Winterisation

[Oddfellow]

How could you possibly know, Ian?

[Guest]

........ A traditional way to identify 304 or 316 is to use a magnet on the material as they are both non magnetic. Cheaper stainless grades are magnetic and need to be avoided in marine applications.........

 

.......Now here comes the problem 200 series stainless steels are being used as they have low Nickel content and are therefore cheap to make and popular in India and the far east. The other factor is 200 series are non magnetic and are being passed off as 304 or 316 stainless grades......

 

So beware of cheap deals on stainless parts.

 

 

As everyone probably knows by now, I'm a real cheapskate, so I'm always looking for the cheapest practical deal on anything,as long as it does the job effectively.  

 

For many years now, I've bought stainless steel bolts and nuts from a number of very cheap sources (compared to say, Norfolk Marine).

 

I use a lot of them, because as well as tinkering with boats, I've rebuilt and restored a lot of old mopeds and cycles.

 

I've bought them in packs from Screwfix, Seascrew, and Ebay. The cost difference is amazing.

 

I always test them with a magnet, and have never found any to be magnetic, though I do get mostly the higher quality A4, as it's more affordable, being so much cheaper than elsewhere. 

 

Even after several years in the open on many different boats and bikes, none have showed any signs of rust.

[Palmtree]

Freedom, you have hit the nail on the head it is very difficult to identify 200 series and 300 series stainless. The scrap industry has this problem and have to use element analysis to identify it and a number have been caught out in the past.

I also use cheap sources of nuts and bolts like Strowager. 200 series are fine for non marine use and where the parts are exposed to rain water to renew the passivate layer on the surface. The problem is when the parts are enclosed in damp locations or stagnent water as this is where corrosion tends to occur.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk

[Oddfellow]

NYA has posted an image of their marina frozen for the first time this winter.

 

If you've not yet taken steps to winterise, delay no longer....

 

As ever, we'll be happy to help with this task as well as winter storage of outboards if necessary (thefts are being reported again, so re really would not recommend leaving these on you boat if you can avoid it).

 

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