2013_q2/2013_04_29_rusty_camalot_inspection

destructive tear down of a rusted but otherwise fine camalot c-4

A member of my climbing club had a Black Diamond Camalot C-4 0.5 that had rusted a bit after being caught out in the rain several times and he was curious about the depth of the rust and the overall condition of the cam, especially given that the trigger motion was no longer as smooth as it once was. I offered to split the cost of tearing it down with him to see what sort of shape it was really in.

This cam was marked on the sling as from year 2010, while the 0.5s I was comparing it to are from 2012. I weighed all three units and visually inspected them - they were all within 0.6g and appeared to be of the same construction. Counterfeit climbing gear is not unheard of, but this unit appears genuine.

I wasn't able to do anything to quantify the trigger pull, but compared to the other two it was gritty and noticably rougher. The cam lobes are aluminum, while the double axles are steel. I'm not sure what the springs are made of, but they didn't seem too badly rusted, while the axles had a substantial amount of surface rust. The axles are peened in place so the disassembly was destructive - I ground one end off of both of them.

The amount of rust was considerable and if my cam were in this condition I would want to get it cleaned up to improve the trigger motion and appearance. That said, having seen how this particular unit is constructed and the depth of this rust, and had I not destructively disassembled it, I would happily trust it.