Rusty Chain

[Spirit of Glenans]

The anchor chain that came with my latest aquisition is fairly rusty. I'm wondering:
(A) what level of corrosion can I get away with before calling it scrap?
(B)Are certified links (Crosby, I think?) reliable enough to use if I go down the road of cutting out the worst parts?
(C)Is rust remover, then multiple coats of zinc paint, a viable scheme, or is regalvanising the only show in town?

 

[pcatterall]

Chip any loose rust from a sample of the worst links to asess how much material has gone. If you want to restore then I would recommend a galvaniser ( consensus from a long thread last year. Did mine last year ( following the thread).
I note that some forumites want to get together to bring a load up to Brum.... good idea.

 

[EdWingfield]

You will probably find that your galvaniser has a big minimum order. Find some other yotties who will share the cost.

Our local is in Birtley, Co Durham.

 

[Searush]

Anchor chain rust is almost always superficial surface rust only. Mooring chains are another matter where sand chafe pls rust can really wear chains down quickly.

The galvaniser will acid clean the chain before regalvanising. It should also be done in a rolling drum to prevent the chain getting galvanised into a big solid lump.

That said, mine still came back with a couple of lumps & knibs of galvanising on some links & a few links gunged together. A lump hammer will separate links & remove knibs, but then you have small gaps in he zinc surface. Cost me about a quid a meter I think, altho actually charged by weight. We just met the minimum order requirement with 2 boats' chains.

2 years on it still looks pretty good but some of the links that were stuck etc are getting stained.

 

[vyv_cox]

The anchor chain that came with my latest aquisition is fairly rusty. I'm wondering:
(A) what level of corrosion can I get away with before calling it scrap?
(B)Are certified links (Crosby, I think?) reliable enough to use if I go down the road of cutting out the worst parts?
(C)Is rust remover, then multiple coats of zinc paint, a viable scheme, or is regalvanising the only show in town?

A) 10% reduction in cross sectional area is a figure often quoted. The majority of loss is usually at the link junctions unless you have high levels of pitting due to unusual watar composition.
B) Yes. See my website for lots of info.
C) painting is tedious and soon wears off. Regalvanising is extremely effective and usually puts back more zinc than was on the original chain.