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climballnight
Aug 16, 2004, 4:17 AM
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Registered: Jul 12, 2004
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I just noticed that after having all my gear drenched this weekend, my TCU's are forming small spots of rust on the sides (where soldered to the wire frame).
Now I'm wondering, are there any other places where non-stainless steel is used in our gear? I.e., springs in auto-locking carabiners etc.
My Am'D's seem a bit rough now, but that might be grit in them that needs to come out.
FYI, after we got down the mountain, all the gear was shaken off and hung up in our garage to dry. Perhaps that wasn't enough. I guess a good oiling is definately in order now. (Couldn't find anything on the mfg's websites.)
TIA!
- bret wylie
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petsfed
Aug 16, 2004, 4:28 AM
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Steel wool, wire brushes. Should fix it right up. Remove the rust early and often. Should keep you alive, rather than dead.
As far as non SS in gear, springs, wires, some carabiners, wires on nuts, some belay devices, thread systems on locking carabiners, etc. Just keep good care of it and it won't be an issue.
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crshbrn84
Aug 16, 2004, 4:34 AM
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be careful because oil and synthetic ropes dont go well together
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apolobamba
Aug 16, 2004, 5:33 AM
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I actually just cleaned a lot of my cams. The noticeable rust spots on the pins are one thing, but the axles (where you can not see or get a wire brush at) are another thing all together. The axles on the Camlots seem to be prone to rust as well.
I suggest following Climbing Magazines tech tip procedure for cleaning cams. It was amazing how much rust developed from the drive home.
Good to hear you and your group are all ok. It was nasty out there.
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climballnight
Aug 16, 2004, 6:26 AM
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Wow thanks for the info! I'll get started!... and good tip about having too much oil with your ropes Kyle. Thanks again!
- bret
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sir_chalkalot
Aug 16, 2004, 12:25 PM
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In reply to: be careful because oil and synthetic ropes dont go well together
Can you cite a reference for that?
I'll give one showing that diesel, gasoline, WD40, and DEET (gasp!) have no effect on the Nylon used in ropes.
Life on a Line - A manual of modern cave rescue ropework techniques, Dr. D.F. Merchant, p. 18
Download here: http://www.draftlight.net/lifeonaline/download/ (section 1)
The entire text is an excellent read with a lot of relevant information for climbers.
George.
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highangle
Aug 19, 2004, 2:10 PM
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Whenever cleaning rust, I use Break Free, which seems to work well. Triflow for cams.
I think the most important thing I do is blow everything out with an air compressor before putting it away. (canned air works too) That cleans out any goopy oil, and leaves behind just a thin film.
Excess oil on cam axles, etc. actually collects dirt, and can turn into a varnish that impedes the movement. Only a solvent can clean that stuff out.
WD40 seems to be the worst at varnishing. Nothing is worse than buying a gun and finding a coating of WD40 varnish all over the inside! I don't want that on my gear!
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scrapedape
Aug 19, 2004, 2:32 PM
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How about using a dry lube like White Lightning (sold as a bike chain lube) on your gear? It's wax suspended in a solvent, and cleans up like a dream. Doesn't handle the rain all that well... so I guess this is a bit off topic, but I'd think it would be great for use in dusty conditions.
Anyone have any experience with this?
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jimfix
Sep 2, 2004, 9:13 PM
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I have a similar problem with my camalots. I can see the rust on the axels, but I'll be darned if I can get steel wool in there to clean it off. Untill I do there is no point in oiling them, as rust is very porous.
Any surgestions?
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climballnight
Sep 3, 2004, 7:01 AM
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In reply to: ...Untill I do there is no point in oiling them, as rust is very porous.
I still think coating them with an oil or wax-based lube will at least help minimize future rust.
I've only tried the Metolius wax-based cam lube, but as far as making things work smoothly again it's worked wonders for me!
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