Small welding job

[misterhino]

I have purchased some extra chain, as anchoring more seems to be on the cards, and want to join it to my existing chain, I will be using a stainless steel link, for safety I would like it welded closed.

Does anyone know a welder in the Chichester area (Sparkes Marina), who could look at this small job?

Thanks

 

[vyv_cox]

I strongly suggest that you do not do this. A welded link is always going to be suspect, no matter who does it. A stainless one raises even more issues. Buy the proper connector for the job, a C-link made by Crosby. See this page C-links for more information.

 

[RichardS]

I thought that the OP was talking about welding up something like a Crosby link for extra security. I'm not sure how desirable that would be in case the welding process changes the nature of the metal in the link but if we're talking about welding up an ordinary open link then my observation would be the same as Vyv's.

Richard

 

[rogerthebodger]

I joined various lengths of 10mm MS chain with C link welding up and trimming back with no issue.

This I did before regalvanizing.

Of cause you cannot do this with HT steel chain as it will take the temper out of the steel link.

I would not mix stainless links with galvanized steel chain.

 

[vyv_cox]

I joined various lengths of 10mm MS chain with C link welding up and trimming back with no issue.

This I did before regalvanizing.

Of cause you cannot do this with HT steel chain as it will take the temper out of the steel link.

I would not mix stainless links with galvanized steel chain.

Crosby links are high tensile (relatively speaking). The metal used has about twice the strength of that used for the chain. A C-link made from the same mild steel as the chain has about half its strength, an inevitable consequence of its design. Thus the Crosby link properly made up has the strength of maybe a Grade 40 chain but better than a Grade 30. Welding a Crosby will anneal it back to little more than half the strength of a Grade 30 chain.

The stainless links I tested were 316, which would not be affected by welding. I do not know whether they all are, if made from 400 series they would be heat treated.

However, before I became interested in the topic I had an anchor rode that had two chandlery-bought C-links in it. These were almost certainly ones that had about half the strength of the chain. I used this rode without any issues for many years.

 

[rogerthebodger]

Vyv the crosby link you talk about will need to have a material tensile strength at least twice the tensile strength of the chain as the effective cross sectional area is half that of the chain link.

As I welded the link where the gap is I increased the effective cross sectional area taking the load i now mush the same as the original chain so the fact that the UTS of the material reduces due to the heat or the weld would still give a similar max tensile strength of the resolution chain.

This is a galvanized link I used a non galvanized link so as not to have zinc contamination in the weld.

 

[misterhino]

I strongly suggest that you do not do this. A welded link is always going to be suspect, no matter who does it. A stainless one raises even more issues. Buy the proper connector for the job, a C-link made by Crosby. See this page C-links for more information.

Thanks, a c-link was what I was talking about.