rusty cam advice?

Hey,

So my cams spent a night in the rain and are now showing some rust around the axels. Does anyone know what the deal is with rust? Are they safe to climb if they still have good action? Will it detioriate more over time? Are there any good methods for cleaning rust off cams?

thanks a lot :)

Andy

If you use WD-40 make sure you clean it off really well otherwise it will gunk up with dirt.

I think silicone spray might be a little less of a hassle to clean up.

I've used teflon based Tri-Flow lubricant for years. Small bottle with applicator tube is great for getting into tight places neatly and accurately - Perfect for cams.

Popular with cyclists, most bike shops carry it.

I'm going to revive this thread. I have a #1 mastercam (one of my favorite pieces of gear, BTW) that must have gotten rusty. I had a very humid apartment, and I think that led to the axle rusting a bit. Because it's such a small cam, I can't really see the axle or spring very well. I've tried swishing the cam in boiling water (to clean out any junk in there) and some rust-busting oil, but have so far only been able to get one lobe moving.

Anybody have any suggestions? If I were in the states, I'd just buy another, but there isn't great access to that gear in Colombia. More oil? Coca-cola? One more lobe and I'm good to go!

Submerge the head in wd40 then try to work the lobes with your hands to free them, but if the lobes are frozen you should probably retire that cam.

"So how'd your date go last night?"

"heh-heh, I gave her the rusty cam."

I've used Coca-Cola to free up rusty auto parts before. It works pretty well. Just submerge the part in Coke and let stand overnight. Haven't tried it on cams yet.

Tom Mulholland wrote:I'm going to revive this thread.

Good lord why? Seems you did enough of a search to find this thread, but gave up just short of actually finding your answer.

To summarize innumerable threads here and elsewhere:

1. WD40 works well to displace water and catch salmon. Not much else.

2. If they have bikes where you are, stop in at a bike shop and get whatever chain lube they have. Clean the cam with WD40 (or equivalent, depending on the salmon run) and then lubricate with bike chain lube.

3. Don't be afraid to beat on it to get the lobes free. If they're stuck, they're stuck for a reason. If getting them unstuck breaks them, it was broken anyway.

Oh man, I'd love to be able to send it to Metolius, but that would cost upwards of $160 in shipping.

I suppose I'll have to try to Coca-cola, and if that doesn't work, more oil and some tools. I suppose it can't really get worse.

Though i've never used it on gear before, there's this stuff called PB Blaster that is pure magic when it comes to breaking rust on tools/bolts, etc. Soak it down and let it sit for a day... i wouldn't get any on the sling though.

Since nobody beat me to it..........
A rusty cam in the country of cocaine and mercenaries.....for sure you're gonna die

Just Jesse wrote:Though i've never used it on gear before, there's this stuff called PB Blaster that is pure magic when it comes to breaking rust on tools/bolts, etc. Soak it down and let it sit for a day... i wouldn't get any on the sling though.

I wont use B'laster any more when I have access to 'Free All'. The local NAPA has it and not only does it work better than B'laster, it smells much better too. Like anything of this nature, be care using it around soft goods.....