Gear X-ray
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- This topic has 10 replies, 1 voice, and was last updated 18 years, 4 months ago by
Chuk.
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Ash
I’ve heard people mention getting gear x-rayed when it gets old or dropped. Most people don’t seem to bother but I’m curious if there’s anywhere in Perth that does it.
Alex
I enquired bout this couple of years back, there are various metallurgical institutions associated with the mining industry who are able to do this. At the time when I enqired the cost was mind blowing – as in fifty times the replacement cost of the suspect gear. IF IN DOUBT REPLACE GEAR.
Neil
x ray would do the job… but there are cheaper alternatives that would be as good.
die penetrant testing…. you can probably do this yourself and it shouldn’t cost much for a spray can of die and a spray can of developer.
Mike Webb
There are plenty of NDT (non destructive testing) companies in Perth listed in the phone book.
I wouldn’t recommend backyard DPI (Dye Penetrant Inspection), especialy if life is on the line, also DPI will not show what is goining on inside.
MPI (Magnetic Particle Inspection) would be the go and can be performed at all reputable testing companies cheaper then Radiographic Interpretation.
My recommendation…Bye a new one.
Neil
errr, really ?
Magnetic Particle only works if the material is magnetic. Aluminium isn’t normally magnetic…..
also, it only detects surface flaws just like DP, so i don’t know why you reckon it would be better.
as for goings on in the inside…. cracks in this sort of aluminium (and from tensile or impact related causes i.e climbing / dropping) will form from the outside, so DP etc would be fine.
Turf It
Wouldn’t the cost of this testing outway replacement? Unless you had a whole heap of stuff to test, in which case I’d say you’ve probably left it too late anyway!
If in doubt, throw it out.
We pay $1000’s of dollars in insurance every year but cry when our 5 year old biner or cam starts to look a bit iffy. If you’re not willing to bet your life on the equipment being ok, get rid of it. No amount of testing is gonna stop that nigglin voice in the back of ya head… What if? Then of course, once tested it’d probably have to be tested annually or something because “what if?”.
Bondy
Thanks for the tips. Ash and I know it’s quite expensive, but we had a good reason for testing stuff. If we had a good reason to doubt it, we’d chuck it and replace, but we were looking at second hand stuff – wouldn’t use it without examination, but the prices looked like they were going to be so low that maybe if we could get it all x-rayed at once, we’d be doing pretty well even if a couple of cams or something had to go.
Turf It
That’s a good idea. I wonder about that when lookin at the stuff on E-Bay. The guys usually say things like “never fallen on, only used once” but you just never know do ya? I haven’t bought anything cause I just can’t put my faith in something that’s got someone else’s scratches and dings all over it.
If you could, if/when you find some place to do this testing, could ya put the info up here? It’d be good to have piece of mind and a bargain aswell!
Mike Webb
Neil,
Yeah I forgot that on this site we are mostly talking about aluminium gear. MT just don’t do non-ferromagnetic materials.
I guess I have spent to long lately where everything is made out of heavyasfarkium.
Though I have to disagree about MT detects surface flaws just like DT, sure it will not go deep but it will show near surface flaws that have no surface indications.
Having no need to have to have done a DPI course I can’t really comment but realistically the issue is moot as the crab would have to be dimantled to test the pin and gate properly.
This was an interesting thread that really does show “if in doubt, chuck it out” and for ~$15 worth it (unless you have a $10 life)
Ash
Thanks for the advice everyone. It seems I’ll be doing the obvious thing and not buy any used gear.
Cheers
Chuk
I had a couple of forged jumars tested – x rayed- years ago, after they were THROWN off the top of cliff rather than lowered. They fell about 20m. Testing revealed NO damage but, according to the metallurgist,” some interesting flaws in manufacture.” I dont remember it being that expensive, but only worthwhile for the academic exercise. If you drop it, better just to chuck it out.
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