Wichard snap shackles corrosion

[Northbound44]

According to their advertisement:

Snap shackle and jaw with clevis pin, designed for use in highly corrosive marine environment, Forged in high resistance stainless steel 17.4 PH. With a high quality finish.
Based on this picture, you can make up your own opinion!

[Suijin]

Originally Posted by Northbound44

According to their advertisement:

Snap shackle and jaw with clevis pin, designed for use in highly corrosive marine environment, Forged in high resistance stainless steel 17.4 PH. With a high quality finish.
Based on this picture, you can make up your own opinion!Attachment 148536

How old is it? It's also got some dirt on it that is not rust, and what looks like some salt. It looks rather well used. If so, I'd say the minimal surface rust is commensurate with it's age.

There is no stainless that is "rust proof". Even well passivated stainless of the highest quality is going to get some surface rust over time.

[savoir]

A lot of the "rust" is really salt. Soak it in vinegar for a few hours, give it a good brushing with a toothbrush and some Collinite Metal Wax and take another picture.

[Cheechako]

Did their ad say "don't maintain these shackles"?

[T_Cat]

Originally Posted by savoir

A lot of the "rust" is really salt. Soak it in vinegar for a few hours, give it a good brushing with a toothbrush and some Collinite Metal Wax and take another picture.

I'd be interested in seeing an after picture...

[Northbound44]

Believe it or not, this shackle was maintained like the other one on my boat ( I use Wichinox), all look shiny as new except for this one. It is 10 years old and from the beginning, it became pitted and porous after one month of exposure in seawater.
I know, at first looks, you could think my boat is neglected, it is 30 years old and you and you would think it s less than two years old .
I cleaned this shackle one month ago, it was dull but not rusted.
I am doing my last cleanup before hauling my boat out in Grenada and I an a bit upset about the poor quality of this one .

[boatpoker]

Often mispelled ........

"Stainless" actually "Stains less"

[Northbound44]

Good one! I will remember [emoji23]

[sailjumanji]

Hit it with a fresh water rinse, and then collinite metal wax. It's just surface rust.

[maraergein]

17-4 PH is a very high strength stainless steel when it has got the right heat treatments. Its metallurgical structure is a mix of austenitic (non-magnetic) and martensitic (magnetic) due to its Precipitation Hardening. IT is therefor magnetic. In comparison 316SS is austenitic, less strong and non-magnetic.
The 17-4PH is still good corrosion resistant, but less than 316SS, so more or less a compromise in case strength is required. I would try to polish it as far as possible.

[Northbound44]

An other picture after cleaning it. Look like galvanized steel. See the others shackle in the background, same usage and age.

[Rorzech]

Be thankful you got only one bad one out of the lot. Buy a new one and keep that in the spare parts box. You may need it one day and you'll be glad you kept it.

[Jim Cate]

Try sending those pix to Wichard. Perhaps they will be embarrassed enough to replace it.

Jim

[JPA Cate]

If you're going to do as Jim suggested, maybe, take a pic of both of them together: the one that stayed good, and the one that is so pitted, and tell them when you bought them.

Ann

[UNCIVILIZED]

Most likely there was a glitch in the heat treatment when it was made. Or possibly they had a bad lot of the batch of parent metal (pre heat treatment). So it may or may not be as strong as it's sibling/it's rated strength. Though odds are if it's lived this long it's burly enough regardless.

To be clear, 17-4 PH is quite a bit stronger than 316, but has some other weaknesses as tradeoffs.