It may happen that you contaminate your disc or pads inadvertently: either due to a leak or because our chain oil has gotten onto the caliper. If for the disk the solution is easy (see the article), being a metallic material that does not "absorb", the pads almost always require replacement. But what if we wanted to try to recover them? Here are some desperate attempts to get out of this thorny situation.
HOW TO RECOVER CONTAMINATED TABLETS
Imagine a sponge soaked in a harmful substance and you want to expel it: what should you do? If it has soaked too much, the damage is done. Harsh but sincere. If, however, it has soaked in superficially, we could try to recover everything by "forcibly" removing the surface layer in order to eliminate the portion soaked in the substance.
First things first, is it worth it? If the pad is already worn out and about to be replaced, it is not worth trying to recover it, also because there is a possibility of not being able to clean it.
CLEAN DISC AND CALIPER
Clean everything well! If contamination is to blame, we try to remove any residual contamination from the caliper, disc and pad. This is done by removing the wheel and related pads from the brake caliper.
Let's take care of it clean the disk using specific products and a clean cloth. Cleaning the disc is essential to avoid finding dirt that can recontaminate the pads once we have cleaned them. Ditto for the pliers.
HOW TO CLEAN THE DISC OF YOUR MTB
CLEAN THE PADS
Here's the tricky part: try to get the contamination off the pad. As mentioned previously, we must try to remove (forcibly) the contaminated surface layer, in order to find the "healthy" pad area. We can do this in 2 ways: through friction (sandpaper) or with heat (setting it on fire). Or both.
It's not April XNUMXst: setting the tablet on fire may be a way to try to clean it. Combustion can remove the oils present but care must be taken not to consume/burn too many tablets, especially in organic models, which also tend to vitrify more easily due to too much heat.
The second step (or first if you have not tried to set the tablet on fire) is to act by friction with sandpaper. The objective is to remove the slight state of vitrification that has been created (if we used a flame) or to remove the contaminated layer. In the first case, a few steps are sufficient while in the second you need to insist more. I recommend: don't use too coarse sandpaper, you would remove too much material, but use fine grit sandpaper (120).
Well, now try to reinsert the pads, mount the wheel and do some braking tests: from your smile you will be able to understand whether everything worked or not. Advice: always use drip oils and not sprays, in order to avoid any possible contamination.
FURTHER LINKS
Here you can find other articles dedicated to maintenance -> Heading 365myarrangement
