Winter storage of your flex shaft

[douglong]

How does everyone store their flex shafts over the winter?
Thanks
Doug

 

[Jeff Barnes]

I wrap mine up in a blanket and pillows and set a cup of hot chocolate next to them no I just take them out and wipe them down like I do every time after a run

 

[Mike Hughes]

same

 

[Tom Foley]

I wrap mine up in a blanket and pillows and set a cup of hot chocolate next to them no I just take them out and wipe them down like I do every time after a run

This

 

[Rich Valentage]

Soak them in Marvels Mystery Oil for a nice winters hibernation then I make myself some hot shawk-a-lot.
Getting over 10 years on some of them.

 

[Terry Keeley]

I store them like I do after every outing.

I pull 'em out, push a rolled up piece of paper towel up the stuffing tube a couple times to get out all the old grease and water, then wipe them down with Rislone (Brian Spitzer put me on to that, it's an awsome after run oil too) then put them back in the boat.

 

[Timbo Whalen]

How does everyone store their flex shafts over the winter?
Thanks
Doug

Yeah, Jeff's method is the gold standard. Personally, I go the extra mile and coat them with Vick's NyQuil, so they don't catch a winter cold, and check on them every 8 hours.

Seriously, you dude's are way overthinking this flex shaft deal.
Good lord, go take a course in tribology, metallurgy, or just enroll in a BS in Mechanical Engineering. SMH!

Merry Christmas, to all, and your flex shafts!

 

[Jeff Barnes]

Tim Just having some fun trying to lighten the mood thing can get a little tense on this site merry Xmas Tim glad you moved closer to club pond excited to test with you

 

[Timbo Whalen]

Tim Just having some fun trying to lighten the mood thing can get a little tense on this site merry Xmas Tim glad you moved closer to club pond excited to test with you

Yeah, I get it....tired of the idiocy.

Merry Christmas to you and your family.

 

[Rich Valentage]

Hey............who doesn't want to be the funny guy in the room?.........Keeping things lite is good............WISE MAN ONCE SAID "Less tension will make you live longer".........So they say. ........... Everyone practice laughing once a day. Thats an order!!!!!

Merry Christmas to Everyone!!!
New Boats under the Tree for All!!!!!

 

[john v]

Wipe off the old grease and spray with wd40

 

[Ray Sametz]

Not sure, think it was Jim Wilson at Hobert suggested this set up. 2 inch PVC with removable cap filled with solvent of your choice.

 

[John Seybold]

Best to keep your shaft greased/oiled and ready to go

 

[Rich Valentage]

Not sure, think it was Jim Wilson at Hobert suggested this set up. 2 inch PVC with removable cap filled with solvent of your choice.View attachment 322530

Like it better than my soak tub.

 

[Jeff Barnes]

Just wondering if you wipe them dry just like they are when you buy them what does the oil soak do Jeff Barnes

 

[Daniel's Racing]

Just wondering if you wipe them dry just like they are when you buy them what does the oil soak do Jeff Barnes

Kinda hard to wipe inside the windings of a spiral wrapped layered flexible cable dry like it was when you bought it.

Blowing them out with compressed air and flooding it with rust preventative penetrant your pretty safe but the oil bath is just a easy way to absolutely guarantee the shafts don't get even an iota of surface rust.
I have seen that milky white water infused grease rust cables a few times that were pulled wrapped in paper towel and placed on the bench for a week or so.

If it has been silver soldered in any way and not even used yet you can flush it all you want and it is still likely going to rust. It almost has to be pickled to ensure cable doesn't rust. You can not get that flux out of the windings and I have soaked them in lacquer thinner and sprayed with brake cleaner over and over then oil the crap out of them, Guess what ? Leave them like that for a month and tell me what happens. RUST again still, oh hell no. Been there more than once. I build a lot of 5/16" gas cables and I have learned to keep an eye on them almost daily to be sure they aren't getting any rust on them. I can't really submerge them and be able to ship them to customers.

 

[Bill Gibson]

All ive ever done for years is wipe the old grease off, re grease the flex cable shaft and put it back in the boat so its ready to go!

 

[Norm Doerr]

All ive ever done for years is wipe the old grease off, re grease the flex cable shaft and put it back in the boat so its ready to go!

Makes too much sense for keyboard racing.

 

[Tom Foley]

All ive ever done for years is wipe the old grease off, re grease the flex cable shaft and put it back in the boat so its ready to go!

Have you shortened the 21 Mono pipe yet ? Oil the needle ? Check head clearance ? Sharpen the rudder ? Come on man !!!!

 

[Kent Fowler]

Okay,
First, I pull it out,
then I rub it, then I pet it and talk about all the good times we had ...then I lube it up and put it back in the hole.

Done