OK time to get serious about this stuck mast of mine...
The Mast is at the ZU in Melbourne and there is a Slab in it for anyone that can get it apart (without breaking it).
This is the "King Arthur's sword" of stuck masts, so you get it apart and you will get a slab, and become the unofficial king of mast separation.
Rock up at the Zu and tell them you want to have a go at separating Jez's mast.
Good Luck, might be an easy slab for some one.
Anyone mentioned the penny method yet?
OK, you guys don't have pennies, but you'll get the idea.
Lay mast across two points protected with beach towels or something so as not to damage it.
Insert coin(s) or feeler guage in the gap between top and bottom.
Sit on mast to bend it.
Turn mast over and repeat on other side.
Use thicker coins/guages as the mast becomes unstuck.
last time half of you wise arses tried to help someone Duncan blew his brand new board up, interesting to see the end result here!
I might have missed this in the thread, but now it's apart an inch have you tried pushing it back together?
If its sand this would help break up the grains.
I.e push it together then pull it apart,hopefully gaining some ground each time.
Rolling on supported ends (as has been suggested many times) but with a pressure (water) or air compressor in the crack (underneath) maybe? Even better if another body or 2 were there pulling the mast apart gently whilst rotating)...might just free the grit...
And if it works, you can mail the slab to my address.
hey Jez... my engineer friend suggests...
"I think the problem might be that the poles have either expanded or contracted depending on the temperature. Resin has a habit of doing this. I suggest he heats up the male pole- this should shrink it a little. And cool down the female pole- this should open it up. I don't know how you do this alternate temperatures while the poles are joined??? "
I think a constant source of heat for a period of time and same with the cold.
Then I would try all those other methods again while the top is warmer and the bottom is cooler...maybe there could be a massive tug-o-war!!
I am crossing my fingers for you!
I saw somewhere once that someone (how vague am I?) made a fitting that connected a garden hose to the mast tip. The other end he sealed (after filling with water).
He drove is car over the hose and the water pressure pushed the mast pieces apart.
The mast/hose attachment might be hard to engineer I suppose unless you are good at that kind of thing.
JB
Before your last post, I told my engineer friend you had tried boiling water...didn't tell him which end you boiled however....keep in mind he probably has little to no understanding of windsurfing and its accessories, His comments:
"Boiling water should do it if anything's going to happen. Sounds like it's pretty stuck. He might have to cut it off and figure out a way of joining them together. I would get a male and female aluminum piece made that screws together or something. Use vasoline on the threads and bond them into the carbon fibre using Redux glue (aircraft grade glue). Or if he searches the Internet he might find some carbon fibre braided tube that he can glue in on one side- but he might have the same complications as currently experienced. It's a bit hard without seeing it."
Surely that ^ would be the last resort. 12 years ago the only mast I ever had was a one piece. If you absoulutely couldn't get it apart, I would tie a red flag to either end and stick it on the roof racks...a nuisance yes, but it still does the job. think positive jez, it will work out.
Yes, he has no idea about windsurfing masts then! There is no way you'd consider cutting it apart and making your own alloy ferrule!
I still cant believe that three booms per side (ie 6 people), with something to stop slipping between boom and mast like rubber sheet, plus heating the female half a bit, has not done it. Thus I am insanely curious 
well you haven't really tried ?
When you said 3 booms I thought you meant per side, with 7 blokes but it appears the 7 blokes was only oing it by hand?
One that hasn't been mentioned yet. Get about 2-3m of rope, preferrably a nice soft rope about 10mm in diameter. Find a nice large diameter pole (I use the coppers logs at the beach carpark about 200mm diameter). Tie off one end to the pole and on the other end tie a clove hitch above the ferrule. Rotate mast so that remaining bight of rope wraps around mast like a winch until the mast is firm up to the post and the contact point between the mast and post is on the wraps of rope to prevent compression. Keep twisting. Rope winch will lock mast into place and allow you to apply force properly. Have never needed the boom for leverage but I am 6'4 and have big hands. Hope this solves your dilemma.
Coal Point last week..
No it didn't work..but it was hilarious to watch! It looked like they were having a tug of war with a solid rope..
The Zu just called me and said that they would replace the mast FOC. They said that its well and truely stuck forever. They will use mine as a demo mast.
I guess the slab goes to them, if not for separating the mast, then for customer service!!! Cheers
BTW appreciate all the input - Its incredible great a body of knowledge this place is.
It should be used as a travelling sideshow for national events.
I know there would be alot of people willing to try the own unique ways to separate it for a prize.
Glad its sorted for you.
The hot and cold trick will not work! Heat will just conduct from the female to the male, especially as it is such a tight fit. The consequence then of pouring ice water into the ferrule could mean a deterioration of the fibres as some will be conducting heat - same reason you dont put cold water in a hot glass or vice versa. As parts contract or expand quickly (what is needed) it will cause damage.
I really like the penny idea and will try that myself!
get hold of a porno movie and sit the mast in front of the telly, with a bit of luck the female end might start getting juicy and it should slip right off only problem is the male part may harden right up before this happens
It looked like they were having a tug of war with a solid rope..
Try using the above methods with multiple booms etc with "real" penetrating oil as used in engineering not wd40 etc these formulas these are poor at loosening joints they are mixture of kerosene any other products and are basically a water displacement product, real penetrating oil has a much lower viscosity and has a much better chance of lubricating between the joint.
