Totally Stainless

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ABOUT STAINLESS STEEL: Stainless is a series of alloy steels which contain at least 12% chromium. Such steels will not rust when exposed to the weather. All of our products, with the exception of our larger high strength bolts and internal/external tooth lock washers, are made from various 300 series stainless steels which contain at least 18% chromium and 8% nickel. Prior to forming 300 series stainless is non-magnetic, however the forming process can induce some magnetism into the part. Some of our smaller high strength fasteners are made from highly compressed 304 stainless and as a result show the highest degree of magnetism. The metric designation for 304 is A-2. Even more corrosion resistant alloys, such as 316 (metric A-4), are available for some of our product line and are a good choice for marine use. Our larger sizes of high strength stainless are made from either 16-6 age hardening stainlesss of 17-4 preciptation hardening stainless. Both of the high strength alloys approach the 300 series stainless for corrision resistance but have four times the yield strength (the point at which the bolt will start to bend). Because stainless steel is fairly soft (it only seems harder because it work-hardens) it tends to gall. ALWAYS USE ANTI-SEIZE ON THE THREADS!
STAINLESS VS. CHROME PLATING: Stainless steel is superior to chrome plating because it won't crack or peel as it isn’t a surface coating but the very substance from which the fastener is made! Decorative chrome plating should never be used on graded steel fasteners due to hydrogen embrittlement. Small hydrogen bubbles form within high carbon steel fasteners during electroplating. When a thin industrial coating is used, the bubbles can be baked out. With the thicker decorative chrome plating, the bubbles can not be baked out! The uniform fastener act requires the mechanical and chemical properties of all graded fasteners to be fully tested after electroplating. If you use chrome plated graded fasteners, make sure you get copies of the certification!
ABOUT YOUR SAFETY: We offer a unique line of 'GRADE 8' strength stainless for high strength applications, note regular stainless steel fasteners are only slightly stronger than GRADE 2! Unless you have a death wish, DON'T BOLT YOUR BRAKE SYSTEM OR SUSPENSION TOGETHER WITH REGULAR STRENGTH STAINLESS STEEL FASTENERS!!! Regular strength stainless is great for a variety of automotive applications, but use some common sense. Always follow the application guidelines of the original manufacturer and refer to the torque table on the next page. Even if your vehicle is a show-only "trailer queen", some day someone will drive it on the street, so DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME! See inside back cover for more technical information.