Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 01-09-2011, 09:30 AM   #1
Doc
Guru
 
Doc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 508
Zinc Test

I live in a waterfront community with 100 miles of concrete bulkhead (50 miles of canals) . Hundreds of boats in the water and a zillion powered boat lifts. All this electricity near the water does not bode well for zinc longivity. We (every one that I know) generally*get*only 2-3 months out of them.

I have been buying Canada Metals, Made in China, zincs from West Marine. I decided to change so I are going to install some*zincs by the*Camp Company and American Anodes Company. Each one is stamped Made in USA and meet*US Military standards.*I ordered them from USAzinc.com at a very reasonable price.

I have been told that all sorts of crap including battery acid may be in the China zincs.* So now the test is to see if the US zincs last longer.

Now we can start the discussion about other boats, shore power problems and other things that are not under my control. I had an electrician check my stuff and everything is fine. For good measure I had him install an extra ground rod on the house.

The boat has a galvanic isolator.

What about this Made in China vs Made in USA zinc issue? Anything to it?

-- Edited by Doc on Sunday 9th of January 2011 04:07:46 PM
Doc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2011, 09:45 AM   #2
Guru
 
City: Carefree, Arizona
Vessel Name: sunchaser V
Vessel Model: DeFever 48 (sold)
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 10,186
RE: Zinc Test

If in doubt, do not buy zincs from the Chinese. Since I am a metals guy though, to me Zn is Zn. Chances are pretty good the Chinese refiner sells Zn to a big plating company who really checks things out, so you should be OK. Remember though, if in China and the zinc plating or alloy fails, the punishment to the owner of the manufacturer is pretty severe. If in the US or Canada, who cares if a zinc has elements of*Co or Ni ( the common problem elements) in its matrix.

Battery acid? It is not a problem with zinc, lead maybe but a real stretch. Zinc is rarely recycled, lead is 50%+* recycled.
sunchaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2011, 02:10 PM   #3
Doc
Guru
 
Doc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 508
RE: Zinc Test

I posted on T&T and got this answer:

West Marine sells "Made in China" zincs from Canada Metals, Corp. Others
sell "Made in US" zincs from such companies as Camp and American Anodes.

Is there a difference in how long they last?

REPLY
Yes there can be. It depends on how good their quality is.
Many chinese manufacturers rely on subcontracting out and this is when
quality control really suffers.

There is a MIL spec standard that defines how pure zinc must be to be
considered pure. Only a tiny amount of trace contamination is allowed.
Depending on what was used; scrap metal or virgin zinc from a mine the
amount of alloy contamination may shift the end product on the galvanic
scale. Shift it too far and it will not have the galvanic properties
required for adequate anode protection.

The consumer cannot determine alloy purity without a test lab. For that
matter neither can West Marine; so they have to rely on the declaration by
the manufacturer that the zinc anodes are good.

You can thank the well intentioned but hopelessly misguided
environmentalist for banning virtually all metal smelting in North
America, resulting in this Chinese Crap Cockup of questionable quality
metal alloys.
Arild
Doc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2011, 03:19 PM   #4
TF Site Team
 
Larry M's Avatar
 
City: Jacksonville
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 11,682
RE: Zinc Test

That would be an interesting test.* The last time we were in Seattle, we bought new "recycled" zinc's*from*Fisheries (downstairs).*

During that same trip we*hauled*at Canal Boat Yard and they had a*4'x4' plastic fish box for old zincs.* We were told that they*get recycled.* I*didn't think to ask where they went from there.* I wonder how pure our new*"recycled" zincs are?*
Larry M is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2011, 03:58 PM   #5
Guru
 
City: Carefree, Arizona
Vessel Name: sunchaser V
Vessel Model: DeFever 48 (sold)
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 10,186
RE: Zinc Test

Doc

Not to worry, zinc refineries are alive and well in NA, Australia, SA and Europe. Also, the mine has nothing to do with the quality of Zn in you sacrificials, only the refinery. Lots of bunk in the TT Reply, but if it is on the internet it has to be true..

