Norsemans even badly done!

[Brion Toss]

Hello all,
First, yeah, silicone is only mildly acidic, barely enough to "blush" the surface metal. And that is only until it cures. But it's a moot point, as there are much better sealants out there, like 4000.
Next, wax does no good dripped into a finished swage, as anywhere it can go, water can get past it. Not much better to wax pre-swaging, as moisture will soon dissolve/displace it. But I'd be curious to hear about the details and protocols of the break tests with coated wires; Navtec did some a while back, and found significant loss of grip with at least some of the sealants they used.
As for the Wire-Tecnic, because the cams are not powered, as I understand it, they can have far larger, tougher bearings, and less distortion than conventional roll-swage machines. Done correctly they appear to be more fatigue-resistant than those machines, right up there with rotaries. I have never heard of heat being an issue with any swage; never seen a swage get so hot from forming that it might affect the metal's characteristics. Do you have some data on this? In any event I still prefer rotaries, if only for their smoothness...
Fair leads,
Brion Toss