Broken trigger bar on camalot

Hi all,

The other day I noticed a crack in the trigger bar in one of my 0.5 camalots ("new style, not u-stem). The crack is directly adjacent to the stem, just on one side. I taped it, but it makes me nervous that it's going to fail completely at some awkward moment.

It doesn't look to me like this part can be replaced without removing the head of the cam.

I'll contact BD, but does anyone have any quick fix thoughts?

Thanks,
David

epoxy it. Not sure if they still make the replacement trigger bars.

http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/climbing/spare-parts

Greg Opland wrote: http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/climbing/spare-parts

Couldn't follow the link,..could you paraphrase? :)

The BD trigger kits only include wires.
I've made do with a friend kit that I sort-of retro'd on but I couldn't get epoxy to stay on and not crack off.

Brian Scoggins wrote:The BD trigger kits only include wires. I've made do with a friend kit that I sort-of retro'd on but I couldn't get epoxy to stay on and not crack off.

That was my thought on the epoxy...seems like the surface area involved is far too small for a strong joint. Maybe I can epoxy a little piece of something across the gap to increase the surface area, but that sounds like it could get messy pretty quick.

Gorilla Glue makes an awesome super glue that I've used on tons of stuff, it holds well. It's a "gel" that is more viscous than regular super glue so it's not messy. Or check the forum for some cheap used cams, buy one and remove the trigger bar...just a thought.

Chase D wrote:Gorilla Glue makes an awesome super glue that I've used on tons of stuff, it holds well. It's a "gel" that is more viscous than regular super glue so it's not messy.

I'd try this, its better than the old super glue.

Chase D wrote:Gorilla Glue makes an awesome super glue that I've used on tons of stuff, it holds well. It's a "gel" that is more viscous than regular super glue so it's not messy. Or check the forum for some cheap used cams, buy one and remove the trigger bar...just a thought.

Thanks Chase but as far as I can tell there's no way to put an intact trigger bar ON the intact unit, even if I did have the part. You'd have to take the head off to put it on, which I'm guessing might void the warranty. ;)

If it's ABS based and a clean crack you can use MEK in the seam and hold it together till the MEK evaporates. Bond will be stronger than any glue. Just apply lightly with a q-tip until it starts to tack up, then press together, and use aluminum tape to hold while it evaps.

For a larger or sloppy break, you can get plastic weld sticks from harbor freight for cheap. On a piece that small you could probably get away with a butane torch for heat, and clean up with a file or dremmel. Plenty of plastic weld videos on YouTube, it's pretty easy to do when you're not talking about large cosmetic seams.

MichaelChad wrote:If it's ABS based and a clean crack you can use MEK in the seam and hold it together till the MEK evaporates. Bond will be stronger than any glue. Just apply lightly with a q-tip until it starts to tack up, then press together, and use aluminum tape to hold while it evaps. For a larger or sloppy break, you can get plastic weld sticks from harbor freight for cheap. On a piece that small you could probably get away with a butane torch for heat, and clean up with a file or dremmel. Plenty of plastic weld videos on YouTube, it's pretty easy to do when you're not talking about large cosmetic seams.

This is the best idea yet. A bit more time consuming but probably the best long-term fix.

Glue a pop sickle stick top and bottom across the break for more rigidity. Just a thought, never actually done it

I repaired a broken trigger bar on my old 4.5 camalot with two 2" long pieces of thin spring steel (one on top of the trigger bar, one under the bar). Bedded them both in a couple dabs of epoxy, then wrapped the whole thing tightly with some fiberglass strapping tape. It's ugly, but it's held up for over a year a now.

You guys aren't thinking right. You have to replace the entire trigger bar or you'll continue to have problems. They sound like adequate short term fixes while on a trip but not permanently.

About 10 years ago I bootied a #4 with a trigger bar that was broken in half. I cut out a trigger bar from the wood purpleheart. I used it because it's rather strong and I had a scrap of it laying around. Obviously I did it in 2 pieces and glued it together. I used gorilla glue the right way (small amount, a little damp) and left it clamped for a full day or two.

