Retrieve gear with freeze-off spray?

I just had the thought that using CRC freeze-off might be helpful for freeing some of the more impossibly seized cams and nuts?  It provides thin lubricating oils that are highly volatile and will evaporate away as well has an extremely low boiling point fluid that will cool and consequently shrink the rock and metal.  Seems perfect right?

My question is has anyone tried this?  And what are you thoughts on the safety of taking a can of compressed gas up to booty gear?  I don't exactly know what the consequences are or how dangerous it would be to fall on a can of compressed gas.  How likely to explode and how badly injured lol.

Not worth adding to your bag for the seldom stuck cam. If it’s a common occurrence, be better.

I have definitely heard of entire crack systems expanding and contracting with the temps. Enough to influence the size of nuts to use.

I know the stuff evaporates but I am sure some residue is left behind—I’d be pretty upset if I was the next party on the route and someone had sprayed oil/solvent all over the crack I was trying to climb (and likely on public lands, no less!) Plus it could potentially damage the rock, no?

if you really want to contract metal lobes liquid nitrogen would be a better bet. But, honestly, a few squirts of water into a crack have always worked for me and that doesn't leave any residue. 

Another consideration would be the chemical impact on soft goods. 

highaltitudeflatulentexpulsion wrote:

Not worth adding to your bag for the seldom stuck cam. If it’s a common occurrence, be better.

I have definitely heard of entire crack systems expanding and contracting with the temps. Enough to influence the size of nuts to use.

I would imagine I would only do this when I know before hand that there will be a stuck piece of gear on the route that I want to try and get out.  One of those cams that's been there for months/years and no one can get out.  Obviously getting it out is going to require a new approach.  I would probably bring a hammer, chisel, screw driver, (car jack? jack hammer? sawzall? lol).

Martin Colwell wrote:

I would imagine I would only do this when I know before hand that there will be a stuck piece of gear on the route that I want to try and get out.  One of those cams that's been there for months/years and no one can get out.  Obviously getting it out is going to require a new approach.  I would probably bring a hammer, chisel, screw driver, (car jack? jack hammer? sawzall? lol).

For medium sized cams, ~.4 and bigger, I've had 100% success knocking them out with a heavy metal rod. Tapping the ends of the cams axles (at the rivets) and pulling the slings walks them out and is totally non destructive. I use the tire iron from my car because it's available and about the right size but many things would work. I'm sure there are some cams that can't be retrieved in this fashion but I've cleaned cams from popular valley routes that had probably been stuck for more than a decade.

I have found that dumping some water from a nalgene onto a stuck cam often provides the necessary lubricant to remove the cam. 

Ben Kraft wrote:

For medium sized cams, ~.4 and bigger, I've had 100% success knocking them out with a heavy metal rod. Tapping the ends of the cams axles (at the rivets) and pulling the slings walks them out and is totally non destructive. I use the tire iron from my car because it's available and about the right size but many things would work. I'm sure there are some cams that can't be retrieved in this fashion but I've cleaned cams from popular valley routes that had probably been stuck for more than a decade.

Seems like a good idea in granite. However in sandstone I implore people to be careful about damaging the rock. 

Martin Colwell wrote:

I would imagine I would only do this when I know before hand that there will be a stuck piece of gear on the route that I want to try and get out.  One of those cams that's been there for months/years and no one can get out.  Obviously getting it out is going to require a new approach.  I would probably bring a hammer, chisel, screw driver, (car jack? jack hammer? sawzall? lol).

In your first post you talked about bootying gear. Which to me suggests retrieving recently stuck, still usable gear. If it's been there forever and is past that, and you're just cleaning up rusty junk,  then just destroy it in place to get it out. Pliars, crowbar, saws-all, etc. No need to spray anything on the rock. 

grug g wrote:

Seems like a good idea in granite. However in sandstone I implore people to be careful about damaging the rock. 

Haven't tried tried this at the creek and generally agree but this method really isn't violent - you're not forcing the cam out, but tricking it into slowly walking out. Probably no more damage than messing around with a nut tool. Always best used with a bit of water of course.

The best cam cleaning tool ever is a long-handled screwdriver.  You place it under each of the four cams one at a time to retract them further as you tug the cam out.  I have cleaned well over 100 stuck cams mainly using this method.  A nut tool can be used the same way but it is more difficult.

It has been a very rare cam I couldn't clean with either a long screwdriver, a nut tool, or a coat hanger bent with a hook on the end to reach cam trigger bars deep in the crack.

Andrew Rice wrote:

In your first post you talked about bootying gear. Which to me suggests retrieving recently stuck, still usable gear. If it's been there forever and is past that, and you're just cleaning up rusty junk,  then just destroy it in place to get it out. Pliars, crowbar, saws-all, etc. No need to spray anything on the rock. 

Ah yeah true.  I guess years is too extreme for this scenario.  But months? There's a nice middle ground where something is still new but it's very very stuck and no one has been able to get it out for a while.  Right? Like last weekend there was a new looking ultralight c4 #3 on one of the most popular routes at the cliff.  There's always a line on the weekends on this route.  I talked to a local and it's been there since early September.  Getting that out non-destructively would be pretty nice.

What have you tried already before coming up with this idea?

Leave the booty for the actual pirates.. Maybe try sailing the seven seas first, know what I mean?

Chad Elliott wrote:

What have you tried already before coming up with this idea?

Leave the booty for the actual pirates.. Maybe try sailing the seven seas first, know what I mean?

I mean, it's pretty satisfying when you booty something that took work.  It's like buying a lottery ticket.  Sometimes you waste your time, sometimes you win a nice cam!

Nah I've never gone too crazy.  Just nut tools, slings and water.  Yes, the next step is probably to start bringing long handled screwdrivers to the crag.

Jordan Day wrote:

The best cam cleaning tool ever is a long-handled screwdriver. 

False! That title belongs to the Booty Clapper.

Please don't spray anything besides water or beta on our shared resources. Thank you

https://www.chemtronics.com/ultimate-guide-to-diagnostic-freeze-spray