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question about stainless

glassdave

glassdave

Founding Member / Competitor
Hey i got a quick question about stainless hardware. Once in a while when removing stainess nuts and bolts i've had threads lock up and gal making it impossible to continue without cutting. What causes it? How is this avoidable, does antisieze work? What is the best course of action when you feel a fastener tightening up? Just wondering if anyone has any tricks.
 
Anti seize works great. I have used wax too. Problem with anti seize is may leave trails of black in time that continually needs to be cleaned off. The fastener supplier says its galling. I have heard lift installers that use a lot of 1/2 bolts soak bolts in liquid wax than strain and dump into work buckets so they don't have to treat them one at a time on the job.


Once you feel it tighten the damage is done. If its 1/2 stuff get the breaker bars.
 
Most of the stainless hardware you deal with on boats is 18-8 which is virtually identical to 304. It has very little carbon in it and it's soft. Stainless is also prone to galling- it's just a charachteristic of stainless- it's gummy. hard to machine too.

You'll get better results with a copper-based anti-seize. But remember, reduce your tightening torque by 20% to compensate any time you use anti-seize. And for relative comparison, use torque values equivalent to Gr. 2 steel bolts.

As far as once you feel them beginning to gall, back down just slightly, warm the nut, hit it with a good penetrating oil and let them sit a while. Heat the nut again and attempt removal. Regardless of how the threads look, you should replace the fastener. All it takes is minor surface irregularities for them to gall.
 
Molybdenum Disulphide also works very well and is an excellent anti-corrosive. It's what I prefer using in such applications. It's best applied as a deposition coating, but the spray-on variety works great, too.
 
After reading every ones thoughts I can be more specific. Different situations will dictate best action.

Fasteners in the engine compartment I have found wax works best. It doesn't streak black over time. Anti seize is OK too. If it binds I think it is easier to just break off and proceed.

On steering pivots and bolts I found Special lube 101 works best. The white moly works well too. If these large fastener bind Chris's method of heat and penetrating lube works best. Because they are too large to break and may be expensive and not readily available.

Stainless fasteners subject to submersion should not use anti seize because it contains some form of copper. Copper in water attracts electrolysis and will corrode over time. Stainless already is active in water adding copper makes it worse.
 
just a comet don't use impact wrench on stainless hardware it will gal for sure. Also when removing stainless bolts try not to make to much friction as the heat speeds galing just my 2 cents
 
good stuff guys, I also know that keeping threads clean and burr free is paramount along with not using impacts or drivers when possible. I am going to try the wax trick that sounds like a good one.
 
Wonder if one of my high temp mold waxes would be good. Their alot like the old Turtle Wax but thicker and build heavier, pain in the azz to remove. Maybe a hard parifin wax would be good or even beeswax? A friend of mine (Jet on here) Uses the parafin to help keep burring bits from loading up when working with alluminum, works good. Also bees wax on the tip of a stainless screw will help it run in fiberglass better and keep it from snaping. We were talking about the galling problem and he brought up a good point, fiberglass dust on a stainless thread is a sure fire way of getting it to gall as well. Something to keep in mind while rigging new boats when alot of new holes will be drilled.
 
It has already been stated and I will agree, to prevent galling use some sort of anti seize (I use moly or Permatex). DO NOT use air tools or power tools if it is a nut or bolt. I use a screw gun on wood style screws. Most of the #10 or 1/4 bolts are easy to break once it has galled, just hope the bolt is not permanently attached to your hardware.:(
From experience I use lots of anti seize on motor plate bolts! When you have 16 to 20+ 1/2 inch mount bolts per engine and you are standing on your head to get them off you don't want one of those to gall! You can't break them and access to cutting them off is minimal in any.:ack2:
Just my experience...:)
 
Tef-Gel http://www.tef-gel.com/index.html

Prevents galling and corrosion from dissimilar metals, like stainless bolt through aluminum plate. Good stuff, used on EVERY stainless fastener, unless 5200 is needed as sealant.

"It only costs a little more to go first class"
 
Dave,
Mercury sells a specialty grease for stainless fittings (high compression or something) that the guys at Lake X showed me. It is a German made product w/ Merc label that comes in a small plastic tube (4-6 oz?). This has ended all SS galling issues and we use it on every bolt/ny-loc nut connection in the boat. I can get you the part # in next trip to the shop unless someone else can help.
 
glassdave said:
Wonder if one of my high temp mold waxes would be good. Their alot like the old Turtle Wax but thicker and build heavier, pain in the azz to remove. Maybe a hard parifin wax would be good or even beeswax? A friend of mine (Jet on here) Uses the parafin to help keep burring bits from loading up when working with alluminum, works good. Also bees wax on the tip of a stainless screw will help it run in fiberglass better and keep it from snaping. We were talking about the galling problem and he brought up a good point, fiberglass dust on a stainless thread is a sure fire way of getting it to gall as well. Something to keep in mind while rigging new boats when alot of new holes will be drilled.
Click to expand...

Mold wax is my buddy I use a 88 on my table saw, bandsaw tables the bottoms of my power tools (plane .saw etc) saw blades.Fixtures where I push a zillion pieces of material through them.
 
So what's everybodys worst story of having stainless gall and seize up? Theres a guy here in MN with a 42 fountain, and he hadn't found out about anti-seize or what galling is. He's a smart guy, rigged his entire boat and built his own motors, but everyone has their learning curves. Anyways, he had put on his #6 transom assys with an air impact and no anti-seize... Let's just say he had some problems when he went to take his transom assys off to repaint the transom...
 
saxman said:
So what's everybodys worst story of having stainless gall and seize up? Theres a guy here in MN with a 42 fountain, and he hadn't found out about anti-seize or what galling is. He's a smart guy, rigged his entire boat and built his own motors, but everyone has their learning curves. Anyways, he had put on his #6 transom assys with an air impact and no anti-seize... Let's just say he had some problems when he went to take his transom assys off to repaint the transom...
Click to expand...

Shame he didn't look at installation manual.

Installing Inner Transom Plate Assembly Step number 2

Apply never seize on to thru hull studs

There is a load of good info in the 37 pages.
 
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