Bruce in Bangkok wrote:
On Mon, 24 Dec 2007 21:57:47 -0500, "Ernest Scribbler"
wrote:

"Don White" wrote
Aluminum ivets shouldn't be hard to find...
They're readily available, (and less costly) but stainless rivets are more
commonly used by manufacturers, from what I've seen. My guess is that their
greater strength outweighs the other considerations.


Since the corrosion takes place primarily the aluminum side of the
joint using aluminum rivets will result in rapid loss of the rivets.


Bruce-in-Bangkok
(Note:remove underscores
from address for reply)

I recently removed the upper shroud attachment SS plates from a 30 yr
old aluminum mast. The rivets were aluminum. The aluminum mast portion
under the SS plates was badly corroded away but the rivet heads were
still in good shape! There was a large stainless bolt going all the way
through both attachments and the mast and this is what was holding
everything together.
Gordon