Loose caps on rebar

Mountain Mold and Dye make the best caps that I've ever used and they have a wide selection?ÿ of styles to choose from in most colors

I am an orange person and when I found some blue ones our in the woods I was surprised at how they popped against the foliage.

I have been leary of some rebars out there, we buy caps in SAE sizes and many of the rebar on the market is in metric sizes and are a little off from what we are used to.

Have had to wrap a wad of flagging around the top to get some caps to fit in the past.

Thanks. I'll check into Mountain Mold & Dye. We wrap the rebar with flagging to make the caps fit. It's a bit labor intensive though.

I use Surv Kap they always fit tight.

@gradetek

A bit of tie wire folded over the bar probably work better and faster, if you carry wire and dikes anyway, which I often do but may be in the minority. 

I would suspect the rebar, not the cap.

I am having to order rebar caps, again.

Which brand lasts the longest, in the sun?

Thanks,

Nate

@nate-the-surveyor 

I'm not old enough to know the answer to that question.

There's 3 ways to tell yer gettin old.

1.) Yer memory goes.

2.) I don't remember the others.

I would suspect the rebar, not the cap.

that's my first thought as well.  I used to get the aluminum caps from Surv Kap with the plastic inserts that made the connection much better.  

I am having to order rebar caps, again.

Which brand lasts the longest, in the sun?

Thanks,

Nate

Hard aluminum or brass 

Which brand lasts the longest, in the sun?

If they're in direct sunlight much of the time, any of them will eventually degrade.  Around here we have pretty intense summers, and most of the unshaded plastic caps set in the 1970s have crumbled.  So if 40 years is long enough for you, then plastic is fine; if you want more durability you need metal.

if you want more durability you need metal.

How do those aluminum caps hold up in a fire?

Not that plastic will do any better...

@dougie 

I recently did a fire survey, plastic melted, metal caps, aluminum or brass were fine. I pulled one out that was plastic for a section corner, I thought it was a tree root at first, it was weird looking. 

weird looking

I in the process of finishing up a project in eastern Oregon where the DOT set aluminium caps in 1981.  Most were buried to prevent being plowed up, the wheat ranchers plant right up to the gravel shoulder.  I would say of the 50 plus I found, well over half were corroded to the point they were not readable with some falling apart when I touched them.  I'm sure it is a combination of dislike metal, soil type and whatever else chemicals they are using.  Even the rocks are bleached milk white.  If you are going to go with aluminium or brass, I would get one with the plastic sleeve to project against corrosion brought on by dislike metals. 

@gradetek I've used the folks from landmarkgeo for years, no complaints here and they have always been good quality...

@john-putnam   I found the same thing in the sandy "soil" in SW Florida, and much faster than your experience.  I went to the sleeved caps on my second order, as I found some within a year that had eroded to a knife edge at the cap.   lesson learned.

I've often seen these rebar drivers for sale but never had the opportunity to use one. They always seemed like a gimmick to do something that was already straightforward enough. But I found one kicking around the storeroom lately and gave it a try. To my surprise it puts a bevel on the top of the driven rod - which without it would be mushroomed. Also cuts down on the painful near misses. This tool is going to have a place in the truck going forward.   

+1 on the rebar drivers, I carry both 5/8" and 3/4" versions in the truck.  I only use 5/8" rebar, but I've found that some of them have an exaggerated side rib that prevents them from fitting into the 5/8" driver.