For*the paranoia lovers,*Chinese zincs coupled with inferior bronze and*crevice corrosion is something to keep you awake nights.*Also, be on guard for stray currents from the marina. Even worse, there is lots of Chinese Al being used in jet liners, Fe in hull plates, Ni in stainless steel and Mo in alloy steel. To add insult to injury, the Chinese have now garnered the rare earth markets with Yt, Ga and Nb likley becoming unavailable!
sunchaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2011, 04:24 PM   #6
Doc
Guru
 
Doc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 508
RE: Zinc Test

Arild is not know for bunk.
Doc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-09-2011, 04:55 PM   #7
Guru
 
City: Carefree, Arizona
Vessel Name: sunchaser V
Vessel Model: DeFever 48 (sold)
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 10,186
RE: Zinc Test

Sorry Doc, there is enough bunk in his TT comments to discredit his opinions. Best he stick to his known expertise, whatever it is.
sunchaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2011, 03:33 AM   #8
FF
Guru
 
FF's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 22,553
RE: Zinc Test

"So now the test is to see if the US zincs last longer."

WRONG QUESTION!

The question is do US zincs make your underwater parts last longer?
FF is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2011, 07:05 AM   #9
Newbie
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 2
Zinc Test

Doc, let's get*some facts correct.* "American Anodes"*is the brand name for a family of zinc anodes produced by a Chinese company called Stick Industry. http://www.stickindustry.com/pro6.htm.* They are imported into the US from China by USAzincs.com.*

-- Edited by Naples on Monday 10th of January 2011 09:05:46 AM
Naples is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2011, 08:36 AM   #10
Doc
Guru
 
Doc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 508
Zinc Test

I can't say that I am surprised by anything anymore. The owner of USAzincs.com told me that he quit selling Made in China zincs. Who knew?

The American Anodes ones that I have are stamped "US Mil Specs" but not Made in USA as are the Camps.*I thought that they were all stamped USA. Next time I'll take a closer look. *I wonder if the US Mil Spec means that they are a better zinc.

Thanks for the info.

-- Edited by Doc on Monday 10th of January 2011 10:39:23 AM
Doc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2011, 08:44 AM   #11
Guru
 
Arctic Traveller's Avatar
 
City: Juneau Alaska
Vessel Name: Arctic Traveller
Vessel Model: Defever 49 RPH
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 607
RE: Zinc Test

Quote:
Naples wrote:

Doc, let's get*some facts correct.* "American Anodes"*is the brand name for a family of zinc anodes produced by a Chinese company called Stick Industry. http://www.stickindustry.com/pro6.htm.* They are imported into the US from China by USAzincs.com.*

-- Edited by Naples on Monday 10th of January 2011 09:05:46 AM
Interesting link.* I was in the die casting business in a different lifetime.* We had a sub-contractor (Oakland California) who made shaft zincs, and I know for a fact that he had very little quality control in the raw materials he used. When I asked him about it, he showed little interest in even knowing.* Additionally, when I worked in the shipyard, we re-cycled all the zinc on site.* About every six months, one of the yard guys would melt it all down, and poor it into flat plate molds.* The question of quality came up, and everyone felt they were just fine. I once got a few mil-spec zincs and put them on my boat.* They lasted about half the time of the off the shelf ones.* I only did that once, and went back to the off the shelf ones, and never saw a problem with my underwater metals.* Still, as FF said, a poor quality zinc is liable to last LONGER, but at what price?* ..............Arctic Traveller
Arctic Traveller is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2011, 09:00 AM   #12
Newbie
 
Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 2
Zinc Test

Doc,* answer me this riddle:* how can he say he "quit selling zincs made in China" when he is selling American Anode zincs indeed made in China?* Something doesn't add up.

