Trojan Boat Forum

Probably a stupid question but I am in the process of purchasing some stainless steel bolts for my swim platform install. I noticed that Home Depot sells stainless bolts for much less than West Marine. Are all stainless steel bolts the same quality or may it be different????

Check this out.
http://www.ssina.com/view_a_file/fasteners.pdf[/img]

Sorry try this.
http://www.ssina.com/view_a_file/fasteners.pdf

Thanks David.... I saved a copy of that.

Ron

Thank you for the response.... I guess nothing can be easy! Who ever thought you would have to choose the correct SS.

Thanks for the link.

Check out Bolt Depot http://www.boltdepot.com.

I get all my ss there. Prices are very good and selection is enormous. I was in charge of our club's dock system of 126 slips that can accomodate boats up to 48' x 15', and bought ss and galvanized hardware there also.

WM is outrageous for ss fasteners, etc but if you're in a pinch and they're the only place in town......

most likely the bolts at home depot are a stainless coating not a true stainless bolt. take a magnet with you. if the magnet sticks to the bolt it's not stainless steel. a friend of mine who owns a cranberry marsh found that out the hard way. all of his berry harvest equipment has to be food grade stainless steel. he was buying bolts at a major hardware chain store and turns out that they were stainless "coated".

Yeah.... beware of Home Depot's 'stainless steel' stuff. It may vary by store or region, but a couple of friends around here have found it to be of very low quality (magnetic, and rusting before too long). Real bad thing to use in mounting that compass, or for any underwater applications.

SS coated would be "Chromed".

"Food Grade" is usually 316L (so is "Surgical") - the "L" mean "L"ow carbon.

Hardware stores (Home Depot, Lowes, etc.) sell 18-8 stainless (18% chromium, 8% nickel). Not bad, but not the best.

You can get 316 bolts online at various places, and ARP sells Graded SS bolts for engines http://www.arp-bolts.com/

The 18-8 is probably fine for your swim platform - use good washers (both sides) and nylon lock nuts.

All we do is stainless ... 304L and 316L ... including NC forming & orbital TIG welding.

Best prices & quality we've found in 5 years, and we now buy all of our bolts, washer and nuts from Lightning Bolt, Inc. http://BoltSales.com ask for Greg Cheney (Greg@BoltsSales.com). Tell him Ross from RNR-Marine sent you!

chauzer wrote:most likely the bolts at home depot are a stainless coating not a true stainless bolt. take a magnet with you. if the magnet sticks to the bolt it's not stainless steel. a friend of mine who owns a cranberry marsh found that out the hard way. all of his berry harvest equipment has to be food grade stainless steel. he was buying bolts at a major hardware chain store and turns out that they were stainless "coated".

Not trying to dispute the "stainless coated" situation but it is very possible to have stainless steel that is magnetic depending upon the grade and formulation. The company I work for makes stainless steel chemical pumps and we have to tell the casting house to certify that the formulation is non-magnetic. I have a 304SS cast pump housing sitting on my desk that is indeed magnetic and a reject.

Yes, some formulations can be magnetic.

The 304L and 316L (L = Low Carbon) SS we use is not magnetic.