Cleaning carabiner !DMM!No graphite powder?

[Mat]

well even though i was checking them before every climb that wasnt somthing you would notice unless u know what you are looking for which in this case i ddnt know untill guys from 3atc noticed(loler inspectors) ofcourse thats not an excuse but this was a problem even DMM had to double check with us to see what was seen as a problem exacly anyway lesson learnt so any advice and tips pn how to clean them.

 

Fair point - you were indeed asking for advice.

 

I go for hot soapy water on a regular basis, and then dry thoroughly (as in totally dry).

 

You can now check for wear of contamination by seeing if the gate locking mech is smooth - or sticky - or gritty.

 

You may need to repeat the washing drying stage again a few times before all the dross is removed.

 

as long as the gate close now feels smooth, you can check the actual function by opening the gate and letting it slowly close. If it fails to close now it is either due to wear (and they do wear quite quick) or a limp gate spring (which they are probably born with).

 

If everything is working good - you could puff in a sparing amount of graphite powder but it should not really be necessary.

 

Popular options...

 

1) (my personal choice) only by carabiners that are manufactured with really strong springs - I like Petzl ones - but 'rock exotica' ones also seem strong.

 

2) Never buy on line - go to the shop and only buy carabiners that work properly from the start (test every one before you select it as loads of carabiners 'fail' before they even leave the shop IMO)

 

3) Go for the quick fix of a cocktail of WD40 and graphite powder - but don't be surprised that you carabiners don't function very good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Its a lot more complicated than using screwgates - that's progress for you.

Edited June 27, 2014 by Mat
WD40........or GT85 if you prefer :-)

[essential]

this seems to be quite common with dmm karabiners , I stopped using them and use petzl a much nicer karabiner and always snap shut.

[Mr Oz]

some good,usefull info coming out of the subject for future reference thanks guys:)

[Mr. Squirrel]

Never used graphite powder, and by the sounds of it I never will.

I give them a good blast with an airline, then fill the gates with a very thin oil, work it in by moving the gates about a load and then blast it all out again with the airline. Wipe down with kitchen roll, finished.

I do that maybe every 6 months to a year and I can't make my gates stick, try as I might. DMM crabs are the dogs in my experience.

[Arran Turner]

What quantity of graphite are people using? I've never had a problem with it. I find you only need a small bit. Was nice of DMM to replace the Krabs

[treequip]

I am going to point out the blindingly obvious in the title

 

Re: Cleaning carabiner !DMM!No graphite powder?

 

Graphite powder is used to lubricate the gate action and a build up is due to lack of cleaning.

[chrisj]

When I worked at a high ropes course we used Teflon spray on the krabs. Seemed to work very nicely.

[monkeyallan]

Engine de greaser works well, work it in, leave for 5 minutes, blast out with airline, repeat if necessary, then a bit of Teflon spray and a wipe down to finish. Not that I'm anal or anything.

 

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[Pommie]

WD40 with added silicon works brilliantly, stinks like crayons though

[treequip]

Clean them with wD40 or similar then a tiny bit of lube, graphite or silicone.