Corroded Spade

[TonyMS]

My steel Spade anchor, which is meant to separate into two parts, has corroded into one indivisible piece. Can anyone suggest a way of splitting it? I have tried hitting it with a pretty big hammer. I have a supply of 30 per cent hydrochloric acid, but hesitate to use it without expert advice.

 

[geem]

My steel Spade anchor, which is meant to separate into two parts, has corroded into one indivisible piece. Can anyone suggest a way of splitting it? I have tried hitting it with a pretty big hammer. I have a supply of 30 per cent hydrochloric acid, but hesitate to use it without expert advice.

Try oxalic acid on rust. It might need soaking for a while.
I too have a corroded spade anchor. It's a great anchor but a pain to get galvanised as it's full of lead in the tip. I would need to heat it up to remove the lead then put it back afterwards. More hassle than I need at the moment so just painted it with epoxy primer and white top coat. At least it will be easier to see when checking the anchor

 

[VicS]

My steel Spade anchor, which is meant to separate into two parts, has corroded into one indivisible piece. Can anyone suggest a way of splitting it? I have tried hitting it with a pretty big hammer. I have a supply of 30 per cent hydrochloric acid, but hesitate to use it without expert advice.

The trouble with anything acid will be that it will remove the galvanising.

Heat ??

 

[geem]

The trouble with anything acid will be that it will remove the galvanising.

Heat ??

If it's corroded together the galvanising must have failed. Mine still comes apart easily so maybe not as corroded as OPs

 

[Neeves]

Removing the lead is not difficult, in fact easy. You need an old tin, size depend on size of anchor. Simply locate anchor stably so that the lead can run out, tin to catch the lead and use a blow torch directed at the lead. Replacing, reverse procedure, though you might lose a little lead so 'add back', fishing sinkers will do. If your tin is man enough you can heat it on top of a camping stove to melt, the blow torch will speed it up. Distort the tin slightly to make spout. Preheat the fluke, blow torch again, before you pour You need to devise a way to pick the tin up (make a wooden handle?) to pour. or big tong, the art you would have used on a coal fire. Keep children and pets away - you need to be able to concentrate when you pour. Wear leather welding gloves and decent heavy duty clothes.

The fit of the shank is not perfect - I might have thought you could work a thin metal plate up the sides from underneath, even an old vegetable knife. It might be stuck because with time sand has impacted into the joint - and no amount of acid will remove silica sand, though it would remove sand derived from shell. I'd try a veg knife and a water jet, or something similar, before I tried acid. Strong acid will attack any gal first and then the steel.

If you want to regal peak to Geoff at Highland Galvanisers, or your nearest galvaniser.

Jonathan

I've never replaced the lead in a Spade. When you cast the lead as, or when, it cools it may shrink from the steel 'pocket'. Spade may have a steel pin welded into the pocket which would stop the lead falling out (and I have heard of anchors that have lost their lead (but not specifically Spade). If there is no pin welded in then adding one is getting a bit fiddly, for most (including me). An alternative is if the lead shrinks away add a small amount of lead and blow torch and melt it to fill and seal the gap - you want it to run down the gap as far as possible. You don't want any gaps round the lead allowing seawater to fill the gap(s). The other thing to try is cast resin over the top and seal the whole lot.

 

[noelex]

Tony, it is worth contacting Spade.

They have offered a lifetime warranty that includes the galvanising. They have stated that a rusty Spade will be replaced no matter the age of the anchor.

Many other manufacturers offer a lifetime warranty, but as you would expect the galvanising is only covered if it fails prematurely or was incorrectly applied.

For some time Spade offered an epoxy paint kit to help restore rusty Spades, but it was not a great success. Few owners are prepared to melt lead, and galvanisers understandably are not willing to do this work. I have seen a Spade that had lost its lead ballast so if you do decide to re-galvananse take note of Geoff’s warning.

I suspect Spade have made the generous offer because people have been put off buying a steel Spade because of difficulty associated with re-galvanising.

However, I do know some Spade owners who have considered taking up the offer but found the cost of returning the old anchor and delivery of the new one was significant (i understand both delivery charges must be paid by the owner). They were cruising remote places, which increases the delivery costs, but I understand the rusty anchor cannot just be returned to any Spade dealer.

If you do take up Spade’s rather unbelievable offer, perhaps you could outline how the guarantee works in practice. The details are far from clear.

 

[Neeves]

v

so if you do decide to re-galvananse take note of Geoff’s warning.

.

??

Maybe you can share detail with the rest of us

Jonathan

 

[vyv_cox]

Is the 30% w/w or is it diluted from concentrated acid with 70% water, i.e. the stuff sold in supermarkets all over Europe? The supermarket stuff in red bottles is actually about 8% w/w and its reaction with rust would be painfully slow. 30% w/w would be quicker but it will also react with the steel of the anchor, as well as any remaining galvanising, as has been pointed out. Sulphamic acid may work better but I know little about it.

Noelex' plan sounds better. I know a user who suffered corrosion of an aluminium Spade. The makers exchanged it for another FOC. This one also corroded, photos on the website. They exchanged that for a steel one, also FOC.

 

[noelex]

??
Maybe you can share detail with the rest of us
Jonathan

Jonathan, I assumed that given your detailed description and comment that it is easy, that you must have tried the procedure you have outlined to re-galvanise a Spade. I therefore attributed the warning underneath your post as a quote from Geoff at Highland Galvaniser:

I've never replaced the lead in a Spade. When you cast the lead as, or when, it cools it may shrink from the steel 'pocket'.

I assume from your reaction that the comments are yours not Geoff’s. Apologies to you and Geoff.

Has anyone on the forum managed to have a steel Spade re-galvanised or has seen it done? It would be great to hear how it was accomplished and if there were subsequent problems with the lead security.

Hopefully Spade’s guarantee works in practice and this is unnecessary but it is always nice to have options, especially if cruising remote locations.

 

[RobbieW]

....Has anyone on the forum managed to have a steel Spade re-galvanised or has seen it done? It would be great to hear how it was accomplished ......

Yes, pretty much by the method Jonathan describes though I didnt do the work. Once the lead was removed the two parts were regalvanised as part of regular batch from the workshop doing the work. On replacing the lead, a small hole was drilled near the tip of the anchor to allow air to escape as the lead was poured - there is no evidence of separation between lead and body. Effectively the Spade has a 'pin' preventing escape of the lead in one lump, its the fitting that takes the shaft.

 

[noelex]

Thanks Robbie.

Can I ask who did the work. Many galvanisers seem very reluctant to undertake this type of project so contact details would be helpful.

 

[Neeves]

Yes, pretty much by the method Jonathan describes though I didnt do the work. Once the lead was removed the two parts were regalvanised as part of regular batch from the workshop doing the work. On replacing the lead, a small hole was drilled near the tip of the anchor to allow air to escape as the lead was poured - there is no evidence of separation between lead and body. Effectively the Spade has a 'pin' preventing escape of the lead in one lump, its the fitting that takes the shaft.

I had thought they might have a pin, roughly, in the centre of the cast lead - obviously not. I was not going to melt out our ballast in our steel Spade to find out!

I have melted and cast lead, larger (or more of) than would be cast into a decently large Spade anchor, and it did not bond to the steel - which was fortuitous in my case as the steel was a mould - hence my concerns. I also thought that's how sinkers (for fishing) were made. But the casting for a Spade would be into a newly galvanised pocket - which might, or would be, different.

And yes it is easy - you just need to be prepared and think it through. The largest casting I have done is around 5kg.

 

[Neeves]

Tony doe not actually say his anchor is completely rusty - he simply says the anchor is corroded into one lump and the shank is locked into the fluke.

All galvanised steel anchors will eventually lose their gal - its not unusual.

 

[RobbieW]

Thanks Robbie.

Can I ask who did the work. Many galvanisers seem very reluctant to undertake this type of project so contact details would be helpful.

Robin Sims at http://simsmarine.co.uk/index.htm. I think the trick is finding a workshop having regular galvanising done who can do the prep required, removing the lead and cleaning the metal prior to the galv process

 

[noelex]

All galvanised steel anchors will eventually lose their gal - its not unusual.

Agreed, the Spade warranty is extraordinary if it works in practice.

One area to watch Is corrosion at the base of the shank fluke joint especially if you anchor in hard/abrasive substrates . This location is not easily seen when the anchor is on the bowroller so the extent of the deterioration can be missed.

So take the time to have a look underneath if you have a steel Spade.

 

[noelex]

Robin Sims at http://simsmarine.co.uk/index.htm. I think the trick is finding a workshop having regular galvanising done who can do the prep required, removing the lead and cleaning the metal prior to the galv process

Thanks again.

 

[TonyMS]

Many thanks for all these replies. I'll start by trying to get Spade to replace it. When I first contacted them, they successfully sold me their expensive paint kit. But I haven't used it because I can't get the anchor apart.

I'll report on progress, but maybe not for some time, as the boat is in Greece and we're on the way home.

TonyMS

 

[MM5AHO]

One thing about galvanizing often not appreciated is that it is a SACRIFICIAL coating.
It protects by preferentially corroding rather than the steel corroding. But when it's all gone, the steel starts corroding.
It will protect steel at a small distance away from the remaining zinc, typically 5-8mm. A scratch through to steel in a galvanized surface often just gets a tinge of red rust, but not serious metal depleting corrosion.

So for any galvanized steel there's a lifetime, and that's predicted by the environment you put the steel into and the thickness of the zinc. Within some limits of application, the thicker it is the longer it lasts. The tricky thing is that there's little the galvanizer can do to adjust the thickness, it's primarily dependent on the silicon content of the steel. Other influencing factors include surface roughness (shotblast first for thicker galv) and immersion time. Immersion time is of course in the control of the galvanizer, but it conflicts with production throughout. Holding steel in molten zinc from more than the usual couple of minutes costs money, but can be done.

So to guarantee galvanizing for an extended period in a corrosive environment like seawater is over-optimistic to say the least.
If you're interested in how long galv lasts on land, (in the UK) here's a map... http://www.higalv.co.uk/technical/powerdocoating-a-closer-look/ (click on the link called millenium map), or here.. https://www.galvanizing.org.uk/corrosion-map/

 

[jordanbasset]

Spade's guarantee is as below
https://www.spadeanchorusa.com/new-generation-boat-anchors-for-sale/warranty-and-refund-policy
'The Spade Anchor Limited Lifetime Warranty has an amazing reputation as the best warranty in the industry. Time and time again our customers are impressed with the coverage they receive under our limited Lifetime Warranty. Our Customer Service is regarded as the best and we are proud to stand behind it.
All returns/refunds are subject to a 15% restocking fee. Stainless Steel models that are returned via shipping are subject to inspection by Spade Anchor. Value of refund for stainless steel models is determined by condition of the anchor at inspection.'

Not sure what a 'Limited Lifetime Warranty' actually covers though