Loving stainless steel nuts and bolts

[Edwin Dirnbeck]

I am an old guy and keep my stuff forever.I have a very large selection of stainless nuts and bolts. For the last 20 years or so ,I have been routinely replacing plain steel hardware with stainless ,when I am repairing things.I know that there is an old wives tale about stainless nuts and bolts seizing up. Dont believe it.Now I am not talking about high strength suspension parts.I work on a lot of outdoor stuf ,like mowers ,four wheelers ect, If you cant afford stainless bolts ,try using stainless nuts with plain steel bolts. You can buy ss nuts online almost as cheap as plain steel The next time you take it apart ,you will be smiling..Edwin Dirnbeck

[akajun]

You must not live near salt water, idk about salt roads I’m in Louisiana
But, if it’s stainless and touches aluminum
it will sieze

[ikdor]

I've seized SS hardware just by running a nut on by hand. They were new though which makes it more likely.

[MikeL46]

316SS will seize if you look at it wrong. 400 series is more forgiving. I doubt common SS nuts/bolts are 300 series. Still, I will continue to use anti-seize on stainless fasteners.

Mike

[A.K. Boomer]

I've seized SS hardware just by running a nut on by hand. They were new though which makes it more likely.

Yup --- Iv seized them by running it on by hand to check the "fit" and they went on like butter no binding then back it off they would bind then could not get it off by hand then put wrenches on it - little more movement but totally locking up to the point of breaking,

be very careful using stainless on stainless for anything critical as you will not know what your "effective torque rating" is - could be 90% gridlock and only 10% tensile and there's no real way of telling....

I anti-seize all stainless on stainless - still no guarantee's but best odds of survival...

[Michael Edwards]

Yup --- Iv seized them by running it on by hand to check the "fit" and they went on like butter no binding then back it off they would bind then could not get it off by hand then put wrenches on it - little more movement but totally locking up to the point of breaking,

Plus one to the above. I typically use ss bolts w/never seize and a nylock nut with very good results, out of salt water, in salt water and even in salt water on aluminum boats without issue.

[Galaxie]

+2 on the seizing thing. Knock-on-wood, I've only done it once so far, but that's because I learned and started lubricating the threads first.

[Cuttings]

A little bit of Teflon pipe sealer on the threads and and it won't seize even in aluminum around salt water.

[Doozer]

I have no problem with SS hardware, but then again, I have no problem with steel hardware.
I have lived in Buffalo NY all my life, and now in Charlotte NC.
Even vehicles with road salt, never a problem for me.
I have a lot of experience with removing nuts and bolts and not breaking them.
I never almost never use an impact wrench. Only on wheel studs. Nothing else.
If the nut of bolt is not breaking loose with normal effort, I stop and re-assess
what I am doing. There are numerous courses of action one can take to free
up a seized nut or bolt. Not going to get in to them here. But the key to success
is not to just bull through life like so many individuals do.
That being said, stainless hardware has it's own problems and challenges.
Galling and seizing potential have to be carefully evaluated and prevention measures taken.
SS hardware is not the golden answer to steel hardware rusting and seizing. Far from it.
In fact, I would MUCH rather deal with a rust seized steel nut or bolt than deal with a SS
bolt or nut that was seized. Any day of the week.
So to sum it up, no stainless hardware for me.
Sum guys like long bed pickup trucks.
Some guys like short bed pickup trucks.
Some guys like fat chicks.
Some guys like skinny chicks.
Same goes for hardware.
Peace out.

--Doozer

[garyhlucas]

I have used tons of stainless fasteners and thread seizing has caused cutting the nut off more times than I care to admit. However I have NEVER had a stainless fastener sieze when I used blue loctite to keep it together. I just disassembled a greenhouse machine about 25 years old with all stainless fasteners. Hundreds of bolts SS to SS and SS to Aluminum and not one siezed!

[A.K. Boomer]

Agree with most everything you wrote Dooze except for the "get it gun" if I have a direct line to engage the gun then it's actually my go too tool for stubborn nuts and bolts, but i use kids gloves --- I set the air input way down -- I then hit the fastener with penetrating oil --- I then let the gun do it's thing --- vibrate and work the penetrating oil into area and then hear that ZING sound when things finally break loose....

[gellfex]

I use 18-8 SS screws and nylocs almost exclusively for my work, which since it's for puppets and costumes is in a sweaty, moist environment. Never have them seize. And it's often hodling aluminum, no corrosion issues.

[Michael Edwards]

I use 18-8 SS screws and nylocs .

That is the standard alloy.

[Willy]

That is the standard alloy.

Yup, very true for nuts and bolts, and the 18-8 series is usually either the 303 or 304 series. I think all but the marine grade 316 hardware I have is 304.Haven't had too much issue with them galling or seizing, but then I usually use a small dab of anti-seize on them to err on the side of caution as I have had them seize when dry and on the tight side.
I believe most of the self tapping SS screws are of the 410 type since they can be made harder by heat treatment. The other more common grades of nuts or bolts cannot be hardened.
I've used the 416 grade quite a few times to make pressure washer pistons since it can be hardened, lovely stuff to machine. Also an excellent rifle barrel steel.
Not as corrosion resistant as the 300 series but good enough for the girls I go with.

[JoeLee]

I've never had any issues with stainless hardware and I have stuff that's been outside for over 20 years.
A friend had a nut gall up on a U-bolt and I had to cut it to remove it. Later I sliced the nut in half to see what the threads looked like inside.

Both were non-magnetic, the U-bolt threads measured up properly, but I couldn't check the nut. The thread peaks of the nut did look a little flat topped and I had suspected that the nut may have been a little too loose fitting on the mating part which could have caused it by not having enough or deep enough thread contact.

JL..................