recall notice from sherrill

[darkstar]

notice from sherrill

since i havent seen it anywhere else page 6 of september issue of arborage shows the effect of salt water on their aluminum snaps on the safety laynerd .... seems its only the ones that are anodized yello / gold .... someone whos good with pics should post the pic up pretty serious as many will be in use down south ... us rockclimbers have some of the same issues with bolts and saltwater ... the corrosion can happen very quickly and the aluminum breaks very easy so heads up :blob5:

 

[Tom Dunlap]

There was no recall, just a heads-up.

Everyone should inspect their gear closer than that climber. Expecially around salt water!

 

[darkstar]

correct [[[not a recall]]]] my bad ..... you saw the photo huh tom ? wow that pretty serious i say if someone dies as a result of the corrosion well ? yes always inspect gear but how many of us inspect under the splice ? since its only the gold colur i say toss it in the bin ...dark

 

[clearance]

Steel is just more trustworthy than aluminum as far as I am concerned. I know biners are rated the same strength regardless what metal but we are tree climbers not rock climbers so the weight/security arguement is minimal. I have cut aluminum plate with a skilsaw, it also shapes a lot easier with files and sanders. Not so with steel. Aluminum boats constantly have to have their zincs replaced because they are eaten by electrolisis. With steel decay is obvios as rust, aluminum decay is insidiuos. I use steel biners, rope snaps always. How many saddles have aluminum d-rings?

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Stel will corrode in salty conditions too.

I've read about some of the corrosion issues that darkstar refers to.

The only place that I use steel rigging is for removal/rigging gear. Any personal support is aluminum. Clearance is probably right though, steel is stronger. But I don't need to haul the extra weight around. What is the point?

You really can't compare al and fe like you do. Metallurgy makes for some interesting alloys. I think it's DMM that is making a titanium biner that is almost weightless. Still plenty strong though.It doesn't have a locking gate so it's out of the work arena. In time, someone will be making auto locking ti biners though.

 

[clearance]

Acually I think that pound for pound aluminum is stronger than steel and so is #1 Douglas fir. Titanium rope snaps and biners would be very cool. In rigging applications like logging or cranes aluminum is only used to crimp some connections. I think that al fatigues a lot quicker than fe but if people are comfortable with it good for them.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

I have some concerns about steel for climbing applications, because a steel biner to the face can cause a lot of pain and/or unconsciousness, and even flipping a steel biner into your other had can really hurt.
In really big wood, steel can be an advantage for flipping long distances, but are not safer, considering the potential for injury.
That's just my opinion, although it would be interesting to have Tim Walsh or somebody else that knows safety statistics better, to shed some light on the differences.
My guess is that the metallurgic advantages of steel are somewhat offset by the potential of impact injury and may just be a wash in the end.

 

[clearance]

Mike- I never flip anything, just rappel, but thats interesting. I always wear my hardhat with the muffs on and the facescreen down when I am in the tree or walking through the bush with my saw. Keeps stuff out of my eyes/face.