McMaster-Carr sells three different grades of stainless steel fasteners.
I know 316 is expensive because it is most corrosion resistant.

What are the differences between 304 stainless and 18-8 stainless
fasteners? The 18-8 seem to be a lot cheaper.

What grade stainless fasteners does your average hardware store sell?

Brian Elfert

"Brian Elfert" writes:

McMaster-Carr sells three different grades of stainless steel fasteners.
I know 316 is expensive because it is most corrosion resistant.

What are the differences between 304 stainless and 18-8 stainless
fasteners? The 18-8 seem to be a lot cheaper.

What grade stainless fasteners does your average hardware store sell?

The operative words are "stain" and "less".

All "stainless" corrodes, it's just a matter of time.

All stainless requires the presence of oxygen to be effective.

I use strictly 316 for exterior marine applications since 304 and 18-8,
basically the same, will pit rather quickly in the salt air environment
found around a boat.

McMaster-Carr tends top be very pricey, but they usually have inventory.

If you are willing to purchase full boxes (100 pc) of a given size, try
Jamestown Distributors, they are my main supplier and they are 3,000 miles
away.

Don't know what you are doing, but have you thought of bronze?


HTH


--
Lew

S/A: Challenge, The Bullet Proof Boat, (Under Construction in the Southland)
Visit: http://home.earthlink.net/~lewhodgett for Pictures

"Lew Hodgett" writes:


I use strictly 316 for exterior marine applications since 304 and 18-8,
basically the same, will pit rather quickly in the salt air environment
found around a boat.

It sounds like 18-8 is probably the common grade found in hardware stores.

McMaster-Carr tends top be very pricey, but they usually have inventory.

McMaster-Carr isn't expensive compared to a local hardware store.

Don't know what you are doing, but have you thought of bronze?

I am buying some socket cap screws. The black oxide ones will rust even
in just a single light rainfall. I am building something that may
occasionally get used in the rain.

Brian Elfert

"Lew Hodgett" wrote:

I use strictly 316 for exterior marine applications since 304 and 18-8,
basically the same, will pit rather quickly in the salt air environment
found around a boat.

McMaster-Carr tends top be very pricey, but they usually have inventory.

Does anybody know a source for stainless fastners and hardware in really
small sizes? Places like Jamestown and McMaster only go down to about
#6 or maybe #4 for some stuff. I need smaller. Like 2-56 or even
smaller than that.

I've got a radio controlled sailboat, which I sail in salt water. Most
of the hardware on it came from a hobby shop, but they really cater to
planes and cars so nothing is stainless. Needless to say, most of my
hardware is quickly rusting.

"Brian Elfert" wrote in message
It sounds like 18-8 is probably the common grade found in hardware stores.



I am buying some socket cap screws. The black oxide ones will rust even
in just a single light rainfall. I am building something that may
occasionally get used in the rain.

Brian Elfert

We use the 18-8 machine screws and socket cap screws, mostly from McMaster.
They are used in tooling that is subjected to steam, water (pH 6.4), air,
vacuum cycles every 30 to 60 seconds for 24 hours a day, sometimes for
months at a time. They hold up well. Never found a reason to use a more
expensive item.
Ed

"Edwin Pawlowski" writes:

We use the 18-8 machine screws and socket cap screws, mostly from McMaster.
They are used in tooling that is subjected to steam, water (pH 6.4), air,
vacuum cycles every 30 to 60 seconds for 24 hours a day, sometimes for
months at a time. They hold up well. Never found a reason to use a more
expensive item.

I'm certainly not planning on buying the 316 stainless fasteners. I was
just trying to determine if the 18-8 or the 304 stuff is the same as the
stuff sold at the local hardware store.

It appears the 18-8 is the same grade as the normal hardware store stuff.

Brian Elfert

Roy Smith writes:

Does anybody know a source for stainless fastners and hardware in really
small sizes? Places like Jamestown and McMaster only go down to about
#6 or maybe #4 for some stuff. I need smaller. Like 2-56 or even
smaller than that.

My local hardware store has a bin of small stainless bolts. Not sure if
they go down to #2 though.

Brian Elfert

"Roy Smith" wrote in message
...

Does anybody know a source for stainless fastners and hardware in really
small sizes? Places like Jamestown and McMaster only go down to about
#6 or maybe #4 for some stuff. I need smaller. Like 2-56 or even
smaller than that.


http://www.smallparts.com

Goes down to #0. Metric sizes, too.

In article et,
"Henry Bibb" wrote:

http://www.smallparts.com

Cool. They look like they've got a really good selection. Thanks for
the info!

"Brian Elfert" wrote in message

I'm certainly not planning on buying the 316 stainless fasteners. I was
just trying to determine if the 18-8 or the 304 stuff is the same as the
stuff sold at the local hardware store.

It appears the 18-8 is the same grade as the normal hardware store stuff.

Brian Elfert


This should help from Atlas Steels:

Chemical Formula
Fe, 0.8% C, 17.5-20% Cr, 8-11% Ni, 2% Mn, 1% Si, 0.045% P, 0.03%
S



Grade 304 is the standard "18/8" stainless; it is the most versatile and
most widely used stainless steel, available in a wider range of products,
forms and finishes than any other. It has excellent forming and welding
characteristics. The balanced austenitic structure of Grade 304 enables it
to be severely deep drawn without intermediate annealing, which has made
this grade dominant in the manufacture of drawn stainless parts such as
sinks, hollow-ware and saucepans. For these applications it is common to use
special "304DDQ" (Deep Drawing Quality) variants. Grade 304 is readily brake
or roll formed into a variety of components for applications in the
industrial, architectural, and transportation fields. Grade 304 also has
outstanding welding characteristics. Post-weld annealing is not required
when welding thin sections.

Brian Elfert wrote:

McMaster-Carr sells three different grades of stainless steel fasteners.
I know 316 is expensive because it is most corrosion resistant.

What are the differences between 304 stainless and 18-8 stainless
fasteners? The 18-8 seem to be a lot cheaper.

What grade stainless fasteners does your average hardware store sell?

You might find the discussion at
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/WestAdvisorDisplayView?advisor=788.htm
to be helpful.


Brian Elfert

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)