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Old 06-13-2007, 09:24 PM   #21
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hi go to the top of the page and click on portal then forums scroll down until you see the forum for towing or hitches click there and you can start a new thread. Are you saying you have the Equalizer brand hitch? It sounded like Reese dual cam to me. Anyway doing a google search you can find the manufacturers page and instructions. I say this just to tide you over until some else more proficient at explanations answers you.

It wouldn't be from brake dust that the stone guards have rust would it?
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Old 06-13-2007, 09:30 PM   #22
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well with mine it had only been towed about 30 miles from the dealer to the original owner then shrink wrapped for the winter untill I bought it a couple weeks ago, so I cant imagine it would be due to anything but a poor grade of stainless. There are no other areas affected and the stone guards have the corrosion on both sides of each of them. The guy I bought it from never used it or pulled it at all. Very strange to me.
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Old 06-13-2007, 09:49 PM   #23
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Do you think the shrink wrap trapped in moisture? Could he have shrink wrapped it after it started? I had corrosion on the outer trim of my guards with the 2005 but steel wooled them. My chrome and Classic battery box frames in front had corrosion. But the 2007 has several spots of filiment corrosion that I never had with the 2005.
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Old 06-14-2007, 04:40 AM   #24
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What is see in your pictures is the panels have not been properly "passified". The panels have come in contact with plain steel somewhere during their processing during the original manufacture. I spent 8 years working for Johnson/Evinrude Oatboard motors as their materials engineer. People in the marine industry know