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Soldering performed near climbing gear, is it OK?


sbm

11-Apr-2011
4:39:33 PM

Came home this arvo to find my brother had pulled apart some old stereo and was soldering wires next to all my climbing gear on the back deck. Aside from the fact that he moved all of my soldering setup from the bench in garage and used it without asking and "worked out how to do it from a youtube video":

The gear was in a closed plastic box a meter or so away. Everything was on the back deck which is a well ventilated area, basically outside. My harness was also a couple of meters way hanging on a chair. He reckoned he had soldered maybe 4 or 5 wires and that "none of the smoke went near your gear, it's totally fine". He was using standard flux cored electronics solder wire, but was also dipping it in separate jar of old zinc chloride flux because he didn't know what he was doing.

I know I'm being a paranoid bumbly, but can I get some reassurance that my harness and draws are probably not dissolved death traps?

climbingjac

11-Apr-2011
4:46:05 PM

Personally, if I had doubts about my harness or rope, I'd chuck them out. They are single points of failure...

gfdonc

11-Apr-2011
4:53:11 PM

I'm no electronics engineer, but I'm aware some fluxes dissipate acidic residues that need to be washed from the boards to prevent corrosion. Same acidic residue will potentially eat nylon.

Given the distance and environment the likelihood of enough residue forming on the gear to create a problem sounds minimal, but that's what you need to be concerned about.

And would the ZnCl be giving off acidic vapours as well?

Get some more advice, and in the meantime wash your harness.


sbm

11-Apr-2011
5:00:26 PM

>
>And would the ZnCl be giving off acidic vapours as well?
>

The electronics solder is acid-free, but the ZnCl flux is acidic yes.

>Get some more advice, and in the meantime wash your harness.
>

It's in the bathtub now.

climbingjac

11-Apr-2011
5:03:35 PM

Just taking a peek at the RockHardware website for an idea of current prices, the cheapest harness they're offering at the moment is $75. Personally, I value my own life at quite a bit more than $75 and would turf the harness without even thinking about it.

http://www.rockhardware.com.au/Order.asp?Action=Group&MainGroup=Harnesses&Category=Adjustable


Miguel75

11-Apr-2011
5:16:05 PM

SBM, when my place burnt down my harness was exposed to water runoff that seemed fine; the water didn't smell chemically and there were no obvious stains or areas of damage. I figured if in doubt, there is no doubt and promptly cut it into 3 pieces. They're for sale if anyone wants a 3 piece BD focus in sz. L;)

Make your brother buy you a new harness to teach him a lesson. And then beat him to reiterate the importance of said lesson...


sbm

11-Apr-2011
5:21:25 PM

On 11/04/2011 climbingjac wrote:
>Just taking a peek at the RockHardware website for an idea of current prices,
>the cheapest harness they're offering at the moment is $75. Personally,
>I value my own life at quite a bit more than $75 and would turf the harness
>without even thinking about it.
>
>http://www.rockhardware.com.au/Order.asp?Action=Group&MainGroup=Harnesses&Category=Adjust
>ble

While I tend to agree, if you don't draw the line somewhere, won't you get ruined by paranoia? Ooops, dropped a carabiner. Better replace it. Ooops, someone accidentally trod on the rope, better retire it. Ooops, a bottle of spirits was once briefly stored in this cupboard, have buy a new rack.

bl@ke

11-Apr-2011
5:26:20 PM

Yeah well I think that the water in your bath is contaminated from the water pipes and is eating away your harness as we speak. Better throw it out

Hey isnt oxygen corrosive ?? Oh crap better throw out my rack and take up bouldering


Miguel75

11-Apr-2011
5:52:36 PM

On 11/04/2011 sbm wrote:
>While I tend to agree, if you don't draw the line somewhere, won't you
>get ruined by paranoia?

It sounds like you've answered your own question around what to do. After all, you're the one who needs to feel 100% when on the sharp end.

I ummed and ahhed for a while over my harness and then thought, "its been sitting in water with who knows what for two days, $150 for peace of mind is nothing."

climbingjac

11-Apr-2011
5:57:02 PM

It's not just your life on the line, it is also anyone you belay...


rodw

11-Apr-2011
7:42:35 PM

Better still send it to Mr law so he can do a strength test and when it fails at its normal rated strength you feel even dumber to be that paranoid...or you could just send it to me...Ill use whatever ya throw away.


IdratherbeclimbingM9

11-Apr-2011
8:37:10 PM

On 11/04/2011 rodw wrote:
>you could just send it to me...Ill use whatever ya throw away.

So will I.

