The dangers of stainless steel bolts


 
Jon Tofte said:
I agree that stainless screws, nuts and bolts may not make your grill last enough longer for any of us to see the difference. However, I can't tell you how many wood slat tray tables I have picked up where the screws on the bottom are a rusted mess. That rust can make its way to the frame besides looking trashy. I am sold on marine grade 316 stainless screws for this application:

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Other bolts and screws can become impossible to ever remove for servicing and can make rust stains that run. So, for me the stainless hardware is worth it. I think it is also a nice selling point in a flip grill situation.
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I see your point on z bars with wood slats. Any moisture left in the wood would kill a regular screw. And cosmetically it looks better with stainless.

I don’t see how a stainless fastener will prevent leg rot or floor rot.
 
BPratt said:
I see your point on z bars with wood slats. Any moisture left in the wood would kill a regular screw. And cosmetically it looks better with stainless.

I don’t see how a stainless fastener will prevent leg rot or floor rot.
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It won't prevent leg or floor rot as long as those parts are made out of regular steel.
 
Jon Tofte said:
I agree that stainless screws, nuts and bolts may not make your grill last enough longer for any of us to see the difference. However, I can't tell you how many wood slat tray tables I have picked up where the screws on the bottom are a rusted mess. That rust can make its way to the frame besides looking trashy. I am sold on marine grade 316 stainless screws for this application:

View attachment 82780

Other bolts and screws can become impossible to ever remove for servicing and can make rust stains that run. So, for me the stainless hardware is worth it. I think it is also a nice selling point in a flip grill situation.
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I've used black oxide SS screws from Bel-Metric in the past. They have quite the assortment of different black SS hardware.
https://belmetric.com/black-stainless-fasteners/black-stainless-tapping-screws/
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Those black oxide stainless screws look nice. I had not heard of this type, but I am an accountant and still learning a lot since getting into this hobby:unsure:. I wonder how this treated 304 compares to the 316 stainless that I have been using?

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I also bumped up to #10 (it does go through the z-bar holes) but only got 1/2". I was concerned about the situations of re-using old holes and thought one notch thicker would be good. An extra 1/8" would have helped as well.
 

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Yah, Jon, I was thinking those 1/2" screws might be a bit short, but I thought maybe you went that route due to having to sand the boards which made them thinner.
 
The 1/2" #10 seem to work just fine, but next batch I will go for the 5/8" size. I do think I will stick with #10 since I haven't had an issue with re-used cedar boards with this thickness.

I am open minded about the black oxide, but I have always trusted 316, where available. But, that's only CPA experience. Maybe some people with a lot more metal knowledge can chime in.
 
Jon, I think the black oxide vs plain stainless is more of a personal preference thing. I think the stainless screws look pretty cool actually on the black brackets, but then they are not quite as "authentic" looking. Of course, they are generally not even visible any way. I too would go with the slightly larger diameter screws when re-using original slats. They would work well on new slats as well.
 
Our house had chain link fence around the perimeter of the property when we bought it- I would guess it was installed in the 1960’s.

A while back a tree came down add damaged part of the fence so I decided to install new black chain link and refurbish/ paint the existing steel.

The entire structure was almost rust free- the carriage bolts removed easily and once painted everything went back together nicely- 60 years or so later!

Galvanized steel is pretty remarkable, in my opinion.
 
BPratt said:
I just replace the bolts Weber used with the same material bolts on the old east west burner grills. If they held up for 20 plus years new bolts will probably last another 20. I don’t see any benefit to replacing every frame bolt with stainless from a structural standpoint.

The one cosmetic use of stainless fasteners that looks good is on the old lid endcaps that originally used a carriage type bolt.
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Another example where Weber could have spent a few more cents and used high qualtiy stainless instead of regular steel. That would have made this a part not doomed to fail. My sidewinder project is bogged down with these knob bezel screws so rusted out that so far neither PB Blaster nor my Knipex special tool can do anything about getting them removed. Looks like cut-off wheel time. I am not the best at guiding one of those - especially in a tight space - and worry about doing damage.

You can also see where the rust has started to migrate onto the side table, thus my motivation to get these replaced rather than just live with it "as is" even though this will be only a "keeper" grill.

Rusted out burner knob bezel.JPG
this
 
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