Went to buy some stainless 1/4-20 wingnuts from Home Depot for my
boat (Tolman Skiff). All thjey had were some really crappy looking
ones. Sure enough, made in China. I threw them back on the shelf
figuring they were probably pot metal. Cannot trust Chinese made
stuff. Went to Ace and bought some US made ones. They cost a lot
more but I know they are real SS.
Th cheapo Chinese stuff really costs a LOT more than the US made stuff
if you figure you will likely need to replace the Chinese stuff.
Besides, when I am offshore, I want to be sure my boat will stay
together. My life is worth paying a little more.

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:49:19 -0700 (PDT),
wrote:

Went to Ace and bought some US made ones. They cost a lot
more but I know they are real SS.

Test them with a magnet. Real SS isn't magnetic.

If it's magnetic, it's probably imported.

On Apr 20, 9:49*pm, wrote:
Went to buy some *stainless 1/4-20 wingnuts from Home Depot for my
boat (Tolman Skiff). *All thjey had were some really crappy looking
ones. *Sure enough, made in China. *I threw them back on the shelf
figuring they were probably pot metal. *Cannot trust Chinese made
stuff. *Went to Ace and bought some US made ones. *They cost a lot
more but I know they are real SS.
Th cheapo Chinese stuff really costs a LOT more than the US made stuff
if you figure you will likely need to replace the Chinese stuff.
Besides, when I am offshore, I want to be sure my boat will stay
together. *My life is worth paying a little more.

Chinese tool quality has come up quite a bit in the past 10-15 years
but I haven't dealt with their fasteners yet, all of the nails and
screws I use are Made in USA. I agree with your point about
replacement being an issue and with a boat, going with the best you
can find is very important. Has anyone else here used Chinese boat
stuff?

On Apr 20, 11:12 pm, "David E. Powell"
wrote:
On Apr 20, 9:49 pm, wrote:

Went to buy some stainless 1/4-20 wingnuts from Home Depot for my
boat (Tolman Skiff). All thjey had were some really crappy looking
ones. Sure enough, made in China. I threw them back on the shelf
figuring they were probably pot metal. Cannot trust Chinese made
stuff. Went to Ace and bought some US made ones. They cost a lot
more but I know they are real SS.
Th cheapo Chinese stuff really costs a LOT more than the US made stuff
if you figure you will likely need to replace the Chinese stuff.
Besides, when I am offshore, I want to be sure my boat will stay
together. My life is worth paying a little more.

Chinese tool quality has come up quite a bit in the past 10-15 years
but I haven't dealt with their fasteners yet, all of the nails and
screws I use are Made in USA. I agree with your point about
replacement being an issue and with a boat, going with the best you
can find is very important. Has anyone else here used Chinese boat
stuff?

The Chinese ones were $1.20 for a dozen while the USA made ones at Ace
were $1.10 EACH. Yeah, I got ripped off but I needed them NOW and
will not put chinese crap on my boat.

On Apr 20, 10:17*pm, wrote:
On Apr 20, 11:12 pm, "David E. Powell"
wrote:





On Apr 20, 9:49 pm, wrote:

Went to buy some *stainless 1/4-20 wingnuts from Home Depot for my
boat (Tolman Skiff). *All thjey had were some really crappy looking
ones. *Sure enough, made in China. *I threw them back on the shelf
figuring they were probably pot metal. *Cannot trust Chinese made
stuff. *Went to Ace and bought some US made ones. *They cost a lot
more but I know they are real SS.
Th cheapo Chinese stuff really costs a LOT more than the US made stuff
if you figure you will likely need to replace the Chinese stuff.
Besides, when I am offshore, I want to be sure my boat will stay
together. *My life is worth paying a little more.

Chinese tool quality has come up quite a bit in the past 10-15 years
but I haven't dealt with their fasteners yet, all of the nails and
screws I use are Made in USA. I agree with your point about
replacement being an issue and with a boat, going with the best you
can find is very important. Has anyone else here used Chinese boat
stuff?

The Chinese ones were $1.20 for a dozen while the USA made ones at Ace
were $1.10 EACH. *Yeah, I got ripped off but I needed them NOW and
will not put chinese crap on my boat.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

$1.10? i think that's plenty, but when you think about it, it really
isn't that high for quality stainless. At least you know they arn't
going to have their plating turn to corrosion, then powder, then rust
the first month left out in the humidity.

On Apr 21, 3:17 pm, wrote:

The Chinese ones were $1.20 for a dozen while the USA made ones at Ace
were $1.10 EACH. Yeah, I got ripped off but I needed them NOW and
will not put chinese crap on my boat.

At those prices you get a dozen against one.
That means one with 11 replacements
In the real world the Chinese fittings are no better or worse than any
made in any other country..

