The Rusted Anchor Chain

[Zathur]

Cheap cane vinegar, spray the ball with it, a lot of it, I know its a slow process but its not chemical and also be aware rust is very strong dye and mixing with vinegar it will paint everything it touches, you might have to do it few times. I did this to my Chaim in a barrel next day chain was clean of the rust. if you do acid it rusts even faster.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

By any chance is there’s picture of the problem so we can evaluate possible solutions?

sure, it is just a deep locker in the bow with not access other than from the top

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Zathur

Cheap cane vinegar, spray the ball with it, a lot of it, I know its a slow process but its not chemical and also be aware rust is very strong dye and mixing with vinegar it will paint everything it touches, you might have to do it few times. I did this to my Chaim in a barrel next day chain was clean of the rust. if you do acid it rusts even faster.

Vinegar typically contains 5–8% Acetic Acid by volume.
Cooking vinegar is typically 5% acidity, whereas Cleaning vinegar is diluted to 6% acidity.
That one percentage point difference may seem small, but it equates to cleaning vinegar being 20% stronger than distilled white vinegar [NOT to be ingested].
IDK about cane vinegar, probably 5% or less.

As Cliffhanger noted*, you might need a crane. ➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3423958

[boatman61]

Is the problem mainly the clump is to heavy to lift out yourself or.. is the clump too big to get through the hole.
Either way, may I suggest you try a strop around a section of the chain if possible, then use your spinnaker pole as a crane with the spinnaker line running from the base of the mast to your anchor winch so you can operate and control the 'crane' while at the same time being able to rotate the clump as you tease it out of the locker.
Hope this helps..

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Is the problem mainly the clump is to heavy to lift out yourself or.. is the clump too big to get through the hole.
Either way, may I suggest you try a strop around a section of the chain if possible, then use your spinnaker pole as a crane with the spinnaker line running from the base of the mast to your anchor winch so you can operate and control the 'crane' while at the same time being able to rotate the clump as you tease it out of the locker.
Hope this helps..

Probably not much. Post #3 ➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3423785

[boatman61]

Originally Posted by GordMay

Probably not much. Post #3 ➥ https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...ml#post3423785

That was just with the spinnaker line which if you think about it will pull at an angle thus disallowing ability to rotate/tilt the clump.
Using the spinnaker pole will allow the lift to be done from directly above the clump of chain, a vertical lift with minimal resistance from the lip of the anchor locker etc.
Basic fulcrum usage.. think about it...

[smith8273]

My though is a grinder. I have a Milwaukee M12 Cutoff tool. Using it with a metal saw blade, reach down and cut into the hairball. I would think that that would cut loose various lengths of links, and just whittle down the pile.

[BlueH2Obound]

C-4, or maybe det cord.

[TravelinLight]

Angle grinder and a slew of cut off discs to chop it up into pieces.

[SaltyMetals]

I suspect yr prblm is 1) you did not do a freshwater rinse at the end of each season and 2) you do not have a low level table in the foot of yr chain locker. If that is the case you need to fix both.

How to get the ball of rusted chain out of the locker? Use your bolt- cutter ( i assume you have one since this is standard safety equipment if your mast colllapses).
Andrew

[donradcliffe]

Given the fact that your chain locker gets wider as you go up, I am having a hard time understanding why the ball can't be moved upwards. In any case, it looks like you have pretty good access from above to work with an angle grinder/cutoff wheel duct taped to a 2x2.

[PJS]

Originally Posted by sailorboy1

and just how would you use that in an anchor locker?

And even if you could you would be pounding on the inside of the hull

As if that is a worse idea than dumping acid in a chain locker that drains out into the water?

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by boatman61

Is the problem mainly the clump is to heavy to lift out yourself or.. is the clump too big to get through the hole.
Either way, may I suggest you try a strop around a section of the chain if possible, then use your spinnaker pole as a crane with the spinnaker line running from the base of the mast to your anchor winch so you can operate and control the 'crane' while at the same time being able to rotate the clump as you tease it out of the locker.
Hope this helps..

Well the current problem is the "clump" is stuck to the bottom of the locker. I put the spinnaker halyard on it and cranked till I got worried something was going to break and stopped.

So I went to hardware store and got some acid and some wax to plus the drain holes. Tomorrow I an going to try an acid bath to try to loosen the chain ball so that it pulls off the bottom of the locker.

[thinwater]

Stop frogging about with vinegar. A complete waste of time and worse for the environment (more COD per unit acidity than HCl). 4-6% HCl is standard for HD de-scaling of steel (it is 30% in the jug). Unless you want to flood the locker (probably not), put it in some sort of watering can and drizzle over the top every 10 minutes for a hour or more. Then let sit and hour before rinsing. Yes, you will discharge low pH, but it's just chloride. And if you control your usage, most of the acidity will be consumed eating the steel. Drizzle.



I might try a slide hammer, but it should be looser. If not, more acid. I'd be careful with a cut-off blade; if it jams it can break and throw high speed fragments. Maybe a standard grinding disk is safer.



Then throw the whole chain away. Sounds like crap.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by PJS

As if that is a worse idea than dumping acid in a chain locker that drains out into the water?

A gallon of 20% acid isn't going to be a big issue draining into a dirty river with a 20' depth and a 1+ knot current. But making a hole in the bow of the boat is definitely a problem

Mystery to me why some many posters here want to jump to a boat destruction method.