UKC

Any advice for unsticking some very sticky stuck BD camelots? They got a bit of a salt water soaking a few weeks back and in my stupidity, I forgot to give them a proper clean when I got home. I've teased 3 of them back into working order but 2 are still fairly inoperable. Most lobes are working, just one on my no. 2 and two inner lobes on my 0.3.

What I do is hang them up and give them a good spraying with GT85.  Leave for a while, then try moving the lobes.  Repeat if needed.  At the end, wipe off excess lubricant.

Leave them in a bucket of hot soapy water for half an hour and see if they move after.

I had some success with a completely seized cam by alternately putting it in boiling water, gt 85’ing it and repeating a few time before finally putting some on it.

WD40 works wonders, don't spray it on the sling (don't know if it matters but no need to find out) 

Hot water, detergent, toothbrush, scrub, wd40, work on moving the lobes, repeat till free. 

Cheers, been trying all the above. Two evenings so far. Almost emptied a can of WD40 on them already. Can't give up now

Keep at it!

I had a similar issue with several camalots after an aborted attempt to wade in to the bottom of a sea cliff climb wearing my harness and rack (yeah, I know). Took bloody ages but penetrating oil, boiling water, and trying to twist each lobe separately, eventually worked.

They're fine now.

It must be bad as the most seized cam I've ever had was freed within a few minutes of WD40 application.

If it's really bad use pliers to get the lobes moving. It's the movement that makes the WD work best.

Give the WD40 time to work.

I gave up on a stuck cam once, only to try again a week or so later to discover it had sorted itself out.

if all else fails try plusgas releasing agent, you'll never go back to WD40 again. 

Yeah, you could leave the cam head immersed in penetrating oil or maybe a diluted vinegar solution overnight. Make sure it can't fall over and isolate any soft parts (sling) with plastic bag and duct tape.

If they're really stuck, penetrating oil.  If you haven't got any of that, brake fluid is a good penetrating oil and a drop or two can be pinched from the reservoir in your car with a straw.  Don't drip any on the car's paint though as it's a good paint stripper too.

How long ago is "a few weeks"?

There is a point at which you will have rotted the metal inside and shouldn't use them.  Aluminium swells slightly and goes cracked and flakey.  More likely if they're  abit worn to start with.

Cheers all. Still stuck, but a few extra choices to keep the optimism going.

The moral, as you say, is to always wash your gear thoroughly in fresh water as soon as you get back from a trip to the seaside

There have been times when, after a day at Swanage followed by a long drive home, I have just wanted to collapse into bed, but I've always forced myself to wash my gear in the bath with fresh water before retiring to bed no matter how late it is.

Sorry, that doesn't really help your present dilemma, but if, after trying the above suggestions, they are that seized up after several weeks, they may be wrecked.

No worries. Lesson learnt for sure. Three of them worked their way free so I'm still hoping they might do the same. One of the stuck one's I've doubled up on anyway, so it's only the no 2 that is an issue really. Unfortunately I find that a really handy size. 

All the lubricants need to get into the joint.  Despite their name they don't really penetrate on their own.  So work it backwards and forwards, using a vice and pliers or spanner as necessary.  They should then be washed out with hot water and dried off.  Leaving fluid in the joints will merely hold more dust and dirt.  These are all designed as 'dry' (ie unlubricated) joints.  What has happened is that corrosion has occurred and you need to wear it off.  The only longer term problem is that the joint will eventually be looser (due to losing some of the material it is made from) than originally designed.  This 'may' compromise safe and effective use of the device!  That is why worn joints are an MOT failure on a car.