[BlackTalon]

Went straight to the source, and called Sanders. They do not plate or plug their bars. Elephant uses Sanders (because Chuck called them to check on delivery times for me last week), so they must do these extra steps themselves. I'm sure the paint on the Weltmeisters is fine -- but with a tubular bar you have to worry about moisture getting inside. I would not trust a squirt of silicone as a long-term protection method, and it would be hard to ensure a good coating of grease.

[}{arlequin]

but they seal aquariums w/ that stuff... how can it fail?

[BlackTalon]

In an aquarium, you are sealing where two solid substrates meet. In the end of a hollow t-bar you are squirting sealant into a open cavity (i.e., no substrate), and it's tough to get the proper width-to-depth ratio required to ensure sealant performance. It could be done though -- would just need to insert a substrate material the sealant would not bond to into the cavity, at a controlled depth. Could cut pieces of the same closed-cell backer rod they use when installing sealant on building facades...

(sorry, I investigate sealant failures for work sometimes, so I probably know too much about this stuff )

[Jazzbass]

Rennsport sells Sanders bars. I think Elephants bars are Sanders that Chuck plates and plugs. I'm sure Rennsport will sell you plated bars, but most likely he's just buying them from Chuck Moreland and reseling them.

[Jazzbass]

Oop - I see you went striaght to the source and got the same info. If I were buying the Sanders bars at full retail, I'd probably drop the extra $30 for plated for the warm, fuzzy feeling.

[BlackTalon]

I just finished doing that! I hung up with Chuck just before logging back into the Dorki BB. Chuck gets the Sanders bars, then send them out locally for plating and plugging. Worth the extra $ for peace-of-mind (for me, at least)

[Spike]

Not meant to provoke - but if plating means chrome plating (does it?)
then doesn't that imply adding a coating of copper then a coat of chrome?

- would that affect the spring rate of the bar?
- doesn't chrome peel after you bend it a few times (like bent bumpers do)?

Just wondering if plating is meant to withstand constant, but very small
amounts of twisting stress.

[BlackTalon]

Not chrome -- I think it's cadmium. But the end plugs are really the most desirable part of the Elephant bars to me -- no worries on interior corrosion. It's probably worth coating the exteriors w/ grease even if they are plated.

[jpinkert]

Have there been reports of any corrosion on untreated hollow T-bars?

[}{arlequin]

Originally Posted by BlackTalon

In an aquarium, you are sealing where two solid substrates meet. In the end of a hollow t-bar you are squirting sealant into a open cavity (i.e., no substrate), and it's tough to get the proper width-to-depth ratio required to ensure sealant performance. It could be done though -- would just need to insert a substrate material the sealant would not bond to into the cavity, at a controlled depth. Could cut pieces of the same closed-cell backer rod they use when installing sealant on building facades...

(sorry, I investigate sealant failures for work sometimes, so I probably know too much about this stuff )

cool! awesome info, it's like watching the megastructures program on discovery!


(quick, someone give him another one!)