Stainless steel hardware,... is it really necessary?

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

I think it looks kinda pimpish, but some say that it is the better choice. I'm not planning on jumping into the ocean with my rig then leaving it on the beach to dry, so does it really matter??Thoughts?

thx.
Angela.

[hookitt 1]

It matters tremendously. Stainless is a must, otherwise your rig won't be all bling bling.

Get a grip

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

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It matters tremendously. Stainless is a must, otherwise your rig won't be all bling bling.

Get a grip

But... but... , I don't need to be pimpin' in my rig, can't I just get the standard dull stuff?? Pleeeeze!!

Angela.

[Remster 30]

Look wise, I personally prefer the mat look at standard. But I'm weird.

Function wise: when was the last time you hear of standard hardware slipping? I may have missed some, but from memory all the issues are/were with SS.

Remster

[hookitt 1]

I'm afraid not. Pimpin is now a requirement. It will void the TSO it is not.

[RMURRAY 1]

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I think it looks kinda pimpish, but some say that it is the better choice. I'm not planning on jumping into the ocean with my rig then leaving it on the beach to dry, so does it really matter??Thoughts?

thx.
Angela.

in my opinion, it is not worth the price charged but if you have the cash to burn - go for it. I'd get nickel plated.
rm

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

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I'm afraid not. Pimpin is now a requirement. It will void the TSO it is not.

Well, well.... i'm not doing it and you can't make me!

First a license, now pimp hardware... With all the damn rules in this sport I think I need to take up BASE!
-A

[hookitt 1]

Obviously I lied about the TSO.

Stainless is a nice to have but certainly not a need to have.

BASE will cost you mega bucks. Don't be fooled.

[Jib 0]

No beach jumps?

--------------------------------------------------
the depth of his depravity sickens me.
-- Jerry Falwell, People v. Larry Flynt

[riggerrob 643]

Stainless steel is strongly recommended if you live in a corrosive climate, like the Amazon.
I have been asked to repair four Brazilian rigs because of rusty hardware. It was simpler to install all new harnesses, an expensive project, even if you are at the factory (Rigging Innovations and Para-Phernalia)

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

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No beach jumps?

I didn't say that!! I said no ocean landing... but, if I do... i'll rinse right away with freshwater to avoid corrosion. See, i'm so smart

Tim, I know that you know I wasn't serious... but, just in case (because my boyfriend has pointed out that my sarcasm sux), if you didn't know, now you do. I hope that made sense.
.. Yeah, I checked out BASE early on, that's not on my to-do list at the moment any longer, decided i'd rather swoop... that gives me all the groundrush I need.

Angela.

[hookitt 1]

Of course I know. Also, take a peek at riggerrobs statement. I live in a fairly arid and forgiving climate so corrosion usually doesn't occur to me because I see so very little of it.

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

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Stainless steel is strongly recommended if you live in a corrosive climate, like the Amazon.
I have been asked to repair four Brazilian rigs because of rusty hardware. It was simpler to install all new harnesses, an expensive project, even if you are at the factory (Rigging Innovations and Para-Phernalia)

How do I know if my environment is corrosive? Here in the US, which states fall in this catagory? I live in S. Fla, and might move out to SoCal. My current harness does not have stainless hardware and i've not had any problems with it. Why is the Amazon so bad?

thx.
Angela.

[AggieDave 6]

LISTEN!

Ok, had to get your attention above the bling bling comments.

On my rig I got nickel when I bought it, I just had to send it off to get replaced with stainless. Why? Well for some reason the hardware started rusting. I had never landed in the water and the only time my rig got wet was when my rigger washed it for me.

So there, I have an honest to gawd why you should buy stainless story for you.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[hookitt 1]

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So there, I have an honest to gawd why you should buy stainless story for you.

... and it's bling bling

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

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LISTEN!

Ok, had to get your attention above the bling bling comments.

On my rig I got nickel when I bought it, I just had to send it off to get replaced with stainless. Why? Well for some reason the hardware started rusting. I had never landed in the water and the only time my rig got wet was when my rigger washed it for me.

