In reply to Post #59
I spoke to him when I ordered last year. It was all a bit of a faff as he was in the middle of selling one of his companies I believe. The number at the time had someone else taking the calls and was a different company, I got Chris's personal number and he knocked me up a four rod set like I've already mentioned.
Not too sure on the retirement front, still seems as busy as ever.
I spoke to him when I ordered last year. It was all a bit of a faff as he was in the middle of selling one of his companies I believe. The number at the time had someone else taking the calls and was a different company, I got Chris's personal number and he knocked me up a four rod set like I've already mentioned.
Not too sure on the retirement front, still seems as busy as ever.
In reply to Post #57
None of my solar gear has rusted that's 35 years old as for MPS I've not seen a pod that Kieth does that does what the WW does.
None of my solar gear has rusted that's 35 years old as for MPS I've not seen a pod that Kieth does that does what the WW does.
In reply to Post #62
My worldwide rusted fact...would never touch there gear again...seems to be knurlings as the main issue....
My worldwide rusted fact...would never touch there gear again...seems to be knurlings as the main issue....
In reply to Post #63
The problem has to be who made the stainless. Obviously Solar doesn't make stainless themselves, instead I'd best assume that they buy it in. Possibly they could have bought some cheap material or had their (Solar) panties pulled down?
I'd have got on the blower, failing that, gone down to their HQ and said you need to sort this crap out.
The problem has to be who made the stainless. Obviously Solar doesn't make stainless themselves, instead I'd best assume that they buy it in. Possibly they could have bought some cheap material or had their (Solar) panties pulled down?
I'd have got on the blower, failing that, gone down to their HQ and said you need to sort this crap out.
In reply to Post #64
The problem doesn't have to be who made the stainless. The fact it's on the knurling almost certainly means its traces of tool steel from the working operations.
It's a real problem as knurling impacts it into the surface. It can't be cleaned off without proper acid pickling/passivating. Nightmare.
The problem doesn't have to be who made the stainless. The fact it's on the knurling almost certainly means its traces of tool steel from the working operations.
It's a real problem as knurling impacts it into the surface. It can't be cleaned off without proper acid pickling/passivating. Nightmare.
In reply to Post #65
Gotcha 👍
Gotcha 👍
In reply to Post #65
This is bang on Yonny. I used work for a fabrication firm on the south coast. Non ferrous and 316 had its own benches, own tooling and machines and your hand tools were either one or the other. Anyone mixing the tools on both had the job scrapped and the material cost docked from their wages. Doesn't take long with the sea air to show up cross contamination and the client always blamed the quality of the stainless in the first instance.
This is bang on Yonny. I used work for a fabrication firm on the south coast. Non ferrous and 316 had its own benches, own tooling and machines and your hand tools were either one or the other. Anyone mixing the tools on both had the job scrapped and the material cost docked from their wages. Doesn't take long with the sea air to show up cross contamination and the client always blamed the quality of the stainless in the first instance.
In reply to Post #67
Thanks to your post and Yonny's, I think we've all learnt something here 👍
Thanks to your post and Yonny's, I think we've all learnt something here 👍
In reply to Post #68
Already said it post 44.
Already said it post 44.
In reply to Post #67
Spot on mate.
Loads of guys believe poor quality stainless is the root cause of numerous issues. The fact is that poor quality stainless is almost impossible to find. It's made up of toleranced percentages of iron and other elements so it's either good or it's bad, there is no poorer or better quality. Just different grades.
A few years ago some Japanese firm got caught out falsely certifying their stainless and there was global uproar in a bunch of industries with everyone having to trace their supply chain. It was a bloody nightmare and shows us how rare "bad" stainless is.
Most steels are tested and recertified every time they're processed (annealed, rolled etc) so it's almost impossible for it to get to market.
When stainless rusts it's almost always tool steel residue or galvanic incompatibility i.e it's been trashed by the final processor.
Spot on mate.
Loads of guys believe poor quality stainless is the root cause of numerous issues. The fact is that poor quality stainless is almost impossible to find. It's made up of toleranced percentages of iron and other elements so it's either good or it's bad, there is no poorer or better quality. Just different grades.
A few years ago some Japanese firm got caught out falsely certifying their stainless and there was global uproar in a bunch of industries with everyone having to trace their supply chain. It was a bloody nightmare and shows us how rare "bad" stainless is.
Most steels are tested and recertified every time they're processed (annealed, rolled etc) so it's almost impossible for it to get to market.
When stainless rusts it's almost always tool steel residue or galvanic incompatibility i.e it's been trashed by the final processor.
In reply to Post #70
I take your point but think Chinese made stainless garden tools would be a good source and easy to find.
I take your point but think Chinese made stainless garden tools would be a good source and easy to find.
In reply to Post #71
Chinese garden tool manufacturers don't make stainless steel. They make tools from crap and sell them to stupid people that believe they're getting stainless for a fraction of the price.
Chinese garden tool manufacturers don't make stainless steel. They make tools from crap and sell them to stupid people that believe they're getting stainless for a fraction of the price.
In reply to Post #72
At work I've seen a lot of stainless with rust in my case its probably down to the cleaning procedures used damaging the chromium oxide layer, although some machines uk built and sourced stainless have no signs 35 years on yet newer machines from europe have not fared as well in the same environment.
Regards to solar pods my globetrotter which i bought second hand 20 years ago has no sign of rust and my worldwide also has none, completely agree with with goose and yourself that signs people are seeing on knurled items is probably down to tool steel residue
At work I've seen a lot of stainless with rust in my case its probably down to the cleaning procedures used damaging the chromium oxide layer, although some machines uk built and sourced stainless have no signs 35 years on yet newer machines from europe have not fared as well in the same environment.
Regards to solar pods my globetrotter which i bought second hand 20 years ago has no sign of rust and my worldwide also has none, completely agree with with goose and yourself that signs people are seeing on knurled items is probably down to tool steel residue
In reply to Post #72
No. They make tools from poor quality stainless steel, which does exist.
No. They make tools from poor quality stainless steel, which does exist.
In reply to Post #74
They make them from cheaper/inferior grades of stainless. The steel meets specification, it's the specification that's different.
Different grades yes, poor quality no.
Not all about corrosion resistance either. The less corrosion resistant stainless grades tend to be much stronger so again, saying they're poor quality doesn't give you the bigger picture.
I'd be taken aback if Solar were using an inferior grade. Bog standard austenitic is more than up to the job and is available off the shelf everywhere.
They make them from cheaper/inferior grades of stainless. The steel meets specification, it's the specification that's different.
Different grades yes, poor quality no.
Not all about corrosion resistance either. The less corrosion resistant stainless grades tend to be much stronger so again, saying they're poor quality doesn't give you the bigger picture.
I'd be taken aback if Solar were using an inferior grade. Bog standard austenitic is more than up to the job and is available off the shelf everywhere.