On Apr 20, 11:18*pm, george wrote:
On Apr 21, 3:17 pm, wrote:

The Chinese ones were $1.20 for a dozen while the USA made ones at Ace
were $1.10 EACH. *Yeah, I got ripped off but I needed them NOW and
will not put chinese crap on my boat.

At those prices you get a dozen against one.
That means one with 11 replacements
In the real world the Chinese fittings are no better or worse than any
made in any other country..

That's true, but the diffeence is in the quality of steel.

I have found that out the hard way with Heavy diesel armature shafts.

Even if you get them with heat treated splines, they still bend,
twist, or break.

I don't think the chinese know what a "Rockewell Standard" is...

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 21:44:33 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

On Apr 20, 11:18?pm, george wrote:
On Apr 21, 3:17 pm, wrote:

The Chinese ones were $1.20 for a dozen while the USA made ones at Ace
were $1.10 EACH. ?Yeah, I got ripped off but I needed them NOW and
will not put chinese crap on my boat.

At those prices you get a dozen against one.
That means one with 11 replacements
In the real world the Chinese fittings are no better or worse than any
made in any other country..

That's true, but the diffeence is in the quality of steel.

I have found that out the hard way with Heavy diesel armature shafts.

Even if you get them with heat treated splines, they still bend,
twist, or break.

I don't think the chinese know what a "Rockewell Standard" is...

Hey, that reminds me. Spent my first few years out of the Navy as a
heat treater at IH. The bull work, not the technical or QC part.
But we understood it had to be done according to the process.
Heating, quenching, drawing. Sometimes carbonizing with compound.
Hot job!
Later I was in Oregon and got a job at Beaverton Heat Treating, which
was a newly started operation out in the sticks. The owner liked me,
and started mentoring me right off on the technical end.
He was disappointed when I told him I was leaving after 2 weeks,
and I felt so bad for him I told him he could keep my pay, which was
on 2 week holdback. Didn't feel I'd earned it, given his efforts with
me and the actual work I'd done. But he insisted on paying me.
Nice guy, and I hope he made it work. Pretty sure he did.
What got me to quit was the vats of molten cyanide, and boredom with
the work. He had mostly small lot orders and too much dead time,
making it boring. That cyanide ain't pretty, and when you have dead
time you get to thinking about it.
At IH I did many tons of metal a day and had salt stains down to my
socks from sweating so I never got bored. And no cyanide.
But proper heat treating is critical, though most people never think
about it. Need lots of "attention to detail."

--Vic

Tim wrote:
On Apr 20, 11:18 pm, george wrote:
On Apr 21, 3:17 pm, wrote:

The Chinese ones were $1.20 for a dozen while the USA made ones at Ace
were $1.10 EACH. Yeah, I got ripped off but I needed them NOW and
will not put chinese crap on my boat.
At those prices you get a dozen against one.
That means one with 11 replacements
In the real world the Chinese fittings are no better or worse than any
made in any other country..

That's true, but the diffeence is in the quality of steel.

I have found that out the hard way with Heavy diesel armature shafts.

Even if you get them with heat treated splines, they still bend,
twist, or break.

I don't think the chinese know what a "Rockewell Standard" is...

If they do, they probably don't care enough to meet it for exports
heading to the USA. Anything, I mean ANYTHING I find with the made "In
China" label, goes back on the shelf.

On Sun, 20 Apr 2008 20:21:04 -0700 (PDT), Tim
wrote:

On Apr 20, 10:17*pm, wrote:
On Apr 20, 11:12 pm, "David E. Powell"
wrote:





On Apr 20, 9:49 pm, wrote:

Went to buy some *stainless 1/4-20 wingnuts from Home Depot for my
boat (Tolman Skiff). *All thjey had were some really crappy looking
ones. *Sure enough, made in China. *I threw them back on the shelf
figuring they were probably pot metal. *Cannot trust Chinese made
stuff. *Went to Ace and bought some US made ones. *They cost a lot
more but I know they are real SS.
Th cheapo Chinese stuff really costs a LOT more than the US made stuff
if you figure you will likely need to replace the Chinese stuff.
Besides, when I am offshore, I want to be sure my boat will stay
together. *My life is worth paying a little more.

Chinese tool quality has come up quite a bit in the past 10-15 years
but I haven't dealt with their fasteners yet, all of the nails and
screws I use are Made in USA. I agree with your point about
replacement being an issue and with a boat, going with the best you
can find is very important. Has anyone else here used Chinese boat
stuff?

The Chinese ones were $1.20 for a dozen while the USA made ones at Ace
were $1.10 EACH. *Yeah, I got ripped off but I needed them NOW and
will not put chinese crap on my boat.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

$1.10? i think that's plenty, but when you think about it, it really
isn't that high for quality stainless. At least you know they arn't
going to have their plating turn to corrosion, then powder, then rust
the first month left out in the humidity.

Well, I've gotten some of these "higher" quality SS fasteners and they
are magnetic - which means they will rust.