On Sat, 05 Jun 2004 15:20:00 -0400, "Gene Kearns"
wrote:

On that thought..... unless absolutely unavoidable, I just don't mix
steel and aluminum. Do you think aluminum fasteners would be a better
option?
======================================

Most aluminum sailboat masts are liberally sprinkled with stainless
steel fittings and fasteners. Corrosion related failure is almost
unheard of but the fasteners do become frozen over time. A trick that
I learned from a professional rigger is to coat the fastener with
silicone before insertion. It makes removal much easier at a later
date and helps to minimize surface corrosion around the fastener.

Aluminum fasteners are too weak for most applications.