Rusted Bolt Snaps

[Casarez]

OK, so last month I was diving in the Keys. We did a night dive and I brought my lights. On my lights I had used bolt snaps to attach them to my BC etc. They were not brass though. After the night dive I did thoroughly rinse them in fresh water and allow them to dry. Well, at least I thought I did. Yesterday, I go and find that both have rusted to the point it will not open.

Now I am wondering if I had purchased the wrong type or if I did not rinse them properly. Can anyone help out here?

On a side note the brass bolt snap I used for my SPG was fine.

 

[ruready7]

Salt water is bad on most metals. By letting them dry and not drying them yourself caused the problem to speed up. Best way to avoid is to use brass.

 

[Rick Inman]

Most of those silver-looking ones at Home depot are chrome, not stainless steel and will rust right out. Even some of the gold-looking ones are not brass. And then, even some of the stainless steel and brass bolt snaps have non-stainless springs that will rust out (go figure!). I found all this out the hard way.

Where did you get yours?

 

[don Francisco]

Hi- not only do you need to use brass or stainless steel hardware, but you have to be sure it's made for marine use. Lots of hardware is made mainly of brass or stainless, but might be of the wrong grade or, for instance, have non-stainless springs.

Even after being sure that the hardware is appropiate, you still have to be diligent about rinsing. Salt residue is highly corrosive and will evenutally get to any metal.

 

[300bar]

"Stainless"does not mean rustPROOF(you'll need titanium for that).It just means,that at pruduction time(of the steel) it was stainless/free of any stains.
Using them in salt water will make them rust.
Just clean them up and give them a silicone spray now and again.

Yes there are quality differances,some will do better then others but they all will rust at some point.

 

[SlowRain]

Gotta be careful if you are picking them up from somewhere like Lowe's or Home Depot. That is where I buy mine, and they will have part bins that are specifically labeled stainless steel. I just rinse them after use and once and a while shoot a little Tri-Flon or WD40 into the cavity where the spring is, and have had no issues.

 

[Casarez]

Most of those silver-looking ones at Home depot are chrome, not stainless steel and will rust right out. Even some of the gold-looking ones are not brass. And then, even some of the stainless steel and brass bolt snaps have non-stainless springs that will rust out (go figure!). I found all this out the hard way.

Where did you get yours?

Home Depot so it would seem I am also finding out the hard way.

 

[ianr33]

"Stainless"does not mean rustPROOF(you'll need titanium for that).It just means,that at pruduction time(of the steel) it was stainless/free of any stains.
Using them in salt water will make them rust.

Huh? None of my Stainless bolt snaps have gone rusty ,all I ever do is give them a quick rinse after diving.

Stainless is generally preferred over brass as brass is soft and develops a sharp edge where the "slide" moves. That edge is really good at slicing your thumb !

A good source for stainless snaps: http://216.36.250.99/nixdogcollars/Diving_Snaps.html

 

[RJP]

As others have said "marine grade" stainless is what you want - your LDS will have them.

 

[mfalco]

A Lot of stainless ones have springs that aren't stainless. At most hardware stores near the ocean, the will have ones labeled marine use. Those are the ones you want. Just don't compare the prices, because they do cost twice as much as the other ones.