Hi All
I am trying to dismantle a child's climbing frame. It is contructed from metal tubes. It has six legs which are formed by inserting short tubes into each other. It has been standing for 7 years, and I cannot pull these pieces apart (well, I have managed two). Any advice? Ta.
Plusgas ( similar to WD40) seems to be the best for any penatrating required, if its not painted or you dont care blowtorch and a few slaps with a hammer, but be careful not to bend the pipes or theyll be harder to come out.
wd40 and two pairs of stilsons - rotate to break join then pull apart, if its from tp toys and its rusted together phone them - they have a 10years rustproof guarantee - may get some new ones if thats what you want
Plusgas, as stated. But not WD40 - not really designed for that. WD40 is a water displacer, and Plusgas is a 'dismantling agent' or some such.
Not WD40 - it's not designed for it. Plusgas.
The message from "Grumps" contains these words:
Graphited penetrating and easing oil. WD40 claims it's good, but it's not a patch on the proper stuff.
Dribble it round the joint (invert the frame if needed so the oil can trickle down into the crevices) and leave it a day.
Warming it will help, too. With concentric rings, the outer one will always expand more than the inner as they're heated.
Thanks. I've only got WD40 so I'll have to try that. It is from tp toys, but the lifetime guarantee seems to cover 'failure' due to rust. This isn't strictly failure. Anyway, I've sold the frame and the buyer is hoping to collect tomorrow.
Never heard of Plusgas, but it seems to be what I need. But I'm sure I can't get any by 10:00 tomorrow!
Question is, can I heat it without causing any discolouration? I've tried boiling water, but not reached for the blowtorch yet. Actually, there are plastic inserts in the end of the tubes, so a blowtorch may not be such a good idea (although spare inserts would be supplied free).
Garages and car accessory shops...but you're supposed to leave it to soak in for a bit, so I think you're out of time!
Then you dont want to be heating it, as you have to get things seriously hot for that method to work. There would be no plastic or paint remains bar charcoal. Best in this case would probably be to take a lump of wood and go round the joint repeatedly, hammering it all over, but not hard enough to dent it. This will slowly break up the rust pieces and bonds.
I guess it cant be taken without this dismantling step.
NT
I avoided the heating method, but did try using my rubber mallet on it. It didn't work. But it didn't matter as the frame was taken away as it stood. Good old eBay! Thanks for everyone's suggestions.
WD40 is suitable, I've used it many a time for this application.
From their website;
"PENETRATES: WD-40 loosens rust-to-metal bonds and frees stuck, frozen or rusted metal parts".
I seem to remember a Which test report that confirmed this
I seem to recall hearing about a test in a car/motorcycle(?) magazine where Plusgas won but WD40 was not far off, it has worked for me before.
I have been using recently the penetrating oil sold by Toolstation, cheap and seems to work fine, though it hasn't had much of a challenge yet, just some seized exhaust studs.
I have read some people saying diesel works as good as anything as a penetrating agent. Dunno if it's true.
HThe message from "The Medway Handyman" contains these words:
Having used both for many years I'll stick with graphited penetrating and easing oil.
Whatever Which or the websites say, a proper penetrating oil such as Plus Gas is much more effective. However, often WD40 os nearer to hand, and does work after a fashion. For the difficult jobs, use the specialised product, rather than the general purpose 'does it all' spray.
Agreed, but I already carry upteen different chemicals, from silicone to wood glue, so WD40 is a good all rounder for me.
I also recall that the Which report said Coca Cola actually worked and was as good as the no name el cheapo brand.
'Upteen' is of course a technical term used only in a small geographical area around the Medway Towns.....................
Just in case anyone confused it with Umpteen..........
Probably my wife's fault. She occasionally teaches English in a school in Rochester (when she's not teaching computing).
WD40 is just a very expensive way of buying kerosine and a bit of perfume.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.