[PSUBS-MAILIST] 302 v 316 stainless for springs

[Cliff Redus via Personal_Submersibles]

 James, your dive environment is different from most psubbers, being exclusively salt water.  I don't have any experience with using 302 stainless steel for hatch springs, but for both the R300 and R400, I use spring-tempered steel wire, ASTM A229, that I have power-coated.  This has not been an issue for the 10 years I have been operating the R300.  Yes, 316 stainless would be the ideal case but given that we don't put these in the water that often and always rinse them off after dives, I would not have a problem with using 302 SS.  While 302 stainless steel is prone to pitting in saltwater, the consequences of failure are low.  If pitting occurs to the point that the spring breaks, you lose some support against the weight of the hatch.  This is not a big deal. It is not worth spending excessively on the 316SS for this application.
Best

Cliff
    On Tuesday, September 30, 2025 at 07:39:00 AM CDT, James Frankland via Personal_Submersibles <personal_submersibles at psubs.org> wrote:  
 
 Hi All
Im struggling to get hatch springs made at a decent price.
Has anyone used 302 stainless in a salt water environment.  I know its not the right material, and not supposed to be used in salt water, but they are so much cheaper and readily available.
I could possibly coat them in some sort of lacquer or even just replace them every dive. They really are that much cheaper.
Im still trying to get 316.
Anyone used 302 springs in the sea?  Did they disintegrate?  


RegardsJames_______________________________________________
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