Did i just trash my rope?

[sleepygreen]

A container of used motor oil managed to leak in the trunk of my car, and got on a couple sections of my rope. I have read the motor oil does not damage nylon, but i dont want to take any chances. What do you guys think? Should i cut it up?

[Tyson.g]

If you can afford a new rope why would you take the risk with a compromised one?

Maybe you could make yourself a shorter rope for other purposes and ditch the contaminated sections?

I personally would rather err on the side of caution when it comes to rope and sling material.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[wayne]

Run it through a front load wash machine,gentle soap. I would tope rope with it. Then plan on getting a new lead rope sometime.

[Rad]

Like dissolves like. Petroleum-based liquids (e.g. motor oil) will dissolve most petroleum-based solids (nylon and all other -ons in ropes). At a minimum, I'd cut off the areas that got doused. If in doubt, throw it out.

[sleepygreen]

I cant really afford a new rope, i may try washing it and/or cutting off that section. Luckily it was all in the first 20 feet or so, but thats going to shorten my already short rope. I have another that ill have to measure because i cant remember how long it is, and probably start saving for a new one.

[max]

First thought: "I've had this condom in my wallet for three years, and the wrapper looks real faded. But I don't see any tears in it. I'm planning on hooking up with this girl. Think the condom's ok?"

 

Just the fact that you are asking online answers your questions for you. Ditch it. Get a new rope. Wait for one to go on sale online. Even a cheap sale rope will be better (for your confidence) than a "fouled" rope.

 

2nd thought: what do the instructions say? Who's more of an authority: the manufacturer or an anonymous dirt bag online? Ditch it.

 

3rd thought, a practical moral dilemma: next time you go climbing, are you going to tell your partner? If not, why not? Is there something wrong with it? Wouldn't they want to know? If you do decide to tell them, tell them, what do you think their response will be? Either way, it seems like you need to ditch the rope.

 

 

[sleepygreen]

yeah, you bring up some good points for sure. I do not remember the brand of this particular rope, but have read on several manufacturers websites that oil does not harm nylon (http://www.sterlingrope.com/media/document/techmanual.pdf top of page 13) but agree that a new rope is definitely worth not hurting or killing my partner or myself. I am not trying to argue with anyone, i agree that safety is a top priority.

[mattp]

I have read that motor oil does in fact not damage climbing ropes. Here is an example:

 

RockandIce.com.

 

Years ago, we used to read stern warnings about carrying ropes in your car trunk along with gas cans or oil cans, and then there was a "debunking" of this "myth."

 

Personally, I'd err on the side of caution and replace the rope. Seriously. Your cell phone bill for a couple of months costs more than a new rope.

[Buckaroo]

 

 

Is the rope a "super dry"? IOW was it dry treated before being woven?

 

I would say that if it's a super dry and pretty new you could get by with washing it with rope soap. The sooner the better.

 

Used motor oil gets acetic if it's not changed on schedule. If you know for certain the change interval was correct you are probably okay. If the oil was run in the car for 10,000 miles it's probably pretty acetic. Depends if it soaks through the dry treatment, or worse yet dissolves it.

 

Wash it and then see if you can tell where the motor oil was. If you can't then your probably ok. If you can that means it's soaked through the dry treatment and it's probably sketchy.

 

Ropes have a large margin of strength, usually ropes only break when cut over a sharp edge. Of something extreme like Dan Osman jumping off cliffs.

 

Steve Nagode at the REI testing center in Sumner will test things like this, if he's still working there.

[max]

(http://www.sterlingrope.com/media/document/techmanual.pdf top of page 13)

 

Wow. Now you're talking. This is counter what I've always heard. Good "evidence based" rational.

 

I'd still ditch it.

 

 

[denalidave]

Put some duct tape on the bad sections and yer good to go!

[pink]

Put some duct tape on the bad sections and yer good to go!

 

hot knives should do the trick

 

[ivan]

battery acid out to get out all the oily patches

[G-spotter]

Wash it in cat urine.

