Should I be concerned about this? *PICS*

[grue 1]

Was just doing the regular maint on the cables, risers, etc and noticed this on the inside of my reserve flap.. what is it? Should I have it looked at?

http://spiceweasel.net/reserveflap.jpg
http://spiceweasel.net/reserveflap2.jpg

cavete terrae.

[TALONSKY 0]

It looks to me that the stain is from excess lubricant on your cable.

[GravityGirl 0]

Hey Grue.

What he said. Excess lubricant.

That was our assembly, right? We don't lubricate brand new assemblies, so I'm not sure where that came from.

Did you lubricate your cable housing? Did the next rigger to repack it lubricate? If so, what was used?

The only concern that I would have is that there may be excess lubricant in the cable housing. That could actually attrach dirt and dust.

Have your rigger take a look.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[grue 1]

It must have been the rigger at Eloy, after my cutaway. (You didn't read about that? Jeez. Some stalker YOU are).... and yes, I already found out what Kelly wants for his bottle

I'll have my local rigger take a look next time I'm at the DZ

cavete terrae.

[rwieder 0]

Go Here For More Information

This gentleman covers this topic and others in detail. It's a pretty good resource.

-Richard-
"You're Holding The Rope And I'm Taking The Fall"

[bob.dino 0]

Where it came from. Possibly. 'Coz I'm not a rigger. But it sounds plausible, to my uneducated self. But don't hate me if I'm wrong. At heart, I'm a delicate soul, and I don't think I could take it.

[GravityGirl 0]

That makes sense. I've never seen that much, uh, leekage.

Thanks for posting that. I missed that thread. Good to know.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Peace and Blue Skies!
Bonnie ==>Gravity Gear!

[bob.dino 0]

No worries. I'm sure someone with firsthand knowledge will chime in about the effects or otherwise of the seepage on the container & reserve.

[ZigZagMarquis 8]

Quote

It looks to me that the stain is from excess lubricant on your cable.

Lubricant on the RESERVE CABLE!!!???

I've always claned the CUTAWAY CABLES with Silicone Spray and... thus... left a LITE film of lubricant behind on them, but never on the RESERVE CALBE, just cleaned it if anything.

I agree though, it looks like a stain left over from some sort of lubricant... more then just a lite film if that speculation is correct. If it were my rig, I think I'd be inclied to clean it at the next reserve repack if not sooner.

[Anvilbrother 0]

Does it look wet, or could it be just the way the metal rubs on the fabric when you lean against things? Like when aluminum turns everything grey when you brush up on it.

Postes r made from an iPad or iPhone. Spelling and gramhair mistakes guaranteed move along,

[CReW 0]

I'm not pleased with any of the advice you've received so far.
Is that some kind of lubricant? If so
I'd like to hear a master rigger weigh in here but if it were mine I'd disassemble immediately and inspect reserve. Thoroughly clean the inside and outside of the ripcord housing and ripcord. Then wash the container in Woolite and cold water using a soft bristle brush to work on that stain. Return components to a rigger for inspection ASAP, especially the reserve canopy and tell what happened. Then reassemble.
This is your reserve and reserve container, take no chances. I find those pictures alarming. (obviously)

I don't lubricate my reserve ripcord or housing. I just clean it.
Let a Master Rigger have the final word.
T LaVonne
AFF/ I

[hookitt 0]

No need to get overly aggressive on the clean up. It’s not going to seep into the reserve. I couldn't say why the oil is there now since there wasn't before the reserve ride but a tiny bit of oil won't hurt any thing. You can spot clean the top cover flap with warm soap and water or Carbo-Sol or naptha.

Concerning the flap the ripcord housing is on: See if you can soak up the oil with a soft cloth. A T-shirt will do just fine.

That flap is made with 2 layers of cordura with Nylatron sandwiched in between. The oil won't go anywhere, and if it did, the worst it would do is assist in dust gathering. Nylon doesn't care about cutting oil or sewing machine oil.

If it concerns you then by all means un pack the reserve and spot clean the flaps, and do the Sparky trick of running a length of 750 braided nylon through the housings a few time. I personally don't have any so I'd probably take off the housing and wash it in warm soap and water.

