I need some advice on how to get a frozen two-piece paddle apart. The paddle shafts and ferrule are made of fiberglass and the paddle is capable of being feathered. The release button is not corroded and works perfectly well.
I bought a used SOT and the seller threw in the paddle as part of the deal. The Aquabound paddle has a MSRP of 130.00 so it is not an expensive paddle but it is not a Wally World special either. The paddle had been used down the shore so I am pretty sure that it has a combination of sand and salt built up on the ferrule where the two pieces are joined together. The paddle had not been used in over a year and had been stored inside a garage.during that past year. Any suggestions you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Jeff
Hair Dryer and muscle
Frozen paddle
Try a bit of {CLR } or another product that will desolve the salt. Then one of those rubber wrenches to avoid damage to the shaft . May work, who knows
Hot Water?
Following along the lines of the hair dryer idea:
Would pouring HOT water be a good idea? The joint is really tight and appears pretty darn solid. I was thinking that maybe that would help dissolve or soften up the salt and eventually flush out some grit and grime too?
Werner Paddle
I have a Werner that got stuck together on the Escalante five years ago. It’s still that way. You might have to learn to live with it.
Send it to me, I’ll get it unstuck and
send it back in a couple of years.
Ol’ fishin’ rod trick.
I used this once with a friend’s paddle, worked OK:
Hold the paddle behind your back horizontally, one hand on each side of your butt. Push the button and squat. The natural leverage of your hips will force your wrists apart, along with the paddle.
CLR ??
Is this what you are referring to:
http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=81915&catid=9619&brand=29376&trx=PLST-0-BRAND&trxp1=9619&trxp2=81915&trxp3=1&trxp4=0&btrx=BUY-PLST-0-BRAND
Calcium Lime Rust Removal Product ? ? ?
I wonder what that might do to the paddle itself besides removing calcium, lime and rust? After reading the directions and the important warnings found on that page, it sounds like it is pretty potent stuff!
It’s a Finesse Thing
Most try and over power it when gently working it back and forth works better.
Contact Aquabound…
If it is an Aquabound paddle, contact their customer service dept. through their website. I’ve contacted them on a couple of issues including stuck paddles and they have always been a GREAT help. They’ve even offered to replace one paddle that I had a terrible time getting apart.
Scott
Tricks of the Trade
Thanks!
These are all great suggestions. And of course if all else fails, I suppose I will be sending it down to jerlfletcher on the the Texas Gulf Coast to see if after a few years of being in his possession, he can work his magic on it. (Big Grin)
Anybody else have any other tricks of the trade they can suggest? I appreciate it!
Jeff
WD-40
Just so happens I had to separate a "stuck" two-piece paddle last week. The clip was rusted too.
I knocked out the clip then sprayed WD-40 at the point where the two pieces met. After letting it sit for an hour or so, I wrapped the paddle in a towel and clamped it in a bench vise. I wrapped another towel around one section of the paddle and used my LARGE, SUPERSIZE channel locks to carefully rotate the section of paddle until they separated.
Once separated ALL THE WD-40 WAS WIPED OFF SO IT WOULD NOT 'COLLECT' ANY SAND AND GRIT. Then I used 240-grit wet/dry sandpaper on both sections of the paddle to remove the "build up" and also replaced the clip.
"Any day on the water is a great day"
Acetone
It was all I had on hand…it worked for me. It also works when the ferrule gets ‘sticky.’
Prevention is best…rinse both sides well after every salt water or sandy paddle.
Lyn
If you use the paddle, its a decent one
for the money, go to the auto parts store and buy a can of silcone spray and spray the ferrule. 303 will do the job too. Don’t use WD 40 to keep the ferrule lose, it will attract dirt and grit.
Wiggle it a lot
If the paddle has any aluminum parts that CLR will disolve the aluminum so I wouldn’t use that.
I’ve had success by spraying it with WD 40. Then I move the clip so it can losen.
Then I hold the paddle vertically and wiggle it while pulling it apart. I’ve found that the constant wiggleling of that paddle is more effective that hard twisting or hard pulling. I have separated paddles that two people could not pull apart this way.
I’m sorry I cannot describe it better but you might try searching the archives for “Stuck Paddle”
Salt washes out
The Hot water suggestion would move the salt out of the joint. I would try that first.
Any silicon oil wouldn’t hurt the joint regardless of material. CLR would probably have a negative affect as it’s pretty strong although most plumbing faucets are plastic these days.
Rubber grippy thingies (used in the kitchen to open jars) should help with a grip on the shaft.
Paddle
ALso try to use the blade portion for leverage.
Just be carefull not to bend it
Side not to stuck paddle
As usual, a lot of good information came about due to the original question. Thanks all.
I don’t have anything to add with regards to unsticking a paddle, but have found that most two or more piece paddles are likely “matched sets”. We have paddles from different vendors, and of those from like brands we have found that in trying to put them together there are matching halves. We have now taken and marked each paddle section with either a number or letter and put the same ID on the corresponding piece. Now when need be, there is no longer any quesswork nor hassle when assembling them. They assemble and take apart easily. Though we don’t use them on salt water we’ve made it a habit to wipe the connections after use and prior to storing.
It also saves time when taking a large group of friends and/or family on a paddle outing.
Just my 2 cents worth.
Silcone spray is not CLR and I’ve not
seen where 303 protectant is either. The CLR I’m familiar with is a fairly caustic cleaner used in bathrooms and such. WD 40 is, on the other hand, an oily solvent. It will attract dirt and debris and is not that good on parts that have to be taken apart and put together time and again. WD 40 works great on rusted parts like nuts and bolts, but I don’t want it around my paddles. For one thing, it stinks.
Side note to stuck paddle
As usual, a lot of good information came about due to the original question. Thanks all.
I don’t have anything to add with regards to unsticking a paddle, but have found that most two or more piece paddles are likely “matched sets”. We have paddles from different vendors, and of those from like brands we have found that in trying to put them together there are matching halves. We have now taken and marked each paddle section with either a number or letter and put the same ID on the corresponding piece. Now when need be, there is no longer any quesswork nor hassle when assembling them. They assemble and take apart easily. Though we don’t use them on salt water we’ve made it a habit to wipe the connections after use and prior to storing.
It also saves time when taking a large group of friends and/or family on a paddle outing.
Just my 2 cents worth.