Rust on Petzl Charlet crampons

[YocumRidge]

I used these a lot for less than 3 years and noticed rust first appearing on the points and now on the frame. I store them in the dry attic between uses so I doubt this was the primary reason of the defect.

The spec sheet says the material is "Charlet Steel" - (some kind of a powdered steel alloy?) I guess the one that rusts. I tried washing the rust off and oiling but in vain, it keeps coming back.

 

Did anyone have this problem? Would it be covered by the Petzl' 3 year warranty?

 

thanks guys!

[kurthicks]

It's cosmetic and happens to all crampons. Even coated stainless steel crampons will rust over time if you scratch through the stainless layer. You've got nothing to worry about structurally. I doubt it would be covered under a warranty.

[tomtom]

Just light surface rust. Not a problem. I wouldn't stay up all night worrying about it.

[climbercam]

It happens all the time. Don't worry about it. Climb on!

[rhyang]

I have the same crampons (vasaks), and I'm pretty sure they are made of chromoly steel (kind of like some mountain bike frames), which does get superficial rust.

 

What I do is just air dry them at home, then wipe them down with white lightning bike chain lube, simply because I have a bunch of it.

[YocumRidge]

Thanks Rob.

 

I hope Manure Pile Buttress is still there. I liked your TR on ST!

[dan_e]

It's cosmetic and happens to all crampons. Even coated stainless steel crampons will rust over time if you scratch through the stainless layer. You've got nothing to worry about structurally. I doubt it would be covered under a warranty.

 

There is no "stainless layer", stainless steel is a mixture of steel alloy and chromium. There are different grades and ways to finish the steel, however it is 'stainless' throughout.

 

Regarding rust:

 

Most crampons are still made with carbon steel or CrMo which means they will rust. There is no harm with a little surface rust, it just looks bad. If you want to prevent rust, clean them good with a wire wheel (Dremel tools are very handy for this) and then spray them with silicone spray. After climbing hang them to up and when dry spray them with silicone spray again. The same works very well for ice screws.

 

If the rust really bugs you buy a new pair of stainless steel crampons. The advantages to SS in crampons is reduced weight and little or no rusting. The front points are not stainless, however they are usually painted to prevent rust. See this thread: http://cascadeclimbers.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/915694/Re_Stainless_Steel_Crampons#Post915694