This weekend I put my Prindle 18 in lay up for the winter. There is surface rust on all of my standing rigging as I live on the coast and sail in salt water only. The rigging is all non vinyl jacketed. I didn't see any sheared or frayed wires so I should be able to use it all again next summer. Does anyone know of any product that I could spray on the rigging to neutralize the rust?

Vasoline. Works great to prevent rusting.

I use WD 40 and a rag to wipe off the excess. It actually will remove some of the rust you already have as well as prevent new rust.

i'd spray with wd-40 and then try to rub off as much as the rust as possible with stainless steel wool

clean off the red, oily mess that will be left with a rag before covering with vaseline

getting rust particles and oil sticking to your hands and sails next year is best avoided

That sounds like a nasty mess rigging my boat in the sand next season. I guess I could rig the boat first and then turn it over to coat the wires.

Actually this is what I'm doing. I just wonder if I'm only removing the outer surface rust. Just wondering if there was any product that would penetrate the wire twists and neutralize the rust that I'm sure is working between the wires.

The only methods to remove rust between twists that I know of involve acid or the removal of some of the wire, electrically. Neither seem like a great idea on standing rigging.

Wash and soak the rigging throughly in fresh water to remove the salt. You can use paste wax to remove the rust stains. The wax will provide some protection and will not collect sand.

Be very careful about who you tell that you wax your rigging. The only people that I know of that wax their rigging, also scrub the black parkig lot marks off their black Cat Trac tires.

ROFLMAO .... You seriously don't wax your rigging?

Paste wax makes more sense than vasoline if you ask me. I might even try surfboard wax.

On & Off Hull Cleaner will take rust off anything. I use it on my power boat hull and some stainless fittings with stubborn rust stains. It is made of hydrocloric and a couple other acids. It will also take the skin off your fingers and burn your lungs, so wear gloves and a mask. It's some strong sh%$. Just wipe it on and rinse it off. West Marine carries it.

This thread gets weirder with each post. Still can't believe you have rust on your rigging in the first place <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" />

Sorry Mary, I just couldn't control myself anymore <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

It's a little pricy, but try Wichinox, it marketed by Wichard (big stainless manufacturer, it repassivates the exterior to restore rustproofing. Also, Mary, stainless is getting less stainless with some of their processes being restricted for eco-reasons (and rightly so).

If you use a 316 grade stainless instead of a 304, or you pack your boat onto the trailer after each sail, wash it down and take it home (as most sailers do in Oz) OR use synthetic rope rigging, then there is no surface "stain" rust problem

OK, this may be nuts...but why wouldn't it be a good thing to use a rust converter, first, then wash the water based stuff off and out of between the wire strands, then use WD-40, then wax, if one desires the wax look.

It would seem the rust converter would penetrate into the inner wire and kill the rust altogether.

It contains Synthetic latex, organic acids, glycol ether and water and converts only the rust, is washed off the rest of the wire and goes inert.

At least that is my understanding.

What do you guys have to say???

Tom

I got this from another forum. It is a bit long, but I found it quite interesting, written by a materials and systems testing engineer for the Navy and "on-point".

A Lesson on Stainless Steel

Synopsis:

Rinse your rigging with fresh water often and keep out of freezing weather. Routinely inspect for rust and cracks before rigging the boat. Do not use rust converter which contain water based acid. Do not seal with wax as this deprived the SS of oxygen. If lubricant is required use lanolin based materials.

Detail:

Stainless steels are not indestructible materials, or resistant to corrosive attack. However, the family of stainless steels are excellent combatants of corrosion. With the correct selection of alloy and application of good design elements the few problems associated with corrosion in stainless steel can be conquered.

General Corrosion: General corrosion is an attack of the entire l surface. It is the least dangerous because rates of corrosion can be gauged and predicted. The general corrosion rates are low in many aggressive environments.

This can usually be cleaned with a greenie pad and is for exterior surfaces only.

