brass v aluminium

[dreadnought]

hi all,i`m looking at fitting some running strips on the sliding back hatch of my nb,i`ve priced up some brass strips but they are very expensive,so i`m looking for alternatives,i found in my shed  left over from another project some  aluminium strips that are bob on size wise, so my question is, has anyone used aluminium for the runners and how do they perform,many thanks

[dmr]

I doubt anyone has used ali for runners as brass is the much better choice, but yes, it is an expensive metal.

 

Ali is a very soft metal and will go a bit sort of powdery on the surface when exposed to the elements unless it is anodised, and if anodised that will likely wear through before long. Brass prices are a bit variable so if you shop around on eBay and www you might get it a bit cheaper.

 

..............Dave

[Tracy D'arth]

10 minutes ago, dreadnought said:

hi all,i`m looking at fitting some running strips on the sliding back hatch of my nb,i`ve priced up some brass strips but they are very expensive,so i`m looking for alternatives,i found in my shed  left over from another project some  aluminium strips that are bob on size wise, so my question is, has anyone used aluminium for the runners and how do they perform,many thanks

There will be some surface corrosion but it should be OK, what is the rubbing surface on the hatch?

I tend to use stainless steel, its cheaper than brass and will outlast us all without all that polishing.

[dreadnought]

1 minute ago, Tracy D'arth said:

There will be some surface corrosion but it should be OK, what is the rubbing surface on the hatch?

I tend to use stainless steel, its cheaper than brass and will outlast us all without all that polishing.

thanks for the reply,the hatch is steel that will be in contact with the runners

[Tracy D'arth]

9 minutes ago, dreadnought said:

thanks for the reply,the hatch is steel that will be in contact with the runners

Be much better with a bit of nylon or paxolin, even Formica stuck on the hatch underside to slide on the runner.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene is a good material for runners, or the slides too. I use it on the hatch side on my boat, replacing the original brass slides. They go on the existing brass runners, but either, or both could be in UHMWPE. It is almost as slippery as PTFE, but safer to machine. Can run dry, but a little bit of wax bicycle chain lube makes the hatch slide really easily and doesn't stain clothes when leant on.

Jen

Edited September 20, 2020 by Jen-in-Wellies

[Tracy D'arth]

19 minutes ago, Jen-in-Wellies said:

Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene is a good material for runners, or the slides too. I use it on the hatch side on my boat, replacing the original brass slides. They go on the existing brass runners, but either, or both could be in UHMWPE. It is almost as slippery as PTFE, but safer to machine. Can run dry, but a little bit of wax bicycle chain lube makes the hatch slide really easily and doesn't stain clothes when leant on.

Jen

Magic material but its almost impossible to glue it to anything, same as PTFE and polythene.

[dor]

Aluminium being very reactive’self-anodises’, I.e. it forms a passive layer to prevent further corrosion.  As this will be readily rubbed off on the slides it will corrode quite quickly and won’t slide easily.

Brass is dearer, but you only buy it once.

a bit of wax polish dribbled on the runner occasionally helps it run smoothly, or as suggested, HDPE or nylon coating on the slide will help.  Having said that, mine is plain steel like yours in contact with brass runners.

[Jen-in-Wellies]

1 hour ago, Tracy D'arth said:

Magic material but its almost impossible to glue it to anything, same as PTFE and polythene.

Yes, it would need to be bolted down, but that would make it easy to replace if/when it eventually wears out. Surface preparation recipes for PTFE glueing start with Hydrofluoric acid and get more horrible from there.

Deep set countersunk machine screws, or tapped and bolted from the other side.

Edited September 20, 2020 by Jen-in-Wellies

[Cas446]

Try this place for sourcing metals. They are based in Birmingham and their shop front hasn't changed in the last 30 years. Great place my dad has used them for many years.

https://www.johnkeatleymetals.com/ 

 

Edited September 21, 2020 by Cas446
Spelling

[dmr]

2 hours ago, Cas446 said:

Try this place for sourcing metals. They are based in Birmingham and their shop front hasn't changed in the last 30 years. Great place my dad has used them for many years.

https://www.johnkeatleymetals.com/ 

 

They are a brilliant place to visit, a proper little bit of history, and if you turn up on a Friday afternoon you can get some real bargains. They are not really set up for internet/mail order shopping and so some other suppliers can be a fair bit cheaper, though if the prices are close its good to support Keatleys.

 

Aluminium warehouse are good (for brass!) but I think they only do full lengths and this puts the postage up. Recently go some brass off eBay at about half the price of the other sellers but had to wait a couple of weeks....maybe they steal it to order  ?

 

...............Dave

[BWM]

The oxidizing (corrosion) of aluminium will be problematic, being one of the most used abrasive coatings it will damage anything in contact with it and may even encourage corrosion on the surface it is fitted to.

  Brass is more naturally smooth and ideal for the purpose, you can obtain it on ebay cheaply, try looking for brass bar - this more industrial term will return cheaper, better items. 

[J R ALSOP]

I have brass at the rear and stainless at the front, the brass are coming off asap as I am fed up with polishing.

[MHS]

We used stainless steel and it’s worked really well. We stuck them down with Evo-stik contact adhesive. 

Supplied & cut to size by the Little Chimney Company, the thickness they use for their chimneys was perfect. It’s always good to support a trading boat. 
 

https://m.facebook.com/littlechimneycompany/