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Old 14-09-2015, 15:32   #1
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Did your chain break after regalvanising?

Has anyone experienced a chain breaking after re-galvanising it? Mine is a tested and calibrated 10mm short-link chain that I am considering re-galvanising.
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Old 14-09-2015, 16:02   #2
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

The zinc plating that they cover the chain with is generally put on a new chain. When you regalvanize a chain, first they dip them in acid to clean everything off like rust, paint, barnacles, and etc. when they treat it with acid you loose a very small amount of the original chain. however since the lose is on just the outside of the chain, even if they only remove, say .002, That is .004 by the time you measure all around the chain. I had my chain redipped when I bought the boat. I never had any problems with it so I guessed it was still strong enough, but how would you tell without a pull test to see how strong it was before it broke. That is the same with a new chain. However the price of a new chain is more than twice what it cost to redip. I was satisfied but I never lost my holding so you take your chances. Mac
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Old 14-09-2015, 16:38   #3
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

Thanks hard rock, I would like to regalvanise my chain ($400 compared with $1200 for new chain),but I was told by the chain shop that I was mad to trust my boats saftey by weakening the chain through regalvanising. So I thought I would see others experiences are as I do not want to lose my 8 ton catermeran in a storm or something by making a mistake with chain, so all input would be much appreciated.

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Old 14-09-2015, 17:05   #4
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

I thought the only real loss of strength was with high test chain, losing a little of it's heat treat through the hot dip galvanizing process and that normal chain lost almost no strength at all?
Surely the acid etch process loses almost no steel? Zinc I can see plenty of loss, but the parent steel?


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Old 14-09-2015, 17:16   #5
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

Like A64 said, the heating caused by dipping the chain into molten zinc draws some of the temper out of high test chain. Most chains are far stronger than they need to be anyway. I wouldn't worry about it.
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Old 14-09-2015, 17:23   #6
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

^^ As he said, the chain should be rated for 4-5 times safety factor over a factor 3-4 times greater than the wind load (ABYC recommendations). The key is to use a long (boat length) snubber, which should keep the load down to about about 2x wind load.
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Old 14-09-2015, 17:33   #7
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

Thanks for the replies , has anyone actualy had a chain break?, ill probably get my chain done next week if nothing puts me off here.
Thanks again for the responses

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Old 14-09-2015, 17:42   #8
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

Since it is in reality pretty common for people to do so, why would you think it would deteriorate the strength?
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Old 14-09-2015, 18:22   #9
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

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Since it is in reality pretty common for people to do so, why would you think it would deteriorate the strength?
Thanks stu, the chain shop attendant thought i was mad to regal a chain. This is my first yacht (21st boat) , and im new to anchoring a boat of this size and want to be carefull, I dont want to be in a storm on a lee shore and have my chain break , I also dont want to waste money and throw away a good 60m chain, the longer this thread goes with no chain breakages reported the more confident I am about regalvanising.

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Old 14-09-2015, 19:43   #10
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

FWIW, our 10mm grade G-30 short link chain has been regalvanized three times since we bought the boat and an unknown number of times prior to that. No breakage. On our previous boat, four times under our command, and still in use 11 years later.

Until one gets into G-70+ grades, I don't think it is a worry... after all, the OEM galvanized it, didn't he? He had to heat it just as hot as the re-gal guys.

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Old 14-09-2015, 19:48   #11
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

Hey thanks jim and all. I will now get my chain regalvanised and have peac of mind, I love CF

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Old 14-09-2015, 20:46   #12
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

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Hey thanks jim and all. I will now get my chain regalvanised and have peac of mind, I love CF

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Again, FWIW, I just had mine done a couple of months ago, out at Industrial Galvanisers near the Brisbane airport. They did an excellent job at a reasonable price, in less than a week total. Get y our anchor done at the same time if it is at all rusty... doesn't cost much, but since there is a minimum weight charge, now's the time!

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Old 14-09-2015, 23:47   #13
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

Thanks Jim I didnt think about ⚓ I will now though. They are 15min drive from my place. Cheers Dean

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Old 15-09-2015, 13:15   #14
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

There is a small concern when galvanizing heat treated steel.
The process can induce excess hydrogen into the steel matrix.
When stressed the hydrogen will tend to migrate to the stressed area and cause Hydrogen Embrittlement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_embrittlement which can lead to fracturing. There are ways to deal with this to a point. Having witnessed embrittlement failures on some heat treated fasteners, it is not anything I would ever do..... Low carbon, mild steel....do it all day...heat treated...not so much.
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Old 15-09-2015, 18:07   #15
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Re: Did your chain break after regalvanising?

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There is a small concern when galvanizing heat treated steel.
The process can induce excess hydrogen into the steel matrix.
When stressed the hydrogen will tend to migrate to the stressed area and cause Hydrogen Embrittlement https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogen_embrittlement which can lead to fracturing. There are ways to deal with this to a point. Having witnessed embrittlement failures on some heat treated fasteners, it is not anything I would ever do..... Low carbon, mild steel....do it all day...heat treated...not so much.
Thanks sv rider

How can I tell if my chain is the heat treated one that I am guessing you mean should not be regalvanised

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