Galvanic Corrosion: Galvanic corrosion occurs when two different ls are in electrical contact and submerged in the same corrosive solution. Stainless steels are grand ls and therefor seldom suffer increased corrosion rates as a result of galvanic corrosion.


Pitted Corrosion: Embedded iron may also increase pitting corrosion. This is one of the most common forms of corrosion seen on stainless steel. Iron particles deposited on the surface of stainless steel through mechanical contact with, usually carbon steels, quickly corrode and form a rust stain. If chloride ions are present this can increase an environment likely to cause pitting corrosion in the basic grades of stainless steel (see picture on previous page). Stainless steel fabricators are cautioned against using the same tools on stainless steels and carbon steels.

Crevice / Shielded Corrosion: Crevice / shielded corrosion occurs where the surface of stainless steel is Shielded therefore preventing the free access and availability of oxygen to the surface. The passive film tends to break down in these areas. Any conditions which give rise to a "crevice" should be avoided. This is the most prevailant form of rigging failure and occurs where the swaged fitting attaches to the cable. Usually a brown stain is evident at the jucture of the swaged furrel and the cable. An automotive dye-penetrant test can be performed on the swaged fitting to inspect for cracks. Bottom line: Replace if worried!

Stress Corrosion Cracking: Both pitting and crevice corrosion can lead to stress corrosion cracking under certain conditions. Stress corrosion cracking is a brittle fracture occurring in an otherwise ductile material. The austenitic crystal structure is prone to stress corrosion cracking whereas the ferritic crystal structure prevents its development.

For stress corrosion cracking to develop it requires the following three factors:

The presence of tensile stress. This can either be applied or residual stress occurring as a result of the l forming, fabrication and welding procedure. A minimum temperature. Generally stress corrosion cracking does not occur under 60 degrees ceicius.
The presence of a particular ion, eg. the chloride ion. It is often hard to quantify the exact chloride concentration needed, but localised concentration of chlorides will often initiate stress corrosion cracking. Eventually the progress of attack reaches such a degree that the yield stress of the material is exceeded due to the lack of residual sound material. High resistance to stress corrosion cracking 15 obtained by use of duplex stainless steels, stainless alloys and super ferritic stainless steels. Read VERY EXPENSIVE L!

Bottom line: rinse your rigging with fresh water and keep out of freezing weather. Inspect for cracks before rigging the boat. Do not use rust converter wich contain water based acid, D not seal with wax as this deprived the SS of oxygen. If lubricant is required use lanolin based materials.

Good luck.

Bob

Why do you have to keep it out of freezing weather? I'm asking because I normally store my derigged boat and rigging covered but outdoors during the winter.

(I was working something similar to this at work so I tacked a little on to my questions to M&P)

Almost all SS is cleaned with acid at some point. When they make SS parts they make certain they get all the acid off (at least for high quality parts) This can get complicated like rinse - soak - rinse - .... while monitoring the pH to make certain there is no acid left. It is one thing to clean a flat plate. Cleaning a SS cable is entirely different. Acid wicks into cracks and between strands at 100% concentration and it has to diffuse out. A slow process involving many water changes.

Rust converters are acids. They have a tendency to get trapped between the strands and more importantly wick into surface imperfections and micro cracks. This can start a real corrosion problem that leads to failure, not just surface rust.

If you are going to use a rust converter, you must be certain you get all of the acid off. Rinsing with a garden hose will not cut it. The acid will have to diffuse out. That means soaking, brushing, and rinsing and repeating.

I don't use acid based cleaners on structural components. I never even considered it because it seemed like a dumb idea. Now it seems like an even dumber idea. However I might give my competitors a bottle for Christmas.

I had to look this one up. A basic or acid wax (most waxes) will break down the chromium oxide protective surface and prevent oxygen from reaching the surface so it can't create a new protective surface. So now it can eat away at the metal.


The next time somebody talks about waxing their rigging, I'm going to make them worry their mast falling down.

I realize this is old topic, But I believe it's quite easy to neutralize the acid by simply soaking the (whatever) in water and baking soda.