Tri-Flow lubricant on nylon sling - will this kill me?

I was lubricating my cams and my #2 BD got some Tri-Flow on the sling. Will this be the death of me? Thanks in advance!

Sam Oudekerk wrote: I was lubricating my cams and my #2 BD got some Tri-Flow on the sling. Will this be the death of me? Thanks in advance!

Yes, you should send me your cam for extensive testing to ensure your safety.

I'd just wash thoroughly with water and climb on. Just don't take a really massive super whipper on it.

You are probably fine, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to call Tri-Flo and ask to remove all doubt in your mind.

Here's the MSDS for Tri-Flow:
http://www1.mscdirect.com/MSDS/MSDS00010/00157545-20161002.PDF

Contents are:
Heavy Naphthenic Petroleum Oil Aliphatic Solvent
Propane
Butane
Heavy Paraffinic Oil
Heavy Naphthenic Petroleum Oil
Barium Dinonyl
Naphthalene Sulfonate
Tetrafluoroethene Polymer

The oils and alkanes are probably ok.  Dunno about the others.  Personally I would just resling the cam for peace of mind.

ubu wrote: Here's the MSDS for Tri-Flow:
http://www1.mscdirect.com/MSDS/MSDS00010/00157545-20161002.PDF

Contents are:
Heavy Naphthenic Petroleum Oil Aliphatic Solvent
Propane
Butane
Heavy Paraffinic Oil
Heavy Naphthenic Petroleum Oil
Barium Dinonyl
Naphthalene Sulfonate
Tetrafluoroethene Polymer

The oils and alkanes are probably ok.  Dunno about the others.  Personally I would just resling the cam for peace of mind.

There's nothing in there to damage the Nylon.

Ethan Garreau wrote:

Yes, you should send me your cam for extensive testing to ensure your safety.

wow this is the first time i heard this joke on mountain project, good one!

Gunkiemike wrote:

There's nothing in there to damage the Nylon.

You sure about that?  Highly flammable petroleum derivatives can  affect petroleum based material.  The naptha content has me wondering.  I'm not a materials engineer, but it sheds concern.

John Penca wrote:

You sure about that?  Highly flammable petroleum derivatives can  affect petroleum based material.  The naptha content has me wondering.  I'm not a materials engineer, but it sheds concern.

Strongly agree with gunkiemike, no concern re: nylon interaction. Napthalene sulfonate is stable in h2o and non-oxidizing. Petro derivatives could only pose a concern at elevated temps so prudent to wash thoroughly.

John Penca wrote:

You sure about that?  Highly flammable petroleum derivatives can  affect petroleum based material.  The naptha content has me wondering.  I'm not a materials engineer, but it sheds concern.

Based on my 25 years as a petroleum industry chemist whose job responsibilities included testing product-polymer interaction... yes I'm sure about that.

Bounce test it.

Thanks for the responses! I have washed it with water and climbed on it since it happened. It’s at least body weight strong (not surprising). Despite washing it, it’s still stained and that spot seems to be slightly more susceptible to abrasion.

Gunkiemike wrote:

Based on my 25 years as a petroleum industry chemist whose job responsibilities included testing product-polymer interaction... yes I'm sure about that.

Damn that's pretty definitive   

Dude, wash it with soap and water to get rid of the lubricant, or dip it in boiling water. Nylon doesn't melt until 428 F, but the plastic trigger will melt at a much lower temp, so only dip the nylon.

Sam Oudekerk wrote: Thanks for the responses! I have washed it with water and climbed on it since it happened. It’s at least body weight strong (not surprising). Despite washing it, it’s still stained and that spot seems to be slightly more susceptible to abrasion.

What happens when you get oil soaked into one of your fleece jackets? It stains... Same thing here dude

Food for thought:

It's a cam, not your harness or rope. Cams can be unpredictable. (A guy testing a lot of cam placements in sandstone reckoned 1 in 20 solid looking placements turned out not to be).

Now you've got a bunch of shit on the sling, maybe your cam just got more unpredictable. But regardless, try not to have a single cam placement being all that's between you and uncertain death.

-- Cowardly climber

r m wrote: Now you've got a bunch of shit on the sling, maybe your cam just got more unpredictable.

Gunkiemike wrote:

Based on my 25 years as a petroleum industry chemist whose job responsibilities included testing product-polymer interaction... yes I'm sure about that.

Cool.  Chasing down what damages the nylon in slings is tough.  

Can you share rules of thumb on what’s safe?  

Are WD40 and Naval Jelly damaging to slings?

Live Perched wrote:

Are WD40 and Naval Jelly damaging to slings?

Isn't naval jelly basically just oxalic acid?  Nylon isn't generally happy with acids...

ubu wrote:

Isn't naval jelly basically just oxalic acid?  Nylon isn't generally happy with acids...

Edit: looked it up...navel jelly = phosphoric + sulfuric acid = bad.

Yeah thanks Ubu.  Naval Jelly was actually recommended by a climbing industry professional for cleaning rust.  When I looked into it, I found arcane commercial information saying "its bad for slings."  The data really went over my head.  I appreciate the second opinion.  

Gunkiemike wrote:

Based on my 25 years as a petroleum industry chemist whose job responsibilities included testing product-polymer interaction... yes I'm sure about that.

Hey Mike,

Reviving this thread. I threw a bit of bike chain lube I had laying around on a booty carabiner and it worked well. I'd love to do the rest of my gear, but am at least wary of how it may interact with soft goods that tend to live on carabiners (alpine draws, long slings that have a dedicated carabiner, my third hand) and are in close proximity to the hinge and gate. Here's the ingredient list, and I was comparing it to this chart of how things interact with nylon. I found a similar chart for Dyneema and it looked about the same. The one that gave me pause was the sulfonic acids. The two listed on the chart show a severe effect. 

Any insight is appreciated.