whisker polls, boat hooks, etc.

[Leonard Lookner]

Telescopic polls of aluminium tend to become difficult to open and collapse. I have tried cleaning methods and various forms of lubricants to no avail.
Does any one have a method that has worked for them other than a hack saw and a trash can.

[Didereaux]

I found plain old lanolin(as in the baby's bottom variety) does not adversley affect the aluminum, but if you do it they are then prone to abandon ship, apparently with olympic water sports in mind, or an extras job in Little Mermaid II !

In short about all I found is to thoroughly rinse them with fresh water as soon as you hit the dock...once they corrode or salt up take 'em to the next flea market.

[Al Levesque]

I have had the same problem and I don't see any easy way to get in and clean the locking mechanism or the inside of the tube. I have thought of holding the tube vertically and dripping some solvent down but I don't know what solvent would be effective for cleaning. I have made it a habit to always store unlocked and to slide the parts in and out a few times before storing.

I hope you get some answers, I need them too.

[JWEells]

Back in undergrad school, I worked in a pretty high end bike shop and we put all of our aluminum bikes together using copious amounts of Pledge furniture polish as the lubricant for hard to fit parts. The Pledge seemed to coat the aluminum well - hence no corrosion - and it makes for a fine, reasonably durable lubricant. For sailing I'm sure the monthly re-application wouldn't hurt.

I just found the spinnaker in a bag stuffed way the hell up the aft end of a quarter berth on the Typhoon I acquired this past Tuesday. I'll be putting my lovely Pledge theory to the test here myself, soon. Anybody recommend a good reconditioner for spinnies?

[viejo]

Coca-cola has always seemed to work on breaking up corrosion on metal parts.

Of course, once it breaks loose you'll need to give it the proverbial fresh water wash, otherwise it'll stick just as hard, or you might find an ant colony has moved aboard.....