joseph_murray8•11d agoProlific Poster

Debate: Does rigging lube on the wedge socket really help or is it just a waste of time?

I picked up this trick from an old timer on a job site in Pittsburgh last spring. He swore by putting a thin coat of anti-seize on the wedge socket before seating the cable on a new line. Said it keeps the socket from galling and makes adjustments easier down the road when you have to reseat the cable after stretch. I tried it on my last two boom changes and honestly, the socket came apart way smoother than the times I just installed it dry. But I got a guy on my crew who says it just attracts dirt and grit inside the socket, which could cause uneven wear on the cable strands. We went back and forth for like 20 minutes about it. Has anyone else here actually tried this, or is it just another old wives tale from the 70s?

2 comments

2 Comments

anderson.gavin10d agoMost Upvoted

Oh man, that dirt and grit argument is legit but I think it's kinda overblown. I mean think about it, you're already operating this thing outdoors on a jobsite, dirt is gonna find its way in there regardless of whether you put anti-seize on it or not. But here's the thing that really sells me on it - I've seen wedge sockets that were dry get so locked up from galling that the crew had to torch the damn thing to get it apart. That's way worse than wiping some grime off during routine maintenance. I'd rather take 30 seconds to clean the socket every couple weeks than spend two hours fighting a seized up wedge when I need to reseat after stretch.

the_alice8d ago

... which reminds me, we had a guy on a job in West Virginia who swore by putting bacon grease on his wedge sockets. Said it was what his granddad used back in the coal mines. Worked fine until a stray cat kept showing up every morning licking the damn thing clean. We had to reseat that cable three times in one week before we figured out what was happening.