# Rusty "Stainless-Steel"



## DougOut (Dec 31, 2006)

:shock: anyone know why *this* happens to Quality *"Stainless"* :twisted:








I don't normally give this type of gear a spray with a protection produce of any sorts, only rinse it well with fresh water after each outing. I do however need to give them a spray with WD40 or similar to free them up, but only after a few weeks of none use. 
Is the more expensive gear less prone to Rust, or do you need to protect it with a specific product as well.


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## mcbigg (Jul 14, 2007)

I've wondered this too. Keen to see other peoples views on the matter too.


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## YakN00b (Jun 9, 2008)

Stainless doesnt mean "Rustless" its only stainless because of the high Nickel content but it will still rust in salt water.


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## shiznic (May 14, 2008)

i have found inox to be great,and for nice thingies that you really care about for under $10 you can buy stick on zinc anode packs made for the high end hooks. You simply cut a strip off and stick it on.rustop by owner is the one i used, prob overkill but hope it helps.


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## joejoe (Sep 28, 2008)

there are different grades of stainless, marine grade the best.joe


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## BJM (Oct 5, 2008)

Hell 420 grade if you can get it !
But 316 is going to be the "common" stuff


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

occy said:


> You sure it's stainless mate. Hi carbon steel usually isn't stainless. In any case there are many grades of stainless steel, and most of them will rust eventually.


Yeah, I thought that high carbon hooks rusted quite fast. Anyway, even the good shimano plyers rust if you don't look after them, just something we have to deal with I guess. I usually just rinse my gear under tap water and give everything a spray of inox once in a while. Still get a few casualties but most things hold up ok.


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## DougOut (Dec 31, 2006)

Yeah, my misunderstanding ..... high carbon steel ..... is not Stainless and will infact easily rust :shock:
it's used in this type of application mainly because of it's hardness, however can be quite brittle 
So keep this type of gear oiled people if you expect it to be serviceable for years to come :roll:

I've now googled for a definition;
_*high carbon steel, Definition : * 
Steel that has more than 0.3 percent carbon, and is thus harder and less formable and machineable than low-carbon steel. Used mainly for cutting edges, compression springs, farming and gardening equipment, and other high-wear applications._

"high-wear applications" :lol: yeah, like I'm going to wear them out pull'n hooks from fishes :roll:


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## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

I have a similar pair and one jaw broke off last week due to rust, amazing. Bathing them in Inox never stopped the process. I just bought another ten dollar pair yesterday so they will start rusting soon for sure 

Cheers


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## jaredluke (Nov 23, 2007)

I spray with Inox, however I had a little bit of rust on both my bikes. One bike is worth around $2 000 so I dont want any rust on any parts. Any way went to Bunnings today and picked up some ranex rust buster it's industrial grade and around 10 bucks for a 400-500ml bottle. Put this into a container and soak the pliers in it untill the rust goes away. It works very good, I removed some heavy rust on tools. Then spray with Inox.


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## Deepsouth (Feb 17, 2008)

the hi carbon is a dead give away... going to make it rust like any other steel unfortunately...


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## bugalugs (Mar 18, 2008)

spoke to a mate of mine today, he works with stainless for a living and he simply says, stainless simply is rust resistant, not rust proof. Given the right conditions, any grade of stainless will rust.


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## Greywolf (Jun 24, 2008)

hi carbon generally means you can hear the rust growing as you carry it out of the shop.


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## JimH (Apr 10, 2007)

That's correct guys. Stainless Steel does corrode. 304 is the common grade ie kitchen sinks etc. 316 is the general purpose grade. In total there are hundreds and hundreds of different stainless steels and there will be a grade suitable for our application. The problem is that a pair of pliers in the appropriate grade would cost mega bucks compared with the "el cheep ohs".

The big trick with stainless is to keep it away from carbon steel (mild steel) and the tools used for carbon steel. One spark from a grinder used on CS onto a SS surface will promote rust.

Technically, if rust starts to appear on a SS surface, you need to passivate or repassivate the surface. This is usually achieved by sand blasting the surface (with a non ferrus grit) or washing down with a passivating paste (a niric acid based compound).

I usually rinse in fresh water and allow to dry. Once corrosion starts to increase, I will use a fine SS mesh (steel wool) to scour away the rust, then spray with Inox or similar. Eventually I promote the BCF (or alternate) bottom line by repacing the item.

Jim


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## Nativeman (Sep 6, 2005)

Geevus :shock:

I just realised the pair I bought this week is the ones in the photo  :lol:

Cheers


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## DougOut (Dec 31, 2006)

Nativeman said:


> Geevus :shock: I just realised the pair I bought this week is the ones in the photo  :lol:


I wouldn't fret too much about it Sel :shock: 
I've had these for over 18 months and they're still going strong 8) 
a little surface rust never hurt anyone :lol: 
just squirt the hinge every once and awhile to free it up ;-)
here Rusty, Rusty, Rusty (insert whistle, whistle, whistle) :lol:


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## daviei0 (Dec 1, 2008)

Basically stainless steel is just normal steel with the additions of nickel and chromium. The nickel is a grain refiner and results in making the SS harder.The chromium is to improve the corrossion properties of SS.A carbon steel requires a minimum of 11% chromium to qualify as a stainless steel.The chromium forms chromium oxides which is thin self healing layer on the surface of stainless steel.What can break this layer down is chlorides (salt) at temperatures above 60 degrees which is in your plastic tackle box with the lid shut.Or carbon contamination which will come from cutting or gripping of high carbon hooks split rings etc. which looks evident from your photo.Basically you need to start with a 316 SS and rinse them of in fresh water after use and store in a cool place.


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