Harken block cleaning :: Catamaran Sailboats at TheBeachcats.com

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Harken block cleaning

yelkenli1

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Registered: May 31, 2011

Last visit: Dec 17, 2023

Posts: 126
Posted: Nov 10, 2012 - 07:14 AM

I got the following off of Harken's website. Any additions to this for cleaning blocks? I saw someone recommended a hot water soak. Also, Harken recommends no lubrication.

Clean: Keep your equipment clean and free-running by frequently flushing with fresh water. Periodically clean with mild detergent and water solution. Spin sheaves, rotate cams, and roll cars back and forth to distribute soap solution evenly.

--
Ted
Hobie 16
South Carolina Lake sailing
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erice

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Registered: Feb 19, 2008

Last visit: Aug 26, 2023

Posts: 671
Posted: Nov 10, 2012 - 07:30 AM

hot water clean sounds good

spraying in silicon lube once a year seems like a good idea to me

i use waterever i find but ronstan makes something that specifically mentions blocks

https://www.whitworths.co…=50120&intAbsolutePage=5
klozhald

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Registered: Apr 19, 2011

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Posted: Nov 13, 2012 - 02:01 PM

Use a Scotch Brite pad on the stainless side plates.
Harken does recommend this lubrication on their site:

http://www.harken.com/McLube/McLube.php

I use the One Drop McLube.
If you sail in salt water you should apply it each sailing day.

If the blocks have visible interior organic sludge/mold/stain, you can soak them overnight in this fountain cleaner:

http://www.hayneedle.com/…q10IjmzLMCFUdxQgodgnUAeA

It won't hurt the steel or plastic, but does a good job of dissolving organic residue.
It is a concentrate, so be sure to dilute according to instructions.

--
Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
--
MN3

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Posted: Nov 13, 2012 - 03:03 PM

when my blocks weren't working correctly Harken told me to soak in 200* water (scolding, not boiling) to loosen up any salt crystals

silicon spary is not recommended as it attracts dirt and sand
erice

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Posted: Nov 13, 2012 - 08:17 PM

MN3
silicon spary is not recommended as it attracts dirt and sand

i thought the whole point of silicon dry lube sprays was that they didn't hold dirt and sand...

unlike dry lube sticks which form a wax that does

from the care instructions of my weta's ronstan blocks

• Dry lubricants such as Ronstan Sailfast silicon spray may be used to lubricate the bearing system and ratchet controls. Oil/petrochemical based lubricants must not be used.

http://www.ronstan.com/info/orbitblockinstructions_e.asp#care8

https://www.google.com/se…_AUoAA&biw=1280&bih=939

Edited by erice on Nov 13, 2012 - 08:33 PM.
MN3

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Posted: Nov 14, 2012 - 07:29 AM

i am not sure about all dry lubes, as i know there are different types. I am basing my posts on my experience talking with Harken repair department and what i have read.

i.e. McLube sailcoat is a dry lube (it is my understanding that it is powder graphite) but is not recommended for bearings. (even by mclube itself)

OneDrop Ball Bearing Conditioner is designed to be used on traveler cars and other ball bearing applications to improve performance by reducing rolling friction.

OneDrop Ball Bearing Conditioner is the only product that Harken recommends for use on all ball bearing products.

http://www.apsltd.com/c-4477-onedrop-ball-bearing-conditioner-by-mclube.aspx

Edited by MN3 on Nov 14, 2012 - 08:43 AM.
Edchris177

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Posted: Nov 14, 2012 - 11:24 AM

You have to peruse the Harken site fairly closely to mine the details of what they say about maintenance. There are recommendations on some traveler pages regarding bearings that are not on other pages.
It is very easy to come away with the impression that 1 or 2 drops of Mclube is all you need. I have noticed that over the last 5 years they have made the site better, & standardized many of the the maintenance forms. It is also interesting to note that slicker isn't always better. Scroll to the bottom of this page;
http://www.harken.com/tra…Traveler_Systems_Q-A.php

What most of us are probably concerned with is the small boat traveler/car.
Here is Harkens word on cleaning/maintenance. (Near the bottom of page)
Note that most people probably have a lifetime supply of bearing lube, either in the workshop or your wife/girlfriends sewing box, ie 3in1 oil.
http://www.harken.com/pdf/4970.pdf

QuoteMcLube sailcoat is a dry lube (it is my understanding that it is powder graphite)

That is an interesting concept. Powdered graphite is certainly "dry", & works from a zillion below to almost its melting point. I use it on the trigger assemblies of Olympic Match rifles. Its biggest drawback is that it is dirty, extremely dirty. Go ahead & use Sailcoat, but PLEASE, PLEASE, DO NOT purchase powdered graphite, even extremely fine powdered graphite, & apply them to your sails or tracks. If you do, you will learn to form complete sentences consisting only of profanities. You will also spend the rest of your life getting it off your hands, boat & sails.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--
samc99us

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Posted: Nov 14, 2012 - 01:24 PM

Soak overnight with 2-3 drops of dish detergent. Then use McLube OneDrop. A tube has lasted me several years and I've used it on the fleets boats (I know, sharing lube is not safe). I do this about once every 3 months if racing in saltwater, recreational you can get by with longer intervals (6 months-1 year). Really the key is letting the ratchets operate properly.

