auger blades iced up >.<

[matt12]

anyone have this problem? its been pretty cold here this year, and never really had this problem until now.

ill drill a few wholes and check with flasher, when i go to drill more, the blades are just full of frozen slushy/snow. after that it barely cuts.


anything i can do to prevent this? i do my best to put the cover on right away to protect the end and the blades.

[coboy]

If it is sunny out I'll lay the auger on the ice without the cover and point the blades in the direction of the sun. It tends to keep the ice off. Unless you wipe the blades after you are done
drilling it will build up. On the cold overcast days I'll chip the ice off the back side of the blade being careful not to hit the cutting edge. It's the buildup of ice on the back of the blade that
lifts it up enough that the cutting edge won't be low enough to cut. I don't get all the ice off, just enough that after a few spins of the auger the ice on the sharp end breaks off and it
will drill just fine.

[esox_magnum]

Spin the auger dry after drilling and avoid setting the blades in the snow/slush if possible....

[Rebelss]

Spin the auger dry after drilling and avoid setting the blades in the snow/slush if possible....

Exactly....and right before I drill, I give 'em a spray of PAM cooking oil. Won't hurt the environment or anything...

[gooner]

Exactly....and right before I drill, I give 'em a spray of PAM cooking oil. Won't hurt the environment or anything...

X2

[matt12]

thanks for the replies.

[Alex Delarge]

Do you have jiffy stealth blades? If you do it can be a PITA. Certain ice conditions will cause this no matter what you do. But other posters had good suggestions for you.

[Spider1]

I was watching video of an ice fishing tournament. It was cold as heck and the ice fishermen were worried about ice on their augers. Every one of them sprayed their blades down with wd-40 before hitting the ice.

[razvy]

I can imagine using wd-40 and seeing a oily film in my howle or  that rainbow oil leaves in the water, what I have done is using strait rubbing  alcohol in a small spray bottle works excelent as a deicer.

[Spider1]

I've used the wd-40 a few times. I sprayed it on at home before leaving and never noticed any oil in the water or hole. I like the alcohol trick though cuz the wd-40 wears off after a while. I'll have to pilfer one of the wife's spray bottles and give it a try. I'm sure it could come in handy for other icing problems as well. Thanks for the tip!

[dbike988]

Keep it out of the snow and start it turning before it hits the ice.  If it does ice up, just put it down an open hole and spin it for a few seconds.  Water is always above freezing...otherwise it's called ice 

[BUSCHLITE]

Do you have jiffy stealth blades? If you do it can be a PITA. Certain ice conditions will cause this no matter what you do. But other posters had good suggestions for you.

I do!!! And what a PITA it was the last 2 days! drilled the first hole no problem other 5 took over and hour!!! Drill 2 inches pull out chip ice off the center cutters repeat, repeat!

Never had this problem before, but it was -10 last two days.

[ckfish]

If you have a buddy heater for the shanty, it works great for melting the ice off the blades.

[tswoboda]

Spin the auger dry after drilling and avoid setting the blades in the snow/slush if possible....

This.  I hold the auger horizontal while doing it as well, even more effective then.

[BigDynamite]

Could you, or does anyone, put something like car wax or Armor All on the auger/blades to help prevent ice buildup.  I've had a heck of a time on the colder days this year.  Brand new blades on my Lazer 8" hand auger (Swedish blades) and 1st hole is fine, but after that it's like all I'm making is snow and then it sticks to the wet blade and I get nowhere.  Never had this problem before.

[lefty2053]

Some people say Spraying PAM on them helps. My Friend always puts some kind of oil on his.

[BigDynamite]

I had my wife pick up a can of PAM when she grocery shopped today, but I wondered if something like car wax or Armor All might provide a solution that wouldn't require as much reapplication.  I'm guessing the PAM doesn't last long on the auger.  Can anyone add to any of these ideas?

Tight Lines and Hard Water

[Alex Delarge]

I've recently been spraying mine with spray silicone. Either it is working or I haven't been cutting through ice/slush mixture. But I gotta say the silicone stays on and the blades stay slippery for several outings.

[Kevin in maine]

Keep it out of the snow and start it turning before it hits the ice.  If it does ice up, just put it down an open hole and spin it for a few seconds.  Water is always above freezing...otherwise it's called ice 

Make sure you are wearing rubber boots if you do this because you are gonna get covered in water.

[BaitBucket]

If your going to spray crap on your blades dont let a warden catch you doing it.

The second they go in the water it pollution, harmful or not..

[BigDynamite]

I would think they would have a very hard time saying the cooking spray (soybean oil) was pollution.  What if I go down to the lake and take a dip and decide to use some biodegradable camp soap to wash up - is that going to be called pollution?  I care a great deal about the outdoor environment since it is where I like to spend my time, but its getting to the point that we humans can't do a damn thing on this planet anymore.

[Kevin23]

Cooking oil contains no toxic additives or materials. It cannot be a pollutant. However, if you were to spray it in the water or dump a gallon of used cooking oil into the lake the DNR could cite you for littering in a public waterway.

[Kevin23]

Make sure you are wearing rubber boots if you do this because you are gonna get covered in water.

I would hope you are wearing waterproof clothing and boots while ice fishing 

[Kevin in maine]

Some of us can run an auger without taking a bath. I wear lace up boots and would like to be able to take them off at the end of the day. Most of the time I wear long johns and jeans on the ice. Must get much colder where you fish.

[Kevin23]

Probably, not.. we just fish different I guess. We are drilling holes and hopping around with flashers, kneeling on the ice as we go from hole to hole. I wouldn't last long in jeans doing that.

On bare ice my mako will toss shavings onto my shins, it just means I have sharp blades and plenty of power.

[Kevin23]

I think this guy has a problem with his whole auger, and himself, icing up! 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDu8J6A-BcQ

[kb]

Put a light coating of vasoline over it. It will repel the water and not come off in the water.