We look forward to seeing your test results.*

-- Edited by Naples on Monday 10th of January 2011 11:36:56 AM
Naples is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2011, 01:19 PM   #13
Scraping Paint
 
City: -
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 13,745
RE: Zinc Test

Quote:
Doc wrote:

I wonder if the US Mil Spec means that they are a better zinc.
It could also mean that the marketing guy said, "Hey, let's stamp "Mil Spec" on them and everyone will think they're great."

For years we've used "Divers Dream" zincs sold or made by Martyr, which I believe is a Canadian company.* Recently they have changed the molds and the same zincs are labled "Mil Spec" and where it used to say "Martyr" on the top it now says something else ending in "Savers."* The "Divers Dream" label has been moved to the side.* But I would suspect that all these changes including the "Mil Spec" are marketing/branding changes only.

*
Marin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2011, 02:08 PM   #14
Doc
Guru
 
Doc's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 508
Zinc Test

Man, this guy at USAzinc.com must be a total crook. His web site states that all the zincs he sells meet US MIL A18001 Standards. This is stamped directly on the American Anodes transom plate. *Again, who knew?

-- Edited by Doc on Monday 10th of January 2011 04:09:34 PM
Doc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2011, 02:13 PM   #15
JD
Guru
 
JD's Avatar
 
City: New Bern NC
Vessel Name: Stella Di Mare
Vessel Model: Mainship 34t
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 1,702
RE: Zinc Test

Quote:
Naples wrote:Doc,* answer me this riddle:* how can he say he "quit selling zincs made in China" when he is selling American Anode zincs indeed made in China?* Something doesn't add up.

We look forward to seeing your test results.*

-- Edited by Naples on Monday 10th of January 2011 11:36:56 AM
He can say what ever he wants.* It only becomes a problem if he gets hauled into court.* Or Guido visits him.* Either way problem solved.*
JD is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2011, 06:19 PM   #16
Guru
 
City: Carefree, Arizona
Vessel Name: sunchaser V
Vessel Model: DeFever 48 (sold)
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 10,186
RE: Zinc Test

Doc* Who says* the zincs in question are not up to "US" standards (an otherwise meaningless term). Google ISO, it has been the world standard for all things metal on a world wide basis for at least 20 years. The website for the zincs in "question" say they are up ot ISO standards.
sunchaser is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-10-2011, 06:23 PM   #17
Guru
 
Carey's Avatar
 
City: Bellingham, WA
Vessel Name: Happy Destiny
Vessel Model: Custom Lobster Yacht
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 1,101
RE: Zinc Test

Quote:
sunchaser wrote:

Doc* Who says* the zincs in question are not up to "US" standards (an otherwise meaningless term). Google ISO, it has been the world standard for all things metal on a world wide basis for at least 20 years. The website for the zincs in "question" say they are up ot ISO standards.
I wonder if Chinese toy manufacturers are ISO certified.

*
Carey is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-11-2011, 01:56 PM   #18
Guru
 
rwidman's Avatar
 
City: North Charleston, SC
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,870
RE: Zinc Test

I don't know where they are made, but I've been buying my anodes from

http://www.boatzincs.com/

Certainly less expensive than the big marine chain and free shipping if your order is over $100.
rwidman is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Rudder zinc belizebill Power Systems 5 12-24-2011 10:17 AM
Changing my heat exchanger zinc, cant get the plug out...help Per Power Systems 24 06-15-2011 03:09 AM
Hanging zinc block DCBD General Maintenance 15 03-14-2011 09:48 AM
Busted zinc removal ralphyost General Discussion 13 12-06-2010 07:10 PM

» Trawler Port Captains
Port Captains are TF volunteers who can serve as local guides or assist with local arrangements and information. Search below to locate Port Captains near your destination. To learn more about this program read here: TF Port Captain Program





All times are GMT -5. The time now is 04:25 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Search Engine Optimization by vBSEO 3.6.0
Copyright 2006 - 2012