Brass boltsnaps in salt water?

[jellycatsdad]

I have a el cheapo zinc plated bolt snap on my SPG and dive lights and a brass one on my SMB. The SMB one is working fine despite no rinsing. The zinc ones, well the cheap Home Depot one has saw better days. The other one from Grainger feels a bit rough. Time to start rinsing my bolt snaps and giving the springs a spritz of Fluid Film or Kroil.

 

[LFMarm]

Lifespan can be extended by rinsing after every dive and using WD40 or your preferred lubricant regularly. Once the spring starts corroding, it’s time to replace. I only use SS from reputable sources and have not had a single one with corrosion problems.

 

[Jai Bar]

Maybe there are different brass alloys, the ones that I have been using for the last 20-30 years have no problem of flaking, spring fails or anything. I do not rinse anything between dives, normally only after the week's diving.

Same for stainless steel ones, so I am indifferent to which I am using, just grab from the pile whatever comes first and go diving.

 

[Canajan]

I pack the spring cavity with coconut oil, on my bolt snaps, seems to help, as the spring is what will fail before anything else on it.

 

[MRadke]

Yes - I have had a couple of brass bolt snaps over the years in salt water. The material started to flake and so by the end of the dive week I would often have grooved and bleeding scratches on my right thumb from where I would operate the bolt snap. not fun. I only dive with stainless now

If the brass was flaking, it must have been brass plated, not solid brass. Solid brass will last as long as stainless, just not be as pretty.

 

[Eric Sedletzky]

As to the thumb cutting problem that so many attest to with brass bolt snaps, I do not understand that? I have many brass snaps that I've been using for decades and have never seen a sharp edge. I suppose if it's in the thumb tab slot then take a utility knife and shave a little off tje edges to bevel it a bit and any sharp edge should be gone permanently. Brass bolt snaps have stainless springs so they should be fine.
As far as stainless bolt snaps, I've found 4-1/2" double enders at home depot but they are around $14. They do hold up very well. Make sure you read the package, it needs to read "stainless" not zinc steel.
I bought a cheap stainless double ender from one of the discount online dive suppliers and it's beginning to go bad. I checked it with a magnet and it's more magnetic than other stainless snaps I have so that leads me to believe it's probably cheap Chinese crap stainless. You get what you pay for.

 

[MacDuyver]

I know stainless is preferred, but has anyone actually had a problem with brass boltsnaps, etc in salt water?? The price difference is a little loony

I’ve got a bunch. They work but get noticeably gritty.

I have to toss them in the ultrasonic every few months.

 

[happyharris]

Just came back from a trip in which I used mostly brass bolt snaps, and a couple of stainless steel ones that came with other dive-related things (e.g. one that came with a DSMB). I did two dives per day for five days. After the second dive on each day, I soaked everything in my sink for an hour or so, dried them with a towel, and left them out to get bone dry.

Each of the stainless steel ones (designed for diving) worked perfectly smoothly. Each of the brass ones was difficult to open by the end of the trip. There was no visible damage or corrosion on any of them.

My conclusion (with a leap of logic) is that the material of the bolt snap itself is less important than the material of the spring. The stainless steel ones, which were specifically designed for diving probably have 316 stainless steel springs, and the brass ones probably didn't.

So now I will follow my "buy twice smile twice" philosophy. The brass bolt snaps, which cost less than a dollar, are now in my dog cupboard. I will buy some ~$5 stainless steel bolt snaps from one of the respected scuba suppliers.

 

[Scuba_Jenny]

About 15 years ago I picked up a bunch of brass snaps on clearance from HD. Everyone told me I was wasting my money. I figured for $1 each, I could take a chance, and picked up a dozen or so. Still all are working great. Mainly salt water use, a fresh water rinse and I'm good to go!