After that, it was a simple matter of grinding the dried glue off the trigger and drilling holes in the trigger to run wires through. I drilled my holes wide enough to run a swage through. You can either do that, use baling wire (no swage), or assemble your own trigger wires if you have a small nicopress tool. One way or another though, you're going to have to replace the original trigger wires.

That was 10 years ago and offwidth, especially that size, was my thing for a good long time. It's held up fine. At this point I need to replace the sling, the trigger and wires still look new.

The only thing that was a little funny was the angle at teh bottom of the trigger, where the cable runs back and forth. Since I'd done a little bigger holes it allowed the cable to saw into the wood a little. I taped a piece of a paperclip between the cable and wood and it totally stopped that process.

You probably don't need to use purpleheart but I'd suggest a good strong hard wood. Don't use a scrap of a 2x4. I guarantee my trigger bar is more durable than the plastic one it came with.

I fixed one that was broken on one side. I glued the joint back together (probably super glue, can't recall). Then I bent a section of coat hanger into a loop that traced the perimeter of the trigger bar and taped it tight to the bottom of the trigger. Worked great for years. Still on the desert rack.

Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Rich, I like that coat hanger idea, and I'm curious about this "MEK" stuff mentioned above as well.

BD did write back and said "There is no fix for that." They offered me a 40 percent off coupon which is nice and I'll probably take them up on that.

I did suggest to BD that in terms of sustainable design throwing away all that perfectly machined and perfectly functional metal for want of a 20 cent piece of plastic didn't seem too green, and they might want to implement one of a number of pretty obvious solutions to this problem in future designs. Not sure if too much will come of my insightful suggestions, but you never know.

Optimistic wrote:...curious about this "MEK" stuff ...

Methyl ethyl ketone (butanone). Very usefull stuff.

Jeremy in Inyokern wrote: Methyl ethyl ketone (butanone). Very usefull stuff.

Yup. Good, nasty stuff (think solvent). Works great for creating bonds between certain synthetic materials, acrylic, ABS etc... And breaking bonds like certain adhesives. You can even make filler from the base materials by dissolving them in MEK, and you won't be able to tell the filler from the rest.

Pretty sure you can still get it at Home Depot or Ace, but if not any auto paint store should have it.

MichaelChad wrote: Yup. Good, nasty stuff (think solvent). Works great for creating bonds between certain synthetic materials, acrylic, ABS etc... And breaking bonds like certain adhesives. You can even make filler from the base materials by dissolving them in MEK, and you won't be able to tell the filler from the rest. Pretty sure you can still get it at Home Depot or Ace, but if not any auto paint store should have it.

Sounds like wholesome stuff!

I've got a message out to BD asking them what type of plastic it is, I'll post if they tell me. Unless someone here already knows?

Optimistic wrote: Sounds like wholesome stuff! I've got a message out to BD asking them what type of plastic it is, I'll post if they tell me. Unless someone here already knows?

It's most likely ABS, or ABS based. You can test by putting a dab of MEK, Toluene, or even acetone I think (nail polish remover) in an inconspicuous area and see if it pulls up some of the material. If it wipes off black after a few seconds then it's ABS and you can proceed as you wish. If I had some MEK here I'd do it for ya on one of mine, but that'd have to wait till tomorrow.

It IS wholesome stuff too, you'll get a wicked high/headache from working around it too much. Make sure to protect your skin and keep the work area well ventilated.

MichaelChad wrote: It's most likely ABS, or ABS based. You can test by putting a dab of MEK, Toluene, or even acetone I think (nail polish remover) in an inconspicuous area and see if it pulls up some of the material. If it wipes off black after a few seconds then it's ABS and you can proceed as you wish. If I had some MEK here I'd do it for ya on one of mine, but that'd have to wait till tomorrow. It IS wholesome stuff too, you'll get a wicked high/headache from working around it too much. Make sure to protect your skin and keep the work area well ventilated.

Sounds like an adventure! Thanks for the additional details, that sounds pretty doable.