 

Then mark all the bad spots with a Sharpie.

[mattp]

Wash it in cat urine.

 

My little kitty tried that for me. This is not a good practice. Really.

[chirp]

A friend/boss when I was with JHMG in Vegas told me to never lay your rope on asphalt (as in staging at the parking area before a climb) as the reaction with the petrolates were bad for ropes. Curious anecdote that may or may not have relevance here, to this day I still heed this.

When in doubt...toss it out, or make a rug.

 

Can you find the center mark

[JosephH]

Put some duct tape on the bad sections and yer good to go!

We actually used to do that with the all-woven, yellow MSR ropes bitd because they tended to get these weird 'hairballs' as they'd fray. We'd use them until the duct tape started getting stuck in the biners. It helped we had a duct tape factory at the north end of the strip some friends worked at part time.

 

P.S. Nice rug...

[ScaredSilly]

Nylon-6 is used in many automotive applications because it is resistant to oils and many other chemicals (acids are a rope's worst enemy). So no you did not trash your rope. You did not do it any favors, either as oil will pick up dirt much easier than not. Hand wash it in hot water with Dawn or other good surfactant based soap which will remove the oil. If you are really concerned, chop that section off.

 

 

[lummox]

Geesh, climbing is supposed to be dangerous.

Oily rope ain't a problem unless it's hemp.

DEET and battery acid are not friends of nylon.

[JonNelson]

 

That Sterling Ropes tech manual that you link to is quite interesting. On page 11 bottom it describes how tests show a significant loss of strength from contact with water.

 

Wet ropes are notably weaker than dry (i.e., non-wet) ropes -- I didn't know that.

 

Seems like those of us who are worried about contact with motor oil ought to be more concerned about the rope touching wet rock.

 

Jon

 

[ColinB]

That Sterling Ropes tech manual that you link to is quite interesting. On page 11 bottom it describes how tests show a significant loss of strength from contact with water.

 

Wet ropes are notably weaker than dry (i.e., non-wet) ropes -- I didn't know that.

 

Seems like those of us who are worried about contact with motor oil ought to be more concerned about the rope touching wet rock.

 

Jon

 

Or just buy dry ropes. Sterling did some test on saturated (non-dry) ropes back in the day that Twight references in Extreme Alpinism. For sure something to keep in mind out in the soggy PNW.

[CaleHoopes]

I think I actually trashed my rope a different way. This last weekend we did some training with sleds up at paradise. I forgot to totally screw the cap on one of the bottles for the stove (XKG) and when I pulled the rope out of the sled, it was soaked in white gas. DOH.

 

Anyone ever have that happen to ya?

[DPS]

Nylon-6 is used in many automotive applications because it is resistant to oils

 

My research agrees with this. I investigated the feasibility of using Platypus water containers as light weight white gas containers. Platypus containers are made of a bilaminate material; nylon on the outside, food grade polyethylene on the inside. For the four chemical constitutents of white gas (vis a vis Coleman Fuel) nylon had good to excellent resistance. The polyethylene had good to poor resistance. The polypropylene cap also had good to excellent resistance. I wondered if Cascades Designs would do manufacture a few custom Platypuses with the material flipped over, but I suspect if I told them it was to hold fuel they wouldn't do it.

Edited May 9, 2012 by DPS

[boadman]

A container of used motor oil managed to leak in the trunk of my car, and got on a couple sections of my rope. I have read the motor oil does not damage nylon, but i dont want to take any chances. What do you guys think? Should i cut it up?

 

I'd personally contact the rope manufacturer. Used motor oil often has metal particulates that might also do some damage.

[ScaredSilly]

That Sterling Ropes tech manual that you link to is quite interesting. On page 11 bottom it describes how tests show a significant loss of strength from contact with water.

 

Wet ropes are notably weaker than dry (i.e., non-wet) ropes -- I didn't know that.

 

Those tests were done when the ropes were saturated with water. Which in those cases water acts a lubricant and allows the fibers the slide more easily and thus elongate more and break.