Pine Pitch on Lanyard

[chris_girard]

Quick question, my 5/8" steel-core flipline is gummed up w/pitch and I was wondering if any of you guys have tried to clean one up using mineral spirits on it. The outer core is 16 strand polyester rope braided over 1/4" steel wire.

I know that we are not supposed to use anything strong in cleaning our ropes and that the mineral spirits will weaken the polyester outer core but will not damage the wire core. Do you think this is a bad idea? I do not expect to get it too clean, I just want to get rid of the sticky pitch.

Thanks

 

[Ekka]

Click on this and it will take you to an old thread on the very topic

http://www.arboristsite.com/showthread.php?t=20283&highlight=cleaning+rope

 

[chris_girard]

Thanks for the link, I'll check it out.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Just put it in your washer with a 'lil Woolite. Be sure to let it soak.

 

[Lumberjack]

Its a steel core Butch, not sure the washer will like that, specially with a big honkin thimble on both ends and probably a snap .

Nay to mineral spirits. If it was a rope lanyard, just put it in the washer.

(checking out linked thread)

 

[MasterBlaster]

I wash my ropes with the snap on, and it hasn't hurt my maytag yet. I'll have a couple pair of jeans in there to buffer everything. Afterwards I wd40 my snap, no problemo! A steel-core won't make any diff.

 

[Lumberjack]

Oh, well then, I decend to the powers at be from the Blaster.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Seriously, I've had my machine 6 years now. It's not like it's being slung around with any real amount of force, and the more clothes you put in helps that, also.

 

[RedlineIt]

Lumberjack,

I read that linked thread, I've heard of the mayo treatment before and even margarine as a solvent for pitch. Tried them, and they're effective, but more work than what I use now.

We climb alot of pitchy pines here, and Grand Firs with 1/2" pitch blisters that pop and ooze pitch the consistancy of corn syrup at the slightest disturbance. I've had my hands get so mucked up in a single tree that the contact transfer to my chainsaw had the throttle trigger sticking open/shut. Unpleasant.

The solution? Citrus oils. Lemon oil straight on your snaps and 'biners, mixed with a mild detergent and hot water for your ropes and lanyard is what I've found to work the best. There are a lot of Orange citrus products out there, they are second best if you cant find Lemon oil.

I'm climbing with a double-ended 5/8" wire core lanyard with a wire core prussic adjuster that's been through a Lemon oil/detergent bath many times and it shows no ill effects beyond two years of hard use.

After the bath, I use sewing machine oil, which contains a rust preventative, on the snap and lock pivots. You could just spray with WD-40, but the sewing machine oil comes in a little tube with a delivery point like a syringe needle. Gets the oil exactly where it's needed, not all over everything.

Works for me!


RedlineIt