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Frozen Sail Slide

2K views 17 replies 13 participants last post by  Outrageous 
#1 ·
Pearson 32 with Kenyon aluminum boom has aft-most sail slug of bronze.
It will not move or come off. I had to cut the canvas strap to take off the mainsail and get it patched. Now trying to get that old slug off, I've tried:
  1. Rubber mallet
  2. Claw hammer
  3. hammer with screwdriver
  4. Liquid Wrench
  5. WD-40
  6. PB Blaster (type of penetrant)
  7. Heat gun
  8. Razor blade to ensure edges are free of gunk

Nothing has moved the slug. Today's effort with another sailor was 1,000 hammer taps of varying force from all 5 directions (cannot hammer from the bottom of the boom) after applying PB blaster and waiting for various time intervals.

Welcome suggestions from Those More Experienced, and Thanks!
 

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#3 ·
You are doing it right...keep soaking and tapping. I would get in there and pry the boom open a bit at the slider but that is me, I have been known to break crap by being impatient...LOL. A torch would do more than a heat gun but remember that it is aluminum.

Good Luck
 
#5 · (Edited)
Looking up thermal expansion coefficient suggests that aluminum will expand slightly more than bronze when heated. However, that might mean the aluminum expands into the bronze on the slide, while the bronze expands out to the aluminum and holds it more firmly. Admittedly, I would still try it.

Another thought is to get some get some mild acid in there to start eating away at the likely corrosion that is causing this problem. Maybe Lime Away or even straight vinegar. The trick is going to be keeping it on the part while it works. Vinegar will dissolve metal entirely, so it really could work, if you get it in there.

Edit: diluted vinegar would eat corrosion off dive parts in 15-30 mins. This may take longer, but I would get hours, not days.
 
#8 ·
Hitting it with a claw hammer and screwdriver isn't using the best tools for the job. You need a lump hammer and cold chisel, these will have far more effect with greater control and safety. Also make sure you are using eye protection.
 
#13 ·
Well.... I suppose one could chisel coal using a cold chisel, and that may make it a coal chisel:rolleyes:. Chiseling coal may be more productive using a "stone point" instead of a cold chisel.

The blacksmiths used the chisel to cut cooled metal as opposed to the tool used to cut hot metal... hence its name.;)
 
#11 · (Edited)
Having done all of the above, I would next attack it with a small drill, then progressively larger drills until the bronze was weakened to the point where it would collapse with bit of force applied via an old flat blade screwdriver inserted beween the boom track and the slug.
Just be careful to stop drilling before you hit aluminum.....
And next time apply a good coat of 'Duralac' before fitting another metal slug. Or go for plastic if you can find one tough enough.
 
#12 ·
GREETINGS EARTHLINGS :- Before you try the self distruction methods Boil a lot of water and pour over the slug this may melt the verdigee that is causing the dissimilar metals to bond together. and will help to melt the salt crystals that seamed to have formed, it will help in the expansion of the boom use another slide either side to change the direction of force applied (the removal of the boom is highly recomended for this opperation)
 
#17 ·
Vinegar is the best solution for dissolving aluminum oxide corrosion.

A 50/50 mix of auto transmission fluid and acetone is the best penetrating lubricant.

If soaking in each of these for a few hours doesn't loosen it up then destructive removal may be your only option.
 
#18 · (Edited)
SUCCESS! I'll call it Better Living Through Chemistry, but I'll never know for sure what worked. I took the advice from several helpful members and came to the boat with:
  1. Pot for boiling water
  2. Lazy Jack 5+ pound mini-sledge hammer
  3. White vinegar
  4. Rice vinegar
I didn't buy a coal chisel, but I had a socket screwdriver with a large bulb head, and I used that without the screw bit - which resulted in a blunter surface than a screwdriver. When I lost patience I just hit the slug directly with the sledge hammer. I tapped it from all 5 directions, though mostly forward and backward along the line of the boom track

Previously, going back a few weeks I had tried WD-40, liquid wrench, and recently PB Blaster. I looked for Kroil, but couldn't find it locally, and doubted it would do better than what I had tried - at least it was too similar to other failed approaches.

So I got to the boat, tried hitting with the Lazy Jack, then applied white vinegar, and tried again. I tried using my chisel substitute, but the U on the slide was a big enough target and the hammer alone seemed to deliver more force. I could see any misses were nicking the boom groove, and that kept me from getting wild with my swings. I boiled the water, hammered some more while waiting, then applied the boiling water, waited some, hammered some, etc. The vinegar & water intervals went on for a few repeats, with me doing other chores while waiting for soaking. Fluids would build up on the forward side of the slug, but drain off the back side - indicating a slight slope and a still good seal of corrosion under the slide. After 2-3 hours, I considered the rice vinegar, but when I saw the ingredients included salt, I considered that salt water was probably a key factor in the corrosion thus far, and stuck with white vinegar.

I realized I hadn't hit it full force, but the boom costs thousands and I have a dremel-type tool for planned deconstruction, so I gave it a bit more forceful hits and I thought it moved backward. So I hit it some more and someofabirch it moved again. So I kept it up and finally it popped backwards and I could slide it to the clew end of the boom - which is occupied by pulleys and the outhaul. But I could not slide it forward - it would get stuck again. There was a patch of greenish stuff, which showed whitish when I scraped it. I got out two sizes of screwdrivers and scraped for 15 or 20 minutes, and finally cleared enough of a path to slide it forward and out by the boom!

I'm not sure if this thing was brass or bronze, but my bet is bronze. It was soft enough that the hammer blows deformed the U atop the slide. That greenish powder must be copper corrosion and info on both metals is here:
Brass and Bronze

[trophy photos attached]

Next steps? The sail repair guy already put a stainless slide/slug in the aft-most spot. Based on what you all have suggested it seems:
  1. Get some solvent and clean that boom track
  2. Dremel polish the corroded spot
  3. Sand/polish the damaged paint on the boom
  4. coat the new stainless slug with something (Duralac?)
  5. Touch up paint the boom & damaged/polished portion of boom track
  6. Rub all slides/slugs with a bar of soap
  7. Install mainsail
  8. Win a mug racing with the extra .25kt from being able to adjust the outhaul!

Conclusions: Vinegar and boiling water worked better on this corrosion than penetrating oils. Heavy taps and medium force was enough and helped preserve the soft aluminum from Neanderthal damage.

Other note: adjusting the topping lift would have allowed me to have the fluid pool on either side of the slug. It turned out that the greater corrosion was on the front side, just by luck.
 

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