Where to Find Bronze Flat Bar for Chainplates ?

[Strait Shooter]

My current chainplates are manganese bronze and were on the boat when I bought her.

During the survey it was noted that one was cracked but that there was a replacement blank onboard. The PO stated that it cracked when he was putting it on. He didn't have them heated and bent but tried to torsion it into the hull shape. Manganese bronze as I found out, isn't the ideal bronze for chainplates.

As I was sailing in 30 knot winds one day (after the replacement of cracked chainplate), I broke a different chainplate WTF, over. A thorough inspection revealed 3 more cracks in various chainplates.

I'm in a position to stop in Port Townsend regularly and stopped to see Dan at PT Rigging. He was the first person to recognize that the chainplates were manganese bronze and told me I should speak with Pete at the Port Townsend Foundry and get his opinion.

Long and short of it is that Pete at PT Foundry advises that silicon bronze is the best material for chainplates when it comes to bronze (and all else in his opinion). Stainless when and if it fails, fails catastrophically. There can conceivably be no warning signs of inner corrosion.

So, I'm in the middle of replacing all ten chainplates with PT Foundry silicon bronze ones that Pete is making for me. I'm sure he'd be happy to help you find material and discuss better than I can the differences between bronze alloys. He's been outrageously helpful and patient with me.

Anyway, my 2 cents.........

John

[wolfenzee]

Originally Posted by Strait Shooter

My current chainplates are manganese bronze and were on the boat when I bought her.

During the survey it was noted that one was cracked but that there was a replacement blank onboard. The PO stated that it cracked when he was putting it on. He didn't have them heated and bent but tried to torsion it into the hull shape. Manganese bronze as I found out, isn't the ideal bronze for chainplates.

As I was sailing in 30 knot winds one day (after the replacement of cracked chainplate), I broke a different chainplate WTF, over. A thorough inspection revealed 3 more cracks in various chainplates.

I'm in a position to stop in Port Townsend regularly and stopped to see Dan at PT Rigging. He was the first person to recognize that the chainplates were manganese bronze and told me I should speak with Pete at the Port Townsend Foundry and get his opinion.

Long and short of it is that Pete at PT Foundry advises that silicon bronze is the best material for chainplates when it comes to bronze (and all else in his opinion). Stainless when and if it fails, fails catastrophically. There can conceivably be no warning signs of inner corrosion.

So, I'm in the middle of replacing all ten chainplates with PT Foundry silicon bronze ones that Pete is making for me. I'm sure he'd be happy to help you find material and discuss better than I can the differences between bronze alloys. He's been outrageously helpful and patient with me.

Anyway, my 2 cents.........

John

Pete makes his out of Aluminum Nickel Bronze, the metal I found to use for mine in 954 bronze strap (also an aluminum bronze) but because I have channel boards it needs to be bent, not an easy task for this stuff. Pete wanted to charge me $1200 for chain plates for my boat.....or $400 to bend the metal if I bring it in (well over the cost of the metal itself).

[tvangilder]

Atlas metals in colorado is my go to spot for silicon bronze flat bar.