Boom poles maintenance and cleaning?

[softstar86]

Some people can share, boom poles maintenance and cleaning, thank you!

[soundtrane]

1. take apart and use mild soap in sponge

2. rinse and dry well

3. use lithium grease sparingly on the lock threads

4. possible use of silicone oil in minute quantities on the tubes for lubrication (not a necessary step)

[Boomboom]

... And a cure for a VdB that doesn't lock anymore?

[dfisk]

If one of the collars on your pole isn't locking down, it's possible the colette on the inside of the collar (a plastic ring) may not be seated correctly. I don't service VDB poles, but the idea is the same.

In terms of basic maintenance, what we do is take a pole all the way apart so we have each section by itself. Then, we'll usually use windex with a microfiber cloth to clean each section. I'll look at all the threads and make sure those are clean. If I have to I'll use an old tooth brush to remove dirt and grit. We then use a liquid boat polish that has carnuba wax in it to polish each pole (this happens with every new pole).

If your boom pole is really dirty, or took a bath in the ocean, it is a good idea to remove the cable, and then take the whole thing apart, and either put it in the shower and let the water run on it, or spray each section really well with a hose. I do this all the time with pole I use with my GoPro at the beach that inevitably gets fully submerged in the ocean and gets sand all inside of it. I have a second story balcony that gets pretty good direct sunlight, so I'll let the sections sit out there for a day or two to air dry, but I also usually use a terry cloth towel to make sure it's completely dry before I put it back together. This is why I use a Stage Pole, because the top is removable and it is easy to get the cable in and out.

Some basic tips:

If you have an internally coiled cabled boom pole, don't turn the sections. If you do that, you will put a kink in the internal cable and you won't be able to collapse it all the way.

If you get salt water on your pole, rinse it as soon as you can. It probably won't eat through the graphite, but it will leave a residue, and that can lead to the sections sticking when you try to extend or collapse them.

Most boom poles only require a quarter to half turn on the collars to tighten or loosen them. If you have to turn a collar several times to get it to loosen or tighten, there could be something wrong.

If you have a graphite pole, and the worst happens, and transpo runs over it, and it breaks and splinters, DO NOT grab it with your bare hands. Graphite splinters are the worst, and are a pain (both figuratively and literally) to remove. Put on some leather gloves to deal with it. If you send a pole that's been broken in this way for service, make sure to wrap it with something and make sure the manufacturer knows it is broken. I've been surprised once or twice by shredded poles, which is how I got the splinters.

[Ray Collins]

On some Panamic poles, there's a set screw that sets the tension inside, on each shaft. Some were mild steel and they rust, (makes for great sandpaper against carbon fibre) find a stainless steel set screw that is the same size and same threads.

[Bill Kole]

For Ambient poles (though some of the information contained applies to other poles as well):

http://www.ambient.de/fileadmin/user_upload/produkthandbuecher/Ambient/Tonangeln/BoomMaintenance_Repair_lo.pdf

[ChrisH]

I always clean the outside with pledge wipes after a show it protects and smooths the outside.