On 11/04/2011 bl@ke wrote:
>Hey isnt oxygen corrosive ?? Oh crap better throw out my rack and take up bouldering

... better get a new set of lungs then too.
;-)


phillipivan

11-Apr-2011
9:41:59 PM

Morbid trainspotters could always just wait for me to die of catastrophic softgoods failure... Replace your harness when that happens.

love,
phillipivan

citationx

12-Apr-2011
8:00:22 AM

On 11/04/2011 sbm wrote:
>On 11/04/2011 climbingjac wrote:
>While I tend to agree, if you don't draw the line somewhere, won't you
>get ruined by paranoia? Ooops, dropped a carabiner. Better replace it.
>Ooops, someone accidentally trod on the rope, better retire it. Ooops,
>a bottle of spirits was once briefly stored in this cupboard, have buy
>a new rack.

maybe paranoia is getting the better of you, i kinda like your thinking at the bottom here, personally i would be unlikely to retire it. if he was doing it in a fume box with my harness in there too, then i'd rethink it. i reckon it would have to be pretty damn exposed for it to eat through an inch or two of double thickness material on quite a few sections (harnesses can be complex things with lots of stitching and doubling of webbing in places) for it to be complete failure. why not throw a rope into a tree and do some hanging around and bouncing in it? sure, it won't be as high-load as a climbing fall, but it might give you some peace of mind that it isn't going to spontaneously disintegrate while abseiling.


Climboholic

12-Apr-2011
8:50:44 AM

On 11/04/2011 bl@ke wrote:
>Yeah well I think that the water in your bath is contaminated from the
>water pipes and is eating away your harness as we speak. Better throw it
>out
>
>Hey isnt oxygen corrosive ?? Oh crap better throw out my rack and take
>up bouldering

Oxygen is an oxidant.

Smb: Your harness is fine! It was a couple of meters away in the open air. Your brother's face was directly above. Unless there is melted nylon I wouldn't worry.

You posted here for reassurance (and to vent about your bro). Instead of reassuring you, people (who may or may not have an intrest in selling climbing gear) had a bit of fun with you and made you worry about nothing. I did the same thing when my house mate smashed a window over my rope. Instead of "donating" it for testing, ended up using it for years after without a hint of "internal abrasions".

mikllaw

12-Apr-2011
8:55:26 AM

There's a big difference between liquid acid (call it 100%) and how much could be carried in smoke (about 1%). Of that smoke, little will get near your gear (0.001%), and of that, little will get into the box (0.00000......)

As Climberholic said if there was enuff acid in the fumes to damage your gear at distance, in a box, your Bro's face would be a Dali-esque mess.

bl@ke

12-Apr-2011
9:21:08 AM

On 12/04/2011 Climboholic wrote:

>Oxygen is an oxidant.

Well better hope the harness isnt one of those new fangled Iron harness's!


sbm

12-Apr-2011
10:37:27 AM

On 12/04/2011 bl@ke wrote:
>On 12/04/2011 Climboholic wrote:
>
>>Oxygen is an oxidant.
>
>Well better hope the harness isnt one of those new fangled Iron harness's!
Black Diamond are constantly pushing the boundaries of cutting edge climbing equipment ay.

OK...not chucking anything out. No visible damage to harness on inspection. Just gunna keep it in mind as part of the gear history, like it had taken a decent fall. Had a talk to everyone else in the house. Considering lowering my brother off the top of Southwest Barrenjoey in the offending harness as a lesson.

Interesting to see regulars here on both sides of the "it's not worth your life, buy a brand new one"/"I got all my gear for free after a chemical truck crashed into the local outdoors shop, stuff is tough, its all good years later"

Anyway if you hear a big thump at the rockhouse tonight it's probably me.


sbm

12-Apr-2011
10:40:39 AM

On 11/04/2011 climbingjac wrote:
>It's not just your life on the line, it is also anyone you belay...

This is a really good point.

i always think of harness having multiple points of failure though - aren't the waist loop and leg loops pretty much separate when you tie in? if one broke you'd have to be unlucky to slip out of the other. And belay loops are actually doubled, two loops sewn together.

bl@ke

12-Apr-2011
10:47:32 AM

On 12/04/2011 sbm wrote:
>On 12/04/2011 bl@ke wrote:
>>On 12/04/2011 Climboholic wrote:
>>
>>>Oxygen is an oxidant.
>>
>>Well better hope the harness isnt one of those new fangled Iron harness's!
>Black Diamond are constantly pushing the boundaries of cutting edge climbing
>equipment ay.

Yeah but I still dont see how they are going to make it weigh less than 20kg! They should get that stark dude off iron man to work on it...

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