10mm Maggi Chain - Bad Galvanizing?

[tartan41]

10mm Maggi Chain
we just bought 200' 10mm Maggi chain. But after looking at it in more detail, some parts show the galva chipped off (??????) and some "horny" links...!

(see photo comparing two parts of the chain, one , which looks fine and the other rather rough. Is it me or do the Italians produce in China now?).

Does this affect the strengh/reliability of the chain?

Thanks for any comment

Carola

[Ancora Latina]

Difficult to be 100% precise, but for me it looks only as a galvanization problem.

The main risk will be that the part with a defective galvanization will rust earlier than the other part of the chain...

João

[tartan41]

Jao,
did you see this kind of chipping on hot dipped before? or is it more typicall of "mechanical" galvanising?, i.e. make me wonder if it is the real stuff I bought...

obrigada

[svquest2]

I've seen the chipping and horning on hot dipped galvanized chain before. It generally occurs because the galvanizing is heavier and the links stick a little. I believe that the rough one has a much heavier coating than the smoother one and wouldn't be too concerned about an occasional chip.

Have fun

Joe S

[GMac]

In no way what so ever will it effect the strength so no worries there.

Looks like a case of a little too much Galv rather than anything else. It's the zinc rich version so far better at self-healing than the alloy bulked up version.

We see galv nipples (our boys name for it) reasonably often especially with the Aussie manufacturers but all get it from time to time. It's nothing to worry about I would think from what we've seen over the years. You'll find a few may knock off but most will just stay there as a reserve supply of glav, which is actually a good thing.

The problem the chain makers have when galvanising it getting the balance between a good coating all over and yet leaving the chain flexible. As one could imagine it's far from easy. The number of chains we see with sections basically glued together is quite large. Again it's a just a case of a little excess galv rather than not enough. That's why a growing number of galvanising plants just won't do chain any longer, it's just too tricky.

[tartan41]

thanks! that got my happymood back of "got a new chain" (altough had to swallow my captains " told you so, its perfectly fine"...)

[GMac]

'I told you so' is a phrase I hear often myself

Good to see someone question something rather than just accept though. We see a lot who just take what they are told/given and live with it even though it's not right.

As a FYI - a awful lot of 'hot dip galv' out of the east is only zinc plating which is washed to make it look a bit like HDG. And what's more and worse is it often looks smoother and better to the untrained eye....... for a few months. But they are getting better and at the same time keeping some western manufacturers a bit more honest so it's not all bad I suppose.