Best way to store Maillons?

[caving_fox]

As per title really.

Context - I mostly cave on club gear, but have some personal maillons that don't see much use. I've left them hanging as a chain of 10 or so - takes up less space, allows them to dry, avoids contact corrosion with any other metals. When purchased I'd individually checked each of them for smooth and free action of the sleeve. I'm sure they've never been loaded with a gate open. When I went to use some the other day I was quite surprised to find the sleeve very stiff, oil didn't really help.

Could they really have distorted slightly just under their own weight after a year or two? More likely to be environmental dust over that time?

Is it better to have them all loose in a box? Gate open or closed? How do you store yours?

 

[rm128]

I store mine loose in a plastic tub. Typically gate open, but that's more just the way it happens rather than a conscious decision. I don't use them much, but never have any problems when I do. They all still open/close freely. I guess it's important to leave them to dry after use.

 

[Cantclimbtom]

I was always warned that leaving gate open could result in slight distortion and a really stiff and unpleasant gate screw closure. I did leave a large galv delta open for 12 months or so (lost and found it again) and it was horrible and needed to be open and closed with a spanner. But since then I've accidentally left other Maillons open (ovals) and never had a problem. I'm genuinely puzzled if the "never leave open" rule is wisdom or not

 

[rm128]

I was always warned that leaving gate open could result in slight distortion and a really stiff and unpleasant gate screw closure. I did leave a large galv delta open for 12 months or so (lost and found it again) and it was horrible and needed to be open and closed with a spanner. But since then I've accidentally left other Maillons open (ovals) and never had a problem. I'm genuinely puzzled if the "never leave open" rule is wisdom or not

I've never had any problems leaving ovals open. I guess it shouldn't matter if they're not loaded. But if in doubt... maybe leave them closed?

 

[Mark Wright]

Have you tried giving the threads a clean with a stiff brush?

I think it's most unlikely the weight of the chain would have led to any elongation.

If you drop one, or drop something on one with the gate open, they can easily deform and then the threads won't match up.

 

[DaveyDubz]

Along with Mark's suggestion to brush any debris off I would recommend a small amount of Lithium grease on the thread to help prevent them seizing, it doesn't wash off as easily as oil. Imperial for example for club steel maillons grease them annually and store them gate closed in groups of 5 in a steel box.
If you don't grease them near the start of their life then they tend to corrode and become stiffer over time quicker than the greased ones. If you think they have stretched open you can compress in a vice to see if they gate becomes easier to close (you can also try the opposite with more difficulty and stretch them open and test).

 

[Cantclimbtom]

Have you tried giving the threads a clean with a stiff brush?

I think it's most unlikely the weight of the chain would have led to any elongation.

If you drop one, or drop something on one with the gate open, they can easily deform and then the threads won't match up.

Ahhhh that's probably the explanation for mine.
More than likely the one I lost for a while took some knocks and bumps while open as when found open it was at the bottom of a toolbox underneath all sorts of stuff. Probably bumped while open caused the damage


In reply to: DaveyDubz
I used to use lithium grease (for cars) on the threads and it worked just fine for me. Nowadays I have a small tin of silicone grease (for o rings and whatnot) and that also works just fine

 

[pwhole]

I normally grease the threads as soon as I get them out of the bag new, and then keep them closed, if only to stop stuff sticking to the grease. But never had an issue doing this. Even ones left underground a couple of years still unscrew fine.

 

[Sarataylor]

I had had the same thing happen, oil didn’t help much either. A quick clean in warm soapy water freed them up. Now I store them loose in a dry bag, not hanging.

 

[JoshW]

I tend to clean in water then use 3in1 oil to lightly grease the threads up.

Screwing and unscrewing the threads a few time tends to let the oil force out some worked in grit. I wipe the excess off and store them in a mesh bag in a small tackle sack

 

[georgenorth]

I like to wash my maillons in a bath of San Pellegrino sparkling mineral water. The bubbles do an excellent job of shifting even the hardest to remove cave squalor from the threads.

 

[andrewmcleod]

If it's not from the province of Bergamo, it's just sparkling maillon water

 

[Mark Wright]

I had had the same thing happen, oil didn’t help much either. A quick clean in warm soapy water freed them up. Now I store them loose in a dry bag, not hanging.

If your soapy water is made from washing up liquid then make sure you give them a good fresh water rinse and dry before storing as washing up liquid often has a lot of salt in it!

 

[Cantclimbtom]

I like to wash my maillons in a bath of San Pellegrino sparkling mineral water. The bubbles do an excellent job of shifting even the hardest to remove cave squalor from the threads.

Annemasse is the home of Peguet Maillons and Evian is the correct water. San Pellegrino isn't certified by Peguet so use at your own risk!
Although when I worked for Wetherspoons we used to soak the sparklers (plastic nozzle things where the beer comes out) in a pint glass of fizzy water from the post mix hose, to clean them so it might clean Maillons too?

 

[ChrisB]

It might be the acidity rather than the bubbles that has the cleaning effect.