Hey all hoping someone can help me with my stuck Prolimit boom. It has been stuck for about a month now with one side of the arms moving freely and the other stuck solid. The two surfaces that are stuck are carbon and Aluminium if this helps. There is no sand in there it is just a kind sea corrosion??!! Please help i really like this boom!!
unfortunately carbon and ali don't mix well, electrolysis is a problem. I've had the alli head on a carbon boom corrode very badly before it broke. Not sure if this is your problem but it's likely. If the outside tube is alli, you could try gently heating it, I think alli expands more than carbon, so that may free it.
unfortunately carbon and ali don't mix well, electrolysis is a problem. I've had the alli head on a carbon boom corrode very badly before it broke. Not sure if this is your problem but it's likely. If the outside tube is alli, you could try gently heating it, I think alli expands more than carbon, so that may free it.
Thanks for the response Decrepit. It's just as you say the aluminium is corroding. Will try heating it tomorrow as the outer tube is aluminium, hopefully it works. Will let you know.
adding on decrepit if some way u can run cold water down into the carbon tube and hot water onto the alli it will also make a diferance .. other than that hit with block of soft wood and hammer/ mabey try some sort of lube ....wd40 melted vaso .. mabey soap ??
If it was me I'd clamp the head to something solid, then with a piece of wood hit the tailpiece to try to separate the two parts.
Of course this might break the boom instead of freeing it up So I take no responsibility if you break your gear [}:)]
Problem with this nebbian is that i know someone who had the same boom and it happened to him. He was trying to bang it free and it broke. He ended up chucking it into a tree about a minute later.
Problem with this nebbian is that i know someone who had the same boom and it happened to him. He was trying to bang it free and it broke. He ended up chucking it into a tree about a minute later.
Carbon isn't real good for impact strength, it's a bit brittle, so if you need to bang it be very careful where and how you hit. Be better to apply torque somehow, being careful not to crush it. If the alli is too corroded it's going to be weak and read to break.
You might try the fix that I use on stuck board bag zips: malt vinegar. The vinegar seems to dissolve/loosen the salt, but it could take 7 days or so to have an effect. My method would be to arrange the boom so that affected arm is vertical, then to liberally pour the vinegar into the arm, at least 4 or 5 times per day (but allowing the vinegar to dry for about an hour internally, between sessions). After several days, you might try to apply pressure to the arm to see if you get movement. I'd suggest not trying to really force the arm until at least 7 days have elapsed.
I didn't invent this use (on zips): found it on another forum. Don't know if other types of vinegars will work and the key to the trick is that it takes TIME for the vinegar to work.
I just finished freeing a stuck zip on a board bag this week (stuck for at least 6 months), applying two coats of vinegar in the morning, then 2 in the afternoon. After freeing, I then sprayed the zip with silcone and will work the spraying into a monthly use.
Are there any chemists in the audience who can explain how/why the vinegar eats away the salt?
i know how you feel, i have the exact boom and the exact problem. I tried tied one end to my partners car and the other to my van using thick rope. I ended up pulling her car down the drive. Ive given up now.
i know how you feel, i have the exact boom and the exact problem. I tried tied one end to my partners car and the other to my van using thick rope. I ended up pulling her car down the drive. Ive given up now.
what about driving both cars in the opposite direction....
Not a chemist but, when we lived in the north west the calcium content in the water was enough to choke up the kettle each month. The solution was to leave vinegar in the kettle overnight. Result, clean kettle. Vinegar will dissolve calcium and lime deposits almost as well as CLR but for less outlay.
On the stuck boom I think I'd try wd40 in the joint till you can wriggle it free. Maybe left overnight??
Sorry, but I don't think WD40 will work on a fully seized joint. I've personally tried WD40 on stuck zips without success and only the use of malt vinegar was successful. I'll certainly try CLR the next time I have a problem, but I hope that won't happen soon.
In passing, I had TWO board bags with stuck zips in the last 6 months, both of them released after the use of malt vinegar.
Cheers Windman, I think I'd be dubious about using CLR for an extended period myself as I don't know about it's effects on carbon. I would'nt hesitate to use vinegar as you say.
So I take no responsibility if you break your gear [}:)]
!!!!
