Seized Through-Mast Fitting - Help!

[Cacique]

I posted this a while ago but got no replys does anyone have any ideas?

Halyard Through Mast Guides
Hi I have a 1977 Kemp mast, where the haliyards exit the mast there is a 1" hole with a pulley device that has a small pulley inside the mast and another on the outside and they guide the halliyard from inside to outside of the mast. On my boat a Vancouver 27 cutter I have 5 of these on all but a couple the pulley on the inside is seized, I've tried penatrating oil, soaking for several weeks, boiling for 1/2 a day, brute force etc but I still can't free off the pulleys does anyone have any ideas? Thanks.
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Cheers Jamie

[David M]

Can you add heat while applying some torque to the sheaves without damaging anything....like other lines or electrical wires? Sometimes it works with aluminum around stainless because of the greater coefficient of expansion of aluminum.

Also, so long as things are not too gummed up inside with a bunch of oil or other chemicals, try some Alumniprep which dissolves aluminum oxide...which is probably the culprit.

[Ocean Girl]

What kind of penetrating oil?
More info please
Erika

[Christian Van H]

Could you please post pics if possible?

[Cacique]

Thanks for the replies,
I have tried heating and boiling in water for several hours, I've tried wd40 and other types, i've tried acetone. alcohol, white spirit etc

[Christian Van H]

Have you tried posting a pic?

[Ocean Girl]

I have seen someone put the seized item in a freezer for a few hours, then heat the appropriate area while other parts are still cold. He got it un-seized but not sure if the freezing helped at all??? As stated above pics would be great or a least a good description.
Erika

[sded]

Heat while tapping hard on the fitting may work. Usually you need to drill the things out and replace.

[Christian Van H]

Hi Jamie! Thats a lot of Aluminum! No wonder it seized. Next time you are there snap a pic or two and post them. I understand the basic problem, but I can be a whole lot more creative once I see it (I'm a visual learner). One thing I know for sure, WD40 is not the worlds best penetrating oil. I would heat the sheave with a torch 'til its quite hot, then spray in a REAL penetrating oil / rust buster. You'll see smoke for sure, but it may break free. Also, give the pulleys a good wack with a hammer using a wood block as a punch. From the side too if at all possible. I'll post this on the thread too, hope it helps, Chris

[Cacique]

Yeah I've tried tapping, and whacking really hard with a 4lb lump hammer while heating with a blowlamp no good, tried drilling which enabled disassembly but as the shaft pins are riveted in & it's very difficult to judge where to drill and so I have destroyed one fitting by mis drilling and I am a little reluctant to have another go as I only have one fittings left.

[Portobello]

I have done away with these completely - I have elongated exit holes and the halyard exits in almost a straight line to the turning block at the base of the mast.
Of course - this is only helpful where the halyard exits a metre or so above the base of the mast not those at the top of the mast.

[Roy M]

Without a picture, it's more of a challenge, so forgive me if I'm not visalizing what you have. Many masts from this period use "compression tubes" to pass stainless bolts through the mast. Most often seen at the spreaders to secure the shrouds via chainplates, they can also be used to provide a support for sheaves, what you are calling "pulleys". All a compression tube does is allow the bolt to be tightly nutted down without squishing the mast tube. This is achieved by first drilling two holes, one on each side of the mast, where the bolt will pass. The diameter of the hole is slightly more than the outside diameter of the aluminum compression tube. The compression tube is "just" a tad longer than the outside dimension of the mast tube, and the interior dimension is that of the stainless bolt or rod having both ends threaded. Look at the side of the mast where the axle for the sheaves would be located. Remove any securing harware and wire brush to see if there is a visible edge of the compression tube. If so, whack the bejeezus out of it, more easily done while the mast is laying on some sawhorses, where this work should really be done in the first place. As long as you are doing any serious work, it means that a whole lot of other things, like mast electrical wiring, VHF antenna cable, bubbled paint, busted Windex, and ALL hardware should be removed and inspected, and probably replaced. As the old saying goes: "Don't try to fix the sore tooth of a tiger with a dime-store penknife". I guess it makes little sense if one doesn't relate to pen knives and dime stores. At any rate, pull the stick and do the work on the hard. It's easier, in every respect, that way. And if you are aloft, depending on old sheaves and hardware to keep you alive, you could have a nasty, possibly terminal, surprise awaiting you.

[Cacique]

Hi Guys
Thanks for the responses, I have managed to get a photo, you can see the one I have tried to drill out. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words.
Any ideas would be gratefully recieved.
Cheers Jamie

[Roy M]

Yikes! Forget what I said previously, no relation at all. I suggest taking the two pieces to a machinist and have the side pieces fabricated out of stainless. Or, if there is no damage to the anodized cheeks, reuse them. Get new sheaves from your local marine rigger and have them installed by the machinist, then lube them, at least once a season. Thanks for the picture, it made a lot of difference.