Stainless? Steel

clbkab

Is it my imagination or should stainless steel by definition not be prone to rusting?

Capt_Steve

Stainless steel does not readily corrode, rust or stain with water as ordinary steel does, but despite the name it is not fully stain-proof, most notably under low oxygen, high salinity, or poor circulation environments.

Capt_Steve

Wikipedia to the rescue...

212rowboat

:-)

a metallurgist I'm not...

"hey, any you boys a smitty? which is to say, any you fellers studied up in the metallurgical arts?"

there are grades of stainless that will neither stain nor rust, but you'll likely never find that compound being used for making boat parts... I'm not sure what the counts are for qualifying as stainless in the first place, but I'd reckon the ones we see in the form of mass produced parts are just budging into that class.. unless those parts are mass produced for medical/surgery, and/or are small pieces..

Black_Diamond

There are varying grades of SS depending on what properties you need: hardening varieties, magnetic types, 300 series, 400 series, all the PH series.  Polishing make some grades shiny.  Remember SS is stain resistant..not stain proof!  A lot of work goes into properly machining and treating SS before use (passivating as a start).

 

Material containing 10-12% of chromium ususally meets the basic cut to be called SS.

 

 

raybo3

Some of the grades are 440ss 304ss 316ss plus many more. 

Michael T

I think the word speaks for itself stain less - as i heard it explained to another. Lab polished props will stay stain less longer. I have seen the looks of new boat owners when their B3 "regular" stainless are unloaded from the transport truck and the props have a lot of "stains". They're stain - less not stain - free.

Michael T

P.S. A number of years ago when comparing, just for fun, aluminum and s.s. props on medium HP boats (400HP) we found that s.s props retained their pitch even when heavily stressed by speed - but - aluminum props would actually change their pitch (increase it). You used to be able to buy props that changed their pitch. One used some form of counter weights the other used pre set shift points. They were available in alu. and s.s. I don't know what happened to them. 

bat32

My props are supposedly statinless too (Bravo III) but you would never tell by looking at it.

Black_Diamond

You can clean the BIII props with "The Works" toilet bowel cleaner, not the thick stuff.  Rinse off and back to like new.  That fine dull SS finish  lol

bat32

Yeah I clean them every year to that nice dull finish   But I might be looking into getting them balanced at the end of the season like Al said.  They have taken a couple hits over their life.

06Rinker270

How does one know when to balance and recondition?