Earlier I posted that it was impossible to clean the pivot mechanism of the ESGE stand...

Well, today I tried to drill out the rivet to disassemble and clean it - and there is no way that's coming out without a grinder. The rivet is made of tool steel and drill bits don't do anything to it.

After the failed drilling attempt, I decided to try cleaning it out by flushing it with solvent. I used almost a whole can of generic WD-40 from Wal Mart to hose down the mechanism. It washed all the grit, sand, and powdered aluminum out, and now the stand works like new. Just thought I'd share...