Wire gate on a biner

So, I found a pretty new carabiner on a very old piton on a very old piece of granite.
If I open the wire gate all the way and release it, it closes all the way. SNAP! and happy.
If I open the wire gate all the way and slowly let it close, it comes up a few millimeters short of closing.

I really haven't played with the gates to discern what the expected action on them are. Most of my biners
are relatively new and when clipping rope or pro, I clip, they make a nice snap closed noise and I have my
aural confirmation that they functioned per design.

Should all my biners fully close whether I'm slowing letting the gates close versus releasing them at full
tension and letting them snap?

I haven't run across biner gate maintenance, only cam maintenance in regards to cleaning and lubing.

Is there some biner maintenance that's part of keeping my rack sexy that I haven't run across yet?

-woot woot

Yes, biner gate action is often improved by lubricating the joint.
It is aluminum rotating on a steel axle, just like on a cam.

Cleaning  often helps. Splash it around in some boiling water. 

What kind of lubricant is recommended for use on biners and cams (besides Metolius brand)? Limit one KY Jelly/Astroglide joke per user.

Josh Glantz wrote: What kind of lubricant is recommended for use on biners and cams (besides Metolius brand)? Limit one KY Jelly/Astroglide joke per user.

I know a girl who thinks of ghosts
She'll make ya breakfast
She'll make ya toast
She don't use butter
She don't use cheese
She don't use jelly
Or any of these
She uses vaseline
Vaseline
Vaseline

I appreciate the Flaming Lips reference, but oh god, don't use Vasoline.

Use cam lube or wax bike chain lube like White Lightning that is basically the same thing.

Here's Beth Rodden telling you how to clean your cams. Same principles apply.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSr97PxQH_M

I've found that the gates on CAMP Nano 22s can become sticky pretty easily. A proper cleaning and lubricating with cam lube fixed it. Still, I hate working with them so I sold them to a friend.

I use 3-in-1 oil.

Clint Cummins wrote: I use 3-in-1 oil.

Oil (and other "wet" lubricants) attract dirt. A dry lube like silicone or Teflon bike chain lube well last longer without collecting additional grit around the axle.

Get a big can of silicone WD40 at Home Depot or Lowe's for like $6.  Works perfect for cams and carabiners and will last you a LONG time.

https://www.wd40.com/products/silicone-lubricant/

Anyone know of the top of their head which lubricants are harmful to our webbing and cords?
Or better stated, if I read the can, which ingredients to stay away from?
I imagine there are solvent type materials in more than one can of lube.

Rock Monkey wrote: Anyone know of the top of their head which lubricants are harmful to our webbing and cords?
Or better stated, if I read the can, which ingredients to stay away from?
I imagine there are solvent type materials in more than one can of lube.

A lot of the combination cleaner + lubricants will have solvents, and aerosols are always suspect. I've had good luck with WD 40 3-in-1 lock lubricant on some of my autolockers, and it didn't hurt the hard plastic bushing inside. Cleans out the inside really nicely, and the action stays smooth after the lube dries. Not sure if it is safe for soft webbing, though.

I use ​Finish Line dry lube​​​ on tent and bag zippers. Leaves a slight residue, but doesn't attract dust and hasn't damaged the nylon. Not sure I trust it on rated webbing, though, without some better testing.

I use Boeing’s Boeshield T9 lubricant. This does not attract dirt and leaves a slight residue that continues to lubricate the hinge. It is a bit more expensive but a bottle lasts forever so well worth it in my opinion. 

bkozak wrote: Get a big can of silicone WD40 at Home Depot or Lowe's for like $6.  Works perfect for cams and carabiners and will last you a LONG time.

https://www.wd40.com/products/silicone-lubricant/

SDS information says it is 60-80% LVP petroleum solvent. Is that safe for webbing?

Greg R wrote:

SDS information says it is 60-80% LVP petroleum solvent. Is that safe for webbing?

Yes. Contrary to many folks' gut feeling, petroleum products are not harmful to Nylon or Dyneema.  LVP stands for low vapor pressure, which means it's low odor. In addition, the non-volatile portion - the remaining oil/lubricant - is also harmess unless it's some VERY unusual non-hydrocarbon material. But anything like that would be too aggressive to serve as a lubricant (where inertness and stability are paramount). I'm thinking maybe a spray-on rust dissolver might fall into this category, but no one in their right mind would put that on gear.

Bret Files wrote: Argue about lvp, msds and various esoteric organic chemistry or just use hot water and Metolius cam lube.  It’s made by a cam manufacturer for use on climbing gear for Chrissake.  And thanks for the Flaming Lips.  That was great.  

I truly love that song and I'm going to use Vaseline on at least one biner to honor the Flaming Lips. To hell with the dirt and grime it attracts.

Paul Kalifatidi wrote: I've found that the gates on CAMP Nano 22s can become sticky pretty easily. A proper cleaning and lubricating with cam lube fixed it. Still, I hate working with them so I sold them to a friend.

climbing partner just got rid of these carabiners for this reason.  Not a huge fan of them either because watching one not really close or slowly inch towards closing because you haven't cleaned and lubricated every piece of gear every week just seems insane to me. 

Rob D. wrote:

climbing partner just got rid of these carabiners for this reason.  Not a huge fan of them either because watching one not really close or slowly inch towards closing because you haven't cleaned and lubricated every piece of gear every week just seems insane to me. 

I've also observed this, but interestingly only the black ones. I have 4 black Nanos right now that won't close on their own while the rest snap just fine. 

the one we chucked was a gold.  It was on his #2 and I was less-than-happy to place the cam and watch the gate stay open. 

I had a couple Omegalite 4.0 biners that you could get to stick in a half closed configuration.  It was never a problem in practice.  They were terrible biners that snag easily.  I gave most of them away and rarely use the few I have left.  

I am also using a wire fence and gate. People usually use the fence to protect from wild animals, but I live in a city in an agglomerated neighborhood, so I don't need a fence to protect my territory. This is why all my community is using wire fences. Our neighborhood is amicable, and everybody knows each other, so this is why no one is bothering that anyone can see what you are doing in your yard. Most of all, we have put the wire fences to delimitate the territory not to create some confusion while making some modifications in the yard. 

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