairs of holes. Took the tyewrap and bent it into a "U" shape and then fed it in one hole and fiddled around until I got the other end to feed out the second hole. Trial and error there until I got the "U" bend figuired out. Installed one pop rivet, pulled the tyewrap tight and installed the second pop rivet.
Where you've got existing wiring to worry about damaging trying to drill a new pop rivit hole this method might be made to work for you.
If you're pulling any new wires say to the spreaders, get them pulled and secure them taught beside the conduit before you start installing the tyewraps as I suggest. You should be able to capture the new wires along with the conduit and secure them as well.
I think I went about every 3' with the straps and it's working fine in seasonal use since.
 

Jon Libby

Member II
Done,

The conduit with wire in it had broken loose in several places. the pop rivets where about 6 ft apart, It took a couple of tries but was quite easy. I rolled the mast around on saw horses to put the conduit where I needed it. The easiest was with the conduit hanging down and the rivet holes on top. I dropped in one hole string to try 1st, and then just did the final braided wire. Took a fine peice of hardened steel wire with a hook in the end that would fit through the 2nd hole, grabbed the string or braided wire. Rolled the mast around so the conduit fell into place, tightened the wire around the pop rivets. And the new wire for the spreader lights got wrapped around the conduit once or twice and held in place by the conduit. I dare say that if it comes loose again or the radar goes on the mast that I could do it with the mast up and 2 pieces of the hard steel wire.

It's interesting that with the million candle spot looking inside I saw that it is a 2 piece mast. Arline had panited the mast and you could see where they either epoxied or bonded the joint for a finished look.
 
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