rusty anchor chain

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ErikKiekens

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Hi there, my anchor chain looks very rusty. What to do? I am thinking of getting some phosphoric acid and have it "phosphatised" in a bucket for a few days until I can see that the rust is gone. Is that a good idea? I don't believe in zinc treatment because the zinc will dissolve very quickly in salt water. Looking forward to your adice!
Erik the sailorman
 
If the links are fairly sound send it for regalvanising at a specialist plant. It should be hot rolled to prevent the links sticking together in big lumps. Proper galvanising should last for several years, it does not dissolve in sea water.
 
I'm not an expert in galvanising, but I believe that it can last 80 years exposed to sea water, and in practise it only fails due to mechanical abrasion.
 
Reviving chain

ErikKiekens said:
Hi there, my anchor chain looks very rusty. What to do? I am thinking of getting some phosphoric acid and have it "phosphatised" in a bucket for a few days until I can see that the rust is gone. Is that a good idea? I don't believe in zinc treatment because the zinc will dissolve very quickly in salt water. Looking forward to your adice!
Erik the sailorman
Click to expand...

At the end of 2010 season we took the anchor chain off and revived it. This meant attacking with a wire brush, steam cleaning and pressure washing to get it clean and the loose rust off.

Then I painted it with Zinga, www.Zinga-uk.com - really easy to do and have been pleased with the result. After a season of use it still looks pretty good and the zinc is still firmly attached.
Not cheap but it does seem to do a good job.
 
There have been several threads on regalvanising anchor chain, I suggest you try a search.

I have had good success with painting anchors, using a non-ferrous primer followed by zinc rich paint. On chain the problem is that it will be improved cosmetically but the area that wears most, the contacts between the links, will be unprotected.

Hydrochloric acid will remove the rust and any remaining zinc galvanising but it will rust very quickly. Phosphate might work for a while but is usually most effective when it is painted afterwards.
 
we put ours in a cement mixer with some corse sand and gravel cant quote exact mix a couple of shovels of each i think it came up a treat and cut out the elbow grease
 
I'm biassed of course, but re-galvanizing is the only answer.
The standard pretreatment for galvanizing will remove the rust and the remaining zinc.
Zinc does not "dissolve" in seawater.
It does corrode, but then that's how it protects the steel - preferential or sacrificial corrosion of zinc instead of steel.

Galvanizing is not appropriate for grade 80 chain, but it would be rare to use that for anchor chain.

Unless there's an electric circuit involved, galvanizing can last 20 years in the splash zone. But an anchor and chain doesn't normally live there, it lives in the chain locker, and occasionally comes out for a swim. So it will last longer.

I did my own chain myself 5 years back the last time. Still looks like new. That chain is on its 3rd galvanized coat in 40 years, was not really necessary, but if you get it free...
 
We spent a few weeks anchored stern to in Methana Greece last year and the volcanic sulphur spring water managed to strip most of the zinc off our chain..and it rusted badly..got it re-galvanised in malta later which seems to have worked OK and was'nt too expensive, but we did get told it is a bad idea to try to coat the chain in anything like paint because it is an extra layer to strip before regalvanising.
Brian
 
Ive just collected my re-galvanised chain from Wedges at Wolverhamton.
50 m of 8mm cost £112 looks good and should be ok for a few more years.
I read that the new galvanising is probably better than the new stuff.
There is a recent thread but as ever you may have to search for it. VYV has made a good response there (IIRC)The concrete mixer and coarse sand is a good idea if you just want to get the rust off, this also helps when you need to examine the chain as it is easier to spot if significant rusting has occured.
 
MM5AHO said:
I'm biassed of course, but re-galvanizing is the only answer.
The standard pretreatment for galvanizing will remove the rust and the remaining zinc.
Click to expand...
Agree! If the rusting is minor you may not need to have the chain shotblast first, which will save a significant chunk of the cost.

Its worth shopping around, as prices seem to vary quite a bit, and many places have a minimum load, typically 50kg. But you could always get your anchor done as well.

Regalvanising will last at least five years, even with heavy use. With phosphoric acid you'll be back at square one within four months.
 
If your chain needs shotblasting before re-galvanizing, then you need anew chain.
The standard pretreatment for galvanizing will remove rust, except rust that's so severe that the chain is beyond useful life.
 
stevensuf said:
i must have been shopping in the wrong places, as the quotes i got for shot blasting/galvanizing were almost es expensive as buying new chain!
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At the time I wrote my YM article regalvanising was about a quarter of the cost of new chain. The cost has gone up a lot since then, my first 60 metres cost £92 whereas my later 50 metres was £110. The 50 metres that cost pcatterall £110 to regalvanise would have cost £270 from Jimmy Green, £275 from Force 4. Bear in mind that the quality of galvanising on a job done by BE Wedge will be considerably better than you will find on most of the chandlery stuff. The upper photo shows the minimum amounts of zinc typical of production chain. The one below is my regalvanised chain, visibly far more zinc on it.

Productionchain.jpg


regalvanised.jpg
 
Where in Malta did you get it done? and what roughly did it cost?

I'm in Gozo, but plan to go to round to Malta to get a few jobs done.
 
billcowan said:
Where in Malta did you get it done? and what roughly did it cost?

I'm in Gozo, but plan to go to round to Malta to get a few jobs done.
Click to expand...

Oh I guess you're asking me, We were in Grand Harbour marina and a short way up the hill towards town is a bar (town pub or something) and a small chandlers, the guy there can sort most things and he found the galvanisers and did the delivery return stuff
I think the cost was around 2 euro a kilo.. i'd have to check the records to be sure. Probably cheaper to find the galvanisers yourself but the convenience was worth it.
Brian
 
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