Some stainless is magnetic, and some isn't. All stainless will rust
or corrode in stagnant salt water. So the trick is to keep the hose
clamp away from salt water. Or use bronze or monel wire hose clamps.

Brian W

On Sat, 16 Aug 2003 16:10:36 -0700, "Steve" wrote:

I was removing some hose clamps from the hoses to my head. (minor leak).

The hose clamps were bleeding rust where the seeping sea water was running
over the them. These clamps had only been exposed to the marine enviorment
(in the head) for one year..

I checked the markings on the screw housing and it said IDEAL All
Stainless.. I grabbed a magnet and sure enough, the screw is magnetic. Looks
like stainless, not zinc or cad. plated, but it is some grade of stainless
that is not only magnetic, but rusts.

Since I purchase such hardware by the box, I was able to locate the
remainder of these clamps in my spares and traced the purchase back to a
reputable (not WM) marine supplier.

I just found one IDEAL "All Stainless" hose clamp in my shop that claims to
be 'Made in USA' (not that that means to much) but it also has Mil Spec
number on it. (MS 35842-11)

Guess what, the screw is also magnetic.

If I find this problem with all the rest of my hose clamps, I think I should
complain and find replacements.

I wonder just how a fellow is suppose to find and trust in the marine
hardware he purchases. Maybe sampling and lab test... Oh wait! the military
dose that and assigns a Mil Spec. number.. Hmm! did Uncle Sam get screwed
also??

Frustrated With rusting hose clamps.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

"Steve" wrote in message ...
: I was removing some hose clamps from the hoses to my head. (minor leak).
:
: The hose clamps were bleeding rust where the seeping sea water was running
: over the them. These clamps had only been exposed to the marine enviorment
: (in the head) for one year..
:
: I checked the markings on the screw housing and it said IDEAL All
: Stainless.. I grabbed a magnet and sure enough, the screw is magnetic. Looks
: like stainless, not zinc or cad. plated, but it is some grade of stainless
: that is not only magnetic, but rusts.
:
I've heard that there's no such thing as truly 'stainless' stainless
steel - it a treatment of the metal that'll retard corrosion for a good long time.
They tell me that as far as magnetic testing goes - grab your all-stainless kitchen
knives and note that they'll all stick to the magnetic knife holder, and left to
they're own devices will rust, too.

I can't for the life of me remember how to make steel stainless, or the
difference between stainless that'll stick to a magnet and stainless that
won't (believe it or not, I did know once...).

I'm kinda looking forward to someone playing metallurgist on this thread
and filling in the blanks.

Dave

"Steve" wrote in message
...
I was removing some hose clamps from the hoses to my head. (minor leak).

The hose clamps were bleeding rust where the seeping sea water was running
over the them. These clamps had only been exposed to the marine enviorment
(in the head) for one year..

I checked the markings on the screw housing and it said IDEAL All
Stainless.. I grabbed a magnet and sure enough, the screw is magnetic.
Looks
like stainless, not zinc or cad. plated, but it is some grade of stainless
that is not only magnetic, but rusts.

Since I purchase such hardware by the box, I was able to locate the
remainder of these clamps in my spares and traced the purchase back to a
reputable (not WM) marine supplier.

I just found one IDEAL "All Stainless" hose clamp in my shop that claims
to
be 'Made in USA' (not that that means to much) but it also has Mil Spec
number on it. (MS 35842-11)

Guess what, the screw is also magnetic.

If I find this problem with all the rest of my hose clamps, I think I
should
complain and find replacements.

I wonder just how a fellow is suppose to find and trust in the marine
hardware he purchases. Maybe sampling and lab test... Oh wait! the
military
dose that and assigns a Mil Spec. number.. Hmm! did Uncle Sam get screwed
also??

Frustrated With rusting hose clamps.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions


By far the biggest customers for such things is the boat builders..
They need as cheap as possable.. and last long enough for the warrenty to
expirire on the boat.
The customer wants the boat as cheap as possable with all the latest
gizzmo's and "standard"
Hardly surprising that the "minor" stuff is cheap and nasty... (by minor i
mean stuff you dont look at too hard when you place your order for a new
boat)
there is insufficient demand for good quality "minor" stuff to make
manufactuing em economicly viable.
Humanity is becoming obsessed with cheap... worldwide

Interesting...
Is stainless okay below the water line in fresh water?

Bronze is an alloy; does it act like millions of batteries in salt water
also?

I inherited a huge bag of "SS" hose clamps with the boat I purchased. Some
were obviously zinc screws, so I brought out a big magnet and separated all
of them. They fell into three categories:
1. Strong attraction to the magnet
2. Weak but noticeable attraction.
3. No attraction.

Categories 1 & 3 were about 1/4 each of the total bag, category 2 was about
half of them. I gave away all the 1s and 2s.

--


Keith
__
Practice safe eating - always use condiments.
"James" wrote in message
...

"Steve" wrote in message
...
I was removing some hose clamps from the hoses to my head. (minor leak).

