Pledge fir cleaning cutaway cables

[baronn 111]

Anyone ever hear of using Pledge to clean your cutsway cables?

[baronn 111]

For cleaning the cables

[riggerrob 643]

No!
I use WD-40 or food-grade silicone.

[councilman24 37]

Doesn't strike me as a good idea either.

The food grade silicon doesn't contain larger chain hydrocarbons. WD-40 we don't know what's in it but seems to work well. I'd want to stay away from the waxes in something like Pledge.

I'm old for my age.
Terry Urban
D-8631
FAA DPRE

[wolfriverjoe 1,523]

riggerrob

No!
I use WD-40 or food-grade silicone.

I was taught to use both.

Spray WD on a paper towel and wipe down the cables a few times to clean them.

Then spray some silicone on a fresh paper towel and wipe the cables down a few times to lubricate them.

Personally, I wouldn't use anything else.

"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

[Monko760 0]

There are better solvents than wd40 for cleaning cutaway cables. WD40 attracts dirt! It gets inside housings, and traps dirt forever!(causing a need for lube and extra cable cleaning) Alcohol works great to clean it and any telfon or silicone dry lube, free of petroleum distillates, would work good for lube. Not much lube is needed either. Spray some on a rag after cleaning the cable, wipe on the lube, then wipe off the excess THOROUGHLY with a dry portion of rag.

For the love of God though, STOP WITH THE WD40!!!

I fly and stuff, its fun!

[JohnSherman 1]

From the Racer Owners Manual.

Quote

2. If your Racer is equipped with a yellow cutaway
cable you should with “3 in 1” oil or equivalent wipe a
light coat onto the release cable . This process should
result in a clean well oiled cable. This should be done
weekly! If your Racer is equipped with a red Teflon
coated cable it is not necessary to lubricate it.

The Yellow Lolon cable comes from Loose and is their name for Nylon. Nylon being hygroscopic absorbs any lubricant over time. A well lubricated cable is necessary to allow the cable to pass through the nylon retainer loop under load. Cleaning the cable is actually unnecessary as the black goop on the cable is the residue of the cutting oil used in the housing manufacturing process.
Oil lasts longer in service than silicone which seems to Hydrolyze within days where oil will last about a month depending on conditions.
Due to the tolerances between the housing and cable I don't believe any amount of dirt will stop a lubricated cable from pulling through the housing. However an un-lubricated cable will fail to pull through the nylon loop with 10 pounds of loop load.
The test is: Remove the end of the cable from the keeper on the back of the riser and pull the cable through your fingers. If it "Squeaks" like just shampooed hair then go back and oil it. Do not jump it unless it pulls through you fingers with NO resistance.

[theonlyski 8]

JohnSherman

The test is: Remove the end of the cable from the keeper on the back of the riser and pull the cable through your fingers. If it "Squeaks" like just shampooed hair then go back and oil it. Do not jump it unless it pulls through you fingers with NO resistance.

John,

What are your thoughts about instead using say the Cypres silicon on the Type IIA sheathing instead of the cable itself?

(just a curiosity question)

"I may be a dirty pirate hooker...but I'm not about to go stand on the corner." iluvtofly
DPH -7, TDS 578, Muff 5153, SCR 14890
I'm an asshole, and I approve this message

[riggerrob 643]

JohnSherman

From the Racer Owners Manual.

Quote

2. If your Racer is equipped with a yellow cutaway
cable you should with “3 in 1” oil or equivalent wipe a
light coat onto the release cable . This process should
result in a clean well oiled cable. This should be done
weekly! If your Racer is equipped with a red Teflon
coated cable it is not necessary to lubricate it.

The Yellow Lolon cable comes from Loose and is their name for Nylon. Nylon being hygroscopic absorbs any lubricant over time. A well lubricated cable is necessary to allow the cable to pass through the nylon retainer loop under load. Cleaning the cable is actually unnecessary as the black goop on the cable is the residue of the cutting oil used in the housing manufacturing process.
Oil lasts longer in service than silicone which seems to Hydrolyze within days where oil will last about a month depending on conditions.
Due to the tolerances between the housing and cable I don't believe any amount of dirt will stop a lubricated cable from pulling through the housing. However an un-lubricated cable will fail to pull through the nylon loop with 10 pounds of loop load.
The test is: Remove the end of the cable from the keeper on the back of the riser and pull the cable through your fingers. If it "Squeaks" like just shampooed hair then go back and oil it. Do not jump it unless it pulls through you fingers with NO resistance.

..................................................................................

My experience contradicts John's opinion.

I found that California desert dirt dramatically increases cutaway pull-force. Dirty cables required up to 25 pounds to release, while clean cables only needed 5-ish pounds of tension. Both those tests only measured friction within the metal housing.

[D22369 0]

I can only speak for how I use it but WD-40 works great to get the cable clean and once wiped dry not once have I ever seen it actually collect dirt/dust - I suppose if you left the cable wet it would but the cleaned area of the cable doesn't show any more particles than the uncleaned area near the pillow

Quote

For the love of God though, STOP WITH THE WD40!!!

Roy

They say I suffer from insanity.... But I actually enjoy it.

[JohnSherman 1]

Quote

What are your thoughts about instead using say the Cypres silicon on the Type IIA sheathing instead of the cable itself?

Interesting, before I said anything I would have to test it.