Can anyone advise me on the best way to clean trecking poles, I seem to have neglected mine. They don't adjust easily either, when I used to extend them I couldn't get them to lock off.

Thanks in advance

Regards
Carl.

Take them apart, remove any bi-metallic corrosion or aluminium oxide with a pan scrub then spray them with WD40 or similar.

Leave them apart until you nect need them, wipe them down then assemble.

HTH

Chears Mark I'll try that.

WD40 needs carefully wiped off though - I use a bit of coleman fuel (outdoors of course) to sluice it off - or your poles can get shorter and shorter as you walk along

Go to your local gun shop or farmer's supplier and buy a cheap shotgun cleaning kit (about £10) and use that to remove the gunk inside.

You could try Lemon Juice - that seemed to work well with my poles when I'd left them for a while and they clogged up with white powder (aluminium oxide????)

Any ideas for getting locked up pole sections apart. I really like my Brasher pole but it's a permanent 2 feet long!

Cheers

Spray with WD40 and wait...

I'll let you know!!! Thanks

Henrik,
a caustic soda solution will work but be aware it is disolving the aluminium oxide so it should be targeted well and removed ASAP.

Jeannie's WD40 suggestion would be a definite first try though.

It's better to prevent this happening in the first place by taking the pole sections apart everytime you return from a trip.

The white powder/gunk is Aluminium Oxide, as suggested elsewhere, and is caused by moisture attacking the pole. It is greatly accelerated by the presence of steel in the poles, springs, locking mechs. etc, this is called Bi-metallic corrosion.

Aluminium Oxide has a greater volume than the Aluminium it replaces so the poles lock.

Bummer isn't it! ;)

Carl

I hope you havn't tried the WD40 method suggested in the above posts as this is very likely to wreck the poles. As WD40 is an oil it will stop the corrosion but will as stop the sections from locking together. The best method for cleaning them is soap and water, having done this allow the sections to dry and re-assemble. Avoid ALL conact with oil based products.

Sorry MM, have to disagree there....

Leaving any lubricant on the poles after cleaning might cause problems; but as long as it is fairly well removed I have found no problems using WD40.

Of course, if you have found the opposite than Carl might want to take heed of what you say.

Henrik - OK, long answer.

Aluminium forms a protective coating of aluminium oxide on contact with the air. The moving/articulating parts of the poles are likely to have some of the manufacturer's clear protective coating removed accidentally by friction and that is where the ali oxide is likely to form. Unlike iron II oxide (rust) it will not deteriorate further and cause catastrophic breakdown, it will coat and then offer some protection against further chemical attack.

However the problem for you is that this coating increases the diameter of the cylinders causing them to stick together. To get them apart initially, WD40 does not contain anything which will destroy the poles but is in fact designed for freeing up this type of problem. Soap and water is far less likely to be able to flow between the semi-fixed components by capillary action (which WD40 is very good at) and achieve this.

Once you have the components apart, follow Mark's instructions above; remove the WD40, use a simple detergent solution (Fairy liquid and water) with a pan scrub to clean off the ali oxide and dry thoroughly.

The bi-metallic reaction Mark mentioned may also often be the culprit which is why boats often have a 'sacrificial anode' on them which is more reactive than the boat components.

Chris mentioned lemon juice - also good for cleaning as it a mild acid; remember to remove it all afterwards.

Thanks for the ideas.
I know all about the chemical side of it - sed to teach Chemistry to A level! I just wondered if any of you geniuses (genii - didn't do classics though!) out there had any patentable super-dooper idea on what to do.

You obviously have and I shall try all of them. I don't see a slippage problem with WD40 - if you get it all off after with sopa and water. I shall try this this weekend.

I've used Vaseline on the screw mehanism before now and it didn't make things slip.

I've heard that putting the sort of stuff that tennis players put round their racquets below the manufacturers handle can add to the versatility of the pole. Anyone use a pole from that far down. If you keep it short enough you shouldn't need to. I've seen many people with their poles way too long and they must end up with more painful arms than they do legs.

Many thanks for the ideas and the Chemistry lessons. Perhaps we should put our CV's in the profile.
Steve

Sorry - didn't mean to patronise.
And I teach and examine Materials (Product Design) to A-level :)
Did I get it all correct Sir?
;o)

Duck oil is better than WD40 by a long shot - but not as commonly available.

make sure you clean the screw threads thoroughly too - I dint and the damned things refused to tighten up fully.

Thankfully JohnnyBC pointed out the error of my ways and all was well in Pole-ville again.

DUCK oil?

well have you ever heard a duck squeak? Quack yes, but never squeak. Just shows how good it is.

<coat on>

You must think we're quackers