[stampeder]

Just a warning note about using ABS for structural parts that I've mentioned many times before - hopefully what you're planning to use is the thick walled stuff that has little or no flex. If you go to Rona or Lowe's or Home Depot and shake a 10 foot ABS pipe like a sword it flexes a lot. It seems to be rigid, but its not. If you shake a length of PVC like that it will seem like a wet noodle, so avoid using PVC for structural use either, except when recommended in build plans.

From experience I'm clarifying that ABS should never be used as a pole or mast, and it should be carefully considered if you're thinking of using it as a horizontal boom of any length more than a meter or a few feet.

 

[stampeder]

Yes, one of the complaints I've come across here about the recent use of enclosed baluns from China is that the plastic has a tendency to crack or break off.

 

[stampeder]

Thanks for that, johnpost. Is PVC-primer paint readily available? Also is PEX suitable too?

 

[stampeder]

Nylon nuts and bolts in the Plumbing section

Some toilet seat bracket nuts/bolts are fairly lengthy and made of nylon, so if you can get used to the backwards threading on some of them I think they'd be a good option for someone needing non-metallic joiners for antenna building. I have no idea if they're UV-resistant though.

 

[stampeder]

license plate fasteners

That's an interesting possibility, but they're not very long though.

 

[stampeder]

Maybe I can bend them in an L configuration... like angle iron.

Except that angle iron (mild steel) can generally withstand about 10,000 PSI of pressure while PVC or ABS... not so much. Not anywhere remotely so much!

I agree with those in the tubular/square tube camp for structural rigidity in plastic.