Releasing corroded fishing rods

[Zen83237]

The dick head that I leant 2 boat rods to left them fully assembled with sea water on them and as a consequence where the shaft joins the rod just above where the real fits is well and truly corroded solid. There is an aluminium sleeve in the handle bit into which slides the rod. I have tried liberal application of releasing fluid and WD40 to no avail. I am going to try drilling a hole on the butt end and filling it with paraffin and seeing if that will seep through and ease the joint. Now short of leaving them fully assembled for ever more I was wondering what I could do. I know that caustic soda dissolves aluminium but that seems a bit harsh. Is there any readily available acid that I can pour inside the rod to see if I can try and release the corroded joint from the inside. If it completly knackers the aluminium sleeve I could insert another one, assuming I can get the right size sleeve.

Kevin

[Tim W]

Zen83237 wibbled on Saturday 16 January 2010 17:07

If it were me, (see below) I'd start with some fairly diluted HCl - it will produce generally soluable salts and it's easy to buy (Spirits of Salts or Brick Acid - try a proper hardware shop for 1l bottles and a builders' merchant for larger quantities).

WARNING - that comes at 20-30% strength (30ish% is the max for HCl as it's natively a gas). That will take your eyes out, burn your skin and the fumes are unpleasant. Despite those dire warnings, it's not actually poisonous.

Dilute a sample of it down to about 5% outside and it's fairly safe to handle (gloves still recommended, but it won't rip your skin off at that strength, or fume).

At 5% it should be quite effective but not too agressive, but expect it to work fairly fast.

I'm honestly not sure if that is the best acid for ali - it will quite likely discolour it. But for shifting the corrosion it should have an effect.

The problem I see is trying to get it to get down where two surfaces have corroded togther. The sea water got there because there wasn't any corrosion. Now there is, so it's going to be a little harder for the acid to work its way in.

Is there any possibility of the application of heat to teh joint instead to try to crack it apart? Or is the part next to fibreglass/wood or plastic components?

Wait around - there are some folk fairly clued up on metal here...

[Andy Dingley]

Go to rec.cycling and tell them it's a very long and thin seat post.

[Frank Erskine]

Buy new rods and send "dick head" the bill.

[Zen83237]

The ex wife's d*****ad brother. Somehow I don't think he will payup.

[Usenet Nutter]

Would some form of gentle heat on the butt end ( which I presume is the female part) cause it to expand and break the hold ? or maybe two folk ,one holding each section ,and twisting in opposite directions ..either of these are ploys used to seperate fly rod sections which have become jammed ,not by corrosion,but by over enthusiastic joining by the user.

[Zen83237]

I have a similar problem when releasing overtightened filters on a camera lens. The more you grip it tighter the more you distort it and the more difficult it is to unscrew but you can buy a handy tool that grips the fiter around the full 360 degrees. I rather suspect that is what is going on here if I try to grip it in a vice. Being plastic with an aluminium sleeve I can only apply so much heat but I can try immersing it in boiling water.

[Usenet Nutter]

I should have said I wasn't meaning heat with a blowtorch..lol..but hot water as you suggest ..like pouring water out of a kettle or jug over it .