Adding McLube Sailcoat to bearings is a bad idea. The lubricant will interact with the harken bearing grease and cause the bearings to seize in one spot. That is bad as it creates a wear point in your bearings.
optikid

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Posted: Nov 14, 2012 - 02:02 PM

samc99us

Adding McLube Sailcoat to bearings is a bad idea. The lubricant will interact with the harken bearing grease and cause the bearings to seize in one spot. That is bad as it creates a wear point in your bearings.

i can agree with that from experience. it shut down the ratchet on my optis harken auto ratchet
erice

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Posted: Nov 14, 2012 - 10:12 PM

the way i look at it is

my harken blocks are 30 years old...

while harken say to not lube them, whatever lube was there from the factory is long gone

or, the balls are designed to slowly wear smaller and then get replaced by new balls

either way

i figure every spring, putting in a tiny bit of silicon spray ,from the stuff i already have on the shelf

is going to do more good than bad

and of course i keep my blocks and sheets out of the sand, pretty easy on a lake

but whatever works for you

Edited by erice on Nov 14, 2012 - 10:29 PM.
MN3

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Posted: Nov 15, 2012 - 06:51 AM

there is no lube (at least none that is noticeable) on the bearings (at least when you purchase replacement ones)

i have upgraded the bearings in a few furlers (new and old) and none of the bearings ever had any lubricant (or anything that left residue on my hands)
klozhald

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Posted: Nov 16, 2012 - 02:24 PM

From the McLube site:

OneDrop™ Ball Bearing Conditioner & Lubricant: Application Guide
•Squirt water and dish soap into shackle openings. Roll car back and forth on track several times to clean ball races. Flush well with fresh water while rolling car back and forth. Allow time to dry
•Remove cap and cut off tip of sealed pinpoint dispenser
•Apply 1-2 drops of OneDrop™ to ball contact surfaces of track
•Roll car back and forth through the OneDrop™ several times to distribute onto bearings.
•Wipe any remaining OneDrop™ off track

And yes, according to the MSDS release One Drop is 97% mineral oil, which makes it nearly identical to 3 in 1 oil (which also contains 2% naptha and parafin), Singer Sewing Machine Oil and Marvel Mystery oil- excepting that MMO has a red stain which I do not want on my catamaran.

So in the end it's clean it with soap and water and then put in a drop of your favorite mineral oil after it dries.

Whew.

--
Sheet In!
Bob
_/)_____/)_/)____/)____/)_____/)/)__________/)__
Prindle 18-2 #244 "Wakizashi"
Prindle 16 #3690 "Pegasus" Sold (sigh)
AZ Multihull Fleet 42 member
(Way) Past Commodore of Prindle Fleet 14
Arizona, USA
--
erice

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Last visit: Aug 26, 2023

Posts: 671
Posted: Nov 16, 2012 - 05:53 PM

^
think that's for the traveller car

harken are strangely silent on the blocks

i think they figure that the average block will run 30 years with no attention

and then when the balls are so worn they fall out, you buy a new block...

but whatever, a tiny bit of any lube would appear to be better than none

in an old harken block that you are trying to get every bit of life out of
Edchris177

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Registered: Nov 26, 2009

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Posted: Nov 17, 2012 - 07:35 AM

Quotethink that's for the traveller car
harken are strangely silent on the blocks

That pretty much sums it up Eric. On Harkens site, you can open the pages for any particular product, then scroll to the bottom for "maintenance". Most items also have another PDF file, about 1/2 way down, just by the "Installation Guide", usually labelled "Quick Service Guide".
Here are the ones for blocks. Notice that the "lubrication" box is blank.
http://www.harken.com/pdf/maintenance-lr.pdf
The service guide says only to flush with water & soap, & to do it more often on the Ratchets & Ratchematics.
http://www.harken.com/pdf…_QuickService_online.pdf

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--
Edchris177

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Posts: 2531
Posted: Apr 22, 2014 - 08:53 PM

I'll have to go back to Harken's site & find the new links, the ones I've posted are no longer valid.

I purchased a set of Harken ratcheting jib blocks from a member here via classifieds (Thanks Cezo) a few months ago, for a very reasonable price.
I intend to use them, in conjunction with the original ratchet blocks that were mounted on the rear beam, on the spin setup of the Mystere 6.0XL
He was very honest, & offered to take them back if I encountered any problem.
The little knob that turns the ratchet on/off was very stiff, almost to stiff to work with fingers, but I need them, & so gave cleaning them a shot.
I put them in a bucket of softened water,(it dissolves calcium etc quite well) with a cap of laundry detergent, & then sort of forgot about them. Today,(over a month later) I fished them out & spun the sheaves. Everything worked fine, but the on/off knob was still a bit stiff.
I drilled a hole in a paint stir stik the same diameter as the knob, then filed the hole to accept the "point" of the on/off knob.
I next removed the bolt that acts as the axle for the adjustable cleat.
That allowed me to slide the cutout on the paint stick onto the knob & gave some leverage to twist it on/off a few hundred times. I put 2 drops of 3 in 1 oil under the knob before working it.
That loosened whatever was sticking, & got rid of the squeaking.
They are now easily operable with fingers. I don't know if they came from a salt environment, but whatever was gumming up the innards was removed by soaking in soft water, & a drop of very light oil.

--
Hobie 18 Magnum
Dart 15
Mystere 6.0XL Sold Was a handful solo
Nacra 5.7
Nacra 5.0
Bombardier Invitation (Now officially DEAD)
Various other Dock cluttering WaterCrap
--