In the mean time, see how much oil is coming out of the handle end. If the cable moves freely, you're ok for now, however if you have loads of junk in there, which I doubt, things could get gummy.

Check the cutaway housings while you're at it.

Hope that helps.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[CrazyL 0]

? 3 things. 1.reserve ripcord/lubricant/stain, 2. pin cover flap is there a hole in it(1st pic), 3. what is the red thing next to where the reserve top flap connects to the rig at the yoke? The lubricant is used on some stainless 7x7 wire as lube/preservative. Nevertheless, i'd have a rigger clean it up. Preferably a Master Rigger.

[grue 1]

No hole in the rig, just a shadow or a spot probably. The red thing is actually orange, it's material from my reserve PC.

cavete terrae.

[riggerrob 558]

3 possible sources for the excess oil:
1. too much oil left on ripcord cable after cleaning.
2. too much silicone lubricant left on Cypres loop.
3. too much cutting oil used when winding housing Parachutes de France published a Service Bulletin on this subject more than a decade ago.

A little excess oil is unlikely to hurt anything.
Most (clean) oils do not chemically interact with nylon.
Heck! Sewing machine oil just evaporates.

The only downside of too much oil is that it holds in grit, which might fray fabric or cause a hard pull (see the last Service Bulletin issued by Aerodyne).

So far it is only cosmetic and not worth the effort to clean it, beyond dabbing with clean cotton.

[CrazyL 0]

thanks. it would be preferred to NOT to have the reserve p/c fabric exposed. Like riggerrob said about the oil in the housings and cable. Have assembled new complete system before that had excess solvent in the cable housing. I contacted the manufacturer and my questions were answered well. The housings seem to have been tumbled,cleaned,polished,and dried. Not dried thoroughly. I was instructed on how they would like me to clean the housings,lint free cloth and 550 spectra.I agreed and completed the task. The cable itself covered with a light to medium grease almost oil can be cleaned easily while off the rig by wiping it w/ clean rag, preferably lint-free. It would be nice to know if the ripcord is from the manufacturer or loft and if it was tested to 600 lbs. If the ripcord has a ball and shank at the end by the handle and is tested to 600 lbs an RSL may be used. If the cable end has just a ball and no shank i'd contact the manufacturer of the H/C with questions before using an RSL with the ripcord. W/ rig packed with reserve cable housing stretched out to its fullest there should be atleast 1 inch from the end of cable to handle.

[CReW 0]

<< thanks. it would be preferred to have the reserve p/c fabric exposed.>>

I think he left out he word "not"
Thanks guys
T

[CrazyL 0]

Your right! Thanks.

[masterrig 1]

It is fine metal dust particles from the material rubbing on the cable and housing. It won't hurt anything. Most if not all of it should come out the next time the container is washed.
edit to add: Also, a bit of the lubricant from the cable housing.


Chuck

[Jonsmann 0]

Nasty oil stain.

I'd be more worried about the RSL ring, its just waiting to snag on the rip-cord housing.

Jacques

[airtwardo 6]

Quote

Nasty oil stain.

I'd be more worried about the RSL ring, its just waiting to snag on the rip-cord housing.

Jacques

***

I was wondering about that too...isn't it supposed to be in front of the ring, not behind it??

I really don't know...haven't used one since they were french links on a front reserve.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[hookitt 0]

It's configured correctly. If the rsl is in front of the ring, it can bend or break the pin.

Jonsmann, there is no concern of the RSL ring catching on the cable housing.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[OATSF14 0]

Excellent site. Thanks for the link.

[riggerrob 558]

Quote

It's configured correctly. If the rsl is in front of the ring, it can bend or break the pin.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

That may have been a issue when we jumped 4-pin main ripcords tied to static-lines, but have you noticed that the latest version of Vector 3 does not have single guide ring?

RSL guide rings are another tradition that manufacturers have continued even though they do not understand the operating principles behind the design.
Sandy Reid: "If you don't understand something, best copy it exactly."

• Quote

[hookitt 0]

That's a good point.The Vector RSL is attached to the ripcord pin so the pretty much no matter what the pin will be pulled inline.

Though I must now agree with you regarding the ring around the ripcord design. How likely is it the pin would be pulled outward?

Interesting. Conventional wisdom has been challenged again! That's a great quote by Sandy.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto