Galvanizing service

[Corbert-Beacon]

Hello,

can anyone recommend a quick and efficient galvanizing service in or near Gosport? I have a Spade anchor that needs attention.

thanks, John.

 

[MM5AHO]

Hot Dip Galvanizing Plants in UK and Ireland - Find a Galvanizer

 

[Corbert-Beacon]

Thanks MM5AOH - reading this thread from 3 years ago Spades have lead in the tip which will plop out in a hot zinc bath Rusting Spade Anchor
I think I’ll just tart it up with some rust treatment and rust galvafroid instead!
Thank John

 

[neil_s]

Think about a colour scheme to blend in with your craft - I have painted my anchor white to fit in with the white hull. (Also covers rust!)

 

[mjcoon]

Think about a colour scheme to blend in with your craft - I have painted my anchor white to fit in with the white hull. (Also covers rust!)

Also best chance of seeing whether/how it is dug in in clear water?

 

[Corbert-Beacon]

Actually I’m going to paint it in eel grass and sea horse colours (don’t tell any one ?)

 

[Rappey]

near Gosport?

The nearest I found was in Eastleigh. I think there was a minimum charge of £60 a few years ago.
I had to get my item shot blasted first.

 

[Corbert-Beacon]

The nearest I found was in Eastleigh. I think there was a minimum charge of £60 a few years ago.
I had to get my item shot blasted first.

?

 

[Poignard]

The nearest I found was in Eastleigh. I think there was a minimum charge of £60 a few years ago.
I had to get my item shot blasted first.

Yes, I had one done at Eastleigh.

Wessex Galvanising Ltd?

 

[Neeves]

I removed the lead and arranged galvanising of a Spade anchor. Check this thread:

Removing lead and galvanising a Spade anchor

It was not difficult but I learnt a few tricks along the way.

Painting the anchor is, basically, a complete waste of time and paint. It will not last and it will then be more difficult to galvanise as you MUST remove all and any paint. Bite the bullet and get it done - Spade anchors are too expensive and perform too well to ignore - unless you have bulging wallets.

Your biggest problem is the minimum charge - but maybe if you post again (new thread) and look for a 'consortium' of people local to you then it will become more cost effective.

I found that the heat necessary to remove the lead also helped to remove the rust. I was using a different galvanising process, that uses shot blasting as part of the process, but it came out looking pretty good.

Jonathan

 

[Corbert-Beacon]

Hi Jonathan,

Many thanks for the pointer, interesting read. I have an S100 (20kg) I think, which I bought second hand and a bit battered from a retiring long distance cruiser for £65. It is my kedge and lives in a locker, along with other get out of jail toys. My bow anchor is a Rocna “Ron” with whom I have a long staying emotional attachment to through two boats, and numerous anchoring challenges. The galvanization on Ron has not degraded despite constant service for 12 years, in contrast to the Spade. Although I don’t know what the previous owner got up to it seems the Spade galvanization is possibly inferior.

 

[Plum]

Hello,

can anyone recommend a quick and efficient galvanizing service in or near Gosport? I have a Spade anchor that needs attention.

thanks, John.

Most galvanisers have a minimum price/batch weight. When I wanted one item galvanised I drove round a local industrial estate until I found a small steel fabrication business and asked if they would add my item to their next batch to be sent for galvanising. If the business you ask does not get galvanising done they will most probably know of another that does. I had to wait 2 weeks but job done for £5.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[Neeves]

Hi Jonathan,

Many thanks for the pointer, interesting read. I have an S100 (20kg) I think, which I bought second hand and a bit battered from a retiring long distance cruiser for £65. It is my kedge and lives in a locker, along with other get out of jail toys. My bow anchor is a Rocna “Ron” with whom I have a long staying emotional attachment to through two boats, and numerous anchoring challenges. The galvanization on Ron has not degraded despite constant service for 12 years, in contrast to the Spade. Although I don’t know what the previous owner got up to it seems the Spade galvanization is possibly inferior.

I cannot comment on Spade's galvanising characteristics - I've seen some very average looking galvanising on other anchors.

Spade are an excellent anchor and expensive and as such I might guess most will be generally well used. Life of galvanising is a function of a number of factors - usage being one. If the anchor is well used then its galvanising will wear more quickly than the galvanising on an anchor only used for the occasional weekend. I stand to be corrected but most galvanising is about 70 microns thick and to expect a 70 micron coating to last for decades when dragged through the seabed - seems totally unrealistic (whether it is chain or an anchor). The 70 micron coating is defined for engineering products - most of which see no abrasion and are often regularly painted. Arguably we should have a 'better' specification for ground tackle but the limitations of galvanising means that trying to thicken up the coating will result in flaking or peeling of the galvanised layer - we are stuck with 70 microns! I have been checking what liveaboards achieve with galvanising life of chain and 4 years seems normal, 70 microns x 1500 days at anchor, - or 1 micron every 3 weeks - seems good to me

Having treated a much smaller Spade I would bite the bullet and melt out the lead and have it galvanised. It will look like new (and more so if you find some cheap yellow paint for the fluke). Its really not difficult to melt out the lead - just ensure you have no unexpected interruptions and wear the appropriate safety gear. I used a camping stove and a blow torch. The most difficult part was balancing the fluke such that the lead flowed out and could be safely 'caught'. Spanding time arranging the fluke correctly pays dividends. I pickled the anchor I worked on as the galvanising process I use does not acid clean (though they do grit blast). I would pay particular attention to cleaning the interior of the shank as galvanising will not alloy to an unclean steel surface. If you do not get it clean it will then corrode from the inside. You will need to use your skills to get the interior of the shank clean - sail batten...drain rods... - and only finally acid. You need to get it clean, bare metal, and the galvaniser will clean it again. As soon as you finish cleaning the metal will start to corrode (you will not see it but it will be enough to reduce the ability of the gal to alloy correctly) so whatever you do the galvaniser will clean, again, and then galvanise in one smooth uninterrupted process.

Leaving it to fester means it will continue to rust, make a mess and eventually become a liability.

As mentioned you need to find some like minded people, who might be here on YBW or (as mentioned) a local blacksmith etc) and add your anchor to their batch. Galvanising is surprisingly cheap if done in bulk.

Jonathan