alex wrote: > Stainless screws and other stainless items apparently are not all > created equal. I've seen traces of rust around different stainless > fasteners in sea environment many times (not to mention my River Shorty > knife, - allegedly stainless too). Too true; Alex speaks from a wealth of experience. Wikipedia has a good summary / comparison of the myriad grades of "stainless" steel, right here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel#Types_of_stainless_steel An excerpt, denoting the two most common grades: 304 (not so good) and 316 (better; aka "marine grade stainless": > Type 304the most common grade; the classic 18/8 stainless steel. [snip] > Type 316the second most common grade (after 304); for food and > surgical stainless steel uses; [snip] It is also known as "marine > grade" stainless steel due to its increased resistance to chloride > corrosion compared to type 304 In my experience, 316 shows no rust even after long use on sea kayaks; 304 shows rust within weeks of regular exposure to salt water; neither is a real safety hazard in our use, most likely. Take a gander at the "crevice corrosion" section in the Wikipedia reference above to see what the real concern is for stainless in a marine environment. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Apr 09 2007 - 16:52:40 PDT
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