. Hmm! did Uncle Sam get screwed
also??

Frustrated With rusting hose clamps.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions


Uncle Sam was most likly who demanded the manufacturers saved an extra
5cents on each clamp.. and as his order was for VAST quantity.. his spec
became the norm

"Steve Lusardi" wrote in message ...
: Dave,
: Not to get too technical, stainless is
snip
Thanks! A little refresher was all I needed to get my tired old brain
cells back on line.

Dave

From the Stainless Steel Information Center's website (and they oughta
know, right?) at
http://www.ssina.com/SSINA2002/SSINAsite/faq.html

"5. Is stainless steel magnetic?

Answer:

There are several “types” of stainless steel. The 300 series (which
contains nickel) is NOT magnetic. The 400 series (which just contain
chromium and no nickel) ARE magnetic." (Emphasis in original document.)

I've never heard of hose clamps made from 440 or any 400-series steel.
Bring a magnet when you go shopping. The growth of global free trade
has, I believe, led to the deterioration in the uniformity and adherence
to specifications for steel.

For more, see
http://www.ssina.com/SSINA2002/SSINA...ions/learn.htm
from the Specialty Steel Industry of North America's website.

Rich Mechaber

Steve wrote:

I was removing some hose clamps from the hoses to my head. (minor leak).

The hose clamps were bleeding rust where the seeping sea water was running
over the them. These clamps had only been exposed to the marine enviorment
(in the head) for one year..

I checked the markings on the screw housing and it said IDEAL All
Stainless.. I grabbed a magnet and sure enough, the screw is magnetic. Looks
like stainless, not zinc or cad. plated, but it is some grade of stainless
that is not only magnetic, but rusts.

Since I purchase such hardware by the box, I was able to locate the
remainder of these clamps in my spares and traced the purchase back to a
reputable (not WM) marine supplier.

I just found one IDEAL "All Stainless" hose clamp in my shop that claims to
be 'Made in USA' (not that that means to much) but it also has Mil Spec
number on it. (MS 35842-11)

Guess what, the screw is also magnetic.

If I find this problem with all the rest of my hose clamps, I think I should
complain and find replacements.

I wonder just how a fellow is suppose to find and trust in the marine
hardware he purchases. Maybe sampling and lab test... Oh wait! the military
dose that and assigns a Mil Spec. number.. Hmm! did Uncle Sam get screwed
also??

Frustrated With rusting hose clamps.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions

To get back to the practical question of what kind of hose clamps to use, I've
had good results with the AWAB clamps and less good results with the Ideal
clamps. Spend the $2 extra.

John,
Generally, yes to the first question, but you still have to make certain
that water flows around the part and it should be 316, 316L or 316Ti.

Yes it can to the second question, but to a smaller degree. However, it will
raise hell with other metals attached to the same electrical plane and the
extent also depends on the bronze alloy.
Steve

"John Smith" wrote in message
...
Interesting...
Is stainless okay below the water line in fresh water?

Bronze is an alloy; does it act like millions of batteries in salt water
also?

Malcolm,
Yes you can use stainless for a boat, but it should be a copper alloy
stainless, not a 300 series. This material does not have to be painted at
all, it will reject growth all by itself. There are disadvantages, like
cost, less fatigue resistance, the high cost of repair and weight penalty.
It is very hard to beat low carbon steel. As a test, suspend a sheet of bare
steel with nylon line from a float to a depth of 36" and leave it for 6
months. It'll be almost as shiny as when you put in it. If you really are
serious about this, try different alloys of magnetic steel and iron, then
observe the results. You will find that the different metals corrode quite
differently. To best observe this test, the metal should be placed to
transition between air and the water.
Steve
"malcolm" wrote in message
...

"Steve Lusardi" wrote in message
...
Dave,
Not to get too technical, stainless is an alloy of mild steel, Nickel
and
Chrome. The percentages of the alloy mix and small amounts of other
metals
enhance certain characteristics, like corrosion resistance,
machinability,
heat resistance. Generally speaking, the 300 series alloys are
non-magnetic
and corrosion proof, where those alloys in the 400 series are magnetic
and
only considered corrosion resistant. The mechanism that SS exhibits to
prevent corrosion is controlled corrosion of the exposed surface. In
fact,
its corrosion resistance depends on the availability of free oxygen. In
an
environment of depleted free oxygen, any surface damage will create
"crevice
corrosion", which is much faster and more damaging than would be
experienced
with normal mild steel. Even 316 SS, which exhibits the most resistance
to
corrosion, should never be used below the water line, especially where
there
is not good water flow, like bolting lead keels to the hull. Anything
that
can damage the surface of the part, whether it is mechanical like
rubbing
or
electric as in electrolysis, will rapidly kill the piece. Please keep in
mind that SS is non-homogenous and can be considered to be millions of
little batteries in an environment that could work as an
electrolyte.(salt
water)
Steve


can you build a sea going boat from stainless steel?
and what happens if it is painted with anti-fouling?