So there, I have an honest to gawd why you should buy stainless story for you.

Dude, this sux, it's all shiny and it's an extra 250$. I'll think about it. Thanks for the heads up! My shit doesn't sit around in the humidity unused all day or anything.. if it's out there, it's being jumped. Do you think it is due to it sitting in the humidity while you do tandems? I'm just trying to figure out if I'M really gonna need something like that. Mine stays air conditioned when i'm not jumping it.

ugh.
Angela.

[AggieDave 6]

It doesn't matter if it sitting around or being used, humidity can get to it. I seriously doubt it was due to me doing a lot of tandems, even on heavy tandem days I still tend to get atleast a couple in on my sport rig.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[PhreeZone 20]

No matter what it'll add $ to the resale value later.

Yesterday is history
And tomorrow is a mystery

Parachutemanuals.com

[SkydiveNFlorida 0]

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No matter what it'll add $ to the resale value later.

I don't plan to sell it,... maybe ever. If I ever downsize enough to make this rig look like shit, i'll keep it for pond swooping:D In fact, i've thought about keeping my Javelin around for that reason, i'll probably wanna give it a shot in a years time. hell, I guess ss would come in handy for that, huh?

I'm gonna ask around at my dz if it's common for major issues without ss. My boyfriend's rig still looks new after 700 jumps and a few years. I don't wanna buy ss if I don't need it. I really do think it looks pimpish.

Anyone else buy ss because their stuff rusted? Can you give an idea of how that happened? Anyone w/o ss that has had 1000+ jumps on a rig in humid climate w/no issues?

thx.
Angela.

[Ncrowe 0]

Two Words come too mind


" Bling Bling "

"Don't Mess Around With the Guy in Shades- Oh No!!! "

[kelpdiver 2]

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No matter what it'll add $ to the resale value later.

But 250$ worth (100%), or half that?

If she does move to SoCal, the humidity concerns disappear entirely.

[RMURRAY 1]

rusting hardware sounds like a quality problem (with a certain batch) when the manufacturers were switching from Cad to Nickel - I have never seen it in S Ontario and it gets humid here. Nancy at Jumpshack told me outright the only advantage of stainless is the looks - disadvantages are cost and weight (if you like lightweight rigs). I don't buy the resale thing - just like options on cars when you sell you don't get anything for them.

[MarkM 0]

Ahh Canada, yeah, I'm sure it gets real humid there

At 9pm it's currently at 84% humidity in Fort Lauderdale.

[riggerrob 643]

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Ahh Canada, yeah, I'm sure it gets real humid there

At 9pm it's currently at 84% humidity in Fort Lauderdale.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The sky is falling in Pitt Meadows today.
The West Coast of Canada is one long rain forest.

[riggerrob 643]

Parachute hardware rarely rusts bad enough to fail, however, I have seen a few B-12 snaps rusted so badly that the gates did not want to close.
The real issue here is rust abrading suspension lines and harness webbing. That is why I replaced complete harnesses on all 4 Brazilian rigs.
This is most common when cadmium plating rubs off of hardware during manufacture or packing.
Nickel-plating is more durable, but even the latest nickel-plated hardware from Strong Enterprises eventually rusts.
Stainless steel still corrodes, it just not produce rough red rust. When stainless steel oxidizes, it produces a harmless grey or black powder.

Cadmium-plating is soft and easily rubbed off during rough handling.
Once the cadmium or nickel-plating is gone, it becomes a question of how corrosive the environment is.
The Amazon is a radically different chemical environment, with heat, humidity and lots of iron in Brazilian soil. I also suspect that Amazon soil is acidic. All these factors add up to rapid rusting in the Amazon.
On the other hand, I have worked on plenty of rigs from the American South West desert that had hardly any cadmium-plating remaining, however the desert is so dry that it takes forever for metal to corrode. Those American rigs died fashion deaths long before rust ate into their hardware.