Salt calcification

Just wondering if anyone has any helpful tips on how to remove salt calcification build up on ski components, pedals, etc.

I have used WD-40 Specialist Water Resistant Silicone Lubricant Spray for a while now. It seems to remove the crud pretty well and lubricate at the same time.

I put a large rag under where I want to spray and saturate the area.

I would recommend CLR (mild acid solution) and fresh water.
Lubricants won't dissolve salt or mineral deposits. Have had a lot of luck loosening seized bolts due to salt water corrosion and electrolysis with acid that days and weeks of applied penetrating lubricants, impacts and heat wouldn't touch.

and the obvious "ounce of prevention"....freshwater rinse

PaddleFaster wrote: I have used WD-40 Specialist Water Resistant Silicone Lubricant Spray for a while now. It seems to remove the crud pretty well and lubricate at the same time.

I put a large rag under where I want to spray and saturate the area.

Note to self: Dear self... Don't do this anymore!!!

(taking deep breathe before typing an incredibly long, run on sentence)

Because despite it working by not only lubricating and protecting things, but also by helping remove salt deposits for the past three years from the hardware of your boats, which have been paddled solely on saltwater for an average of about 750 miles a season... It obviously hasn't REALLY worked at all and is in fact, just you and your crazy imagination acting up again...

Those two pegs on both of your skis that lock in your Epic footplates that were completely frozen due to salt deposits... You know, the ones that you got to free up by using the product above?

That never really happened!

(snickering)

WD40 works for me to loosen up the pins. They are not frozen due to electrolysis (salt calcification) but due to the inner spring rusting to the pin (technically the same thing but not whats in question here) , most of the time it loosens up but on the odd occasion the spring just disintegrates and has to be replaced. Very difficult to rinse this component especially when it rarely gets used to adjust the footplate. To get a spring that is 100% S/S is almost impossible as S/S work hardens, not a good feature for a spring!

Agree that the use of springs, especially small ones, should be avoided in marine components. That's one of the reasons the Stellar footplate design is the best around in terms of both performance and durability.

Paddlefaster thanks for clearing that up. It is obvious that I am the idiot here. What a fool I have been using a fresh water hose all these years to clean salt water sand and seaweed off my surf skis. From now on I will fill a hudson sprayer with WD40 to rinse off my surfskis, ought to improve my hip rotation also. Thank you!

I recently bought a second hand ski:

How's the sales pitch go? - 'Always washed down with fresh water' I can still hear it ringing in my ears...Well in this case - I guess not.

You might have a look at your sliders...funny thing is the springs still work!

In my original post here I erroneously used the term "electroylysis" to describe "galvanic corrosion".
My apologies.

As I am rebuilding this ski and don't want to incur the same fate...I used this product in my sailing days back in 70-80-90's It worked well then - Duralac (Barium Chromate) Anti Corrosive Jointing Compound - Inhibits electrolytic corrosion between dissimilar metals.

Will that work on stainless fasteners (threads) into aluminum?
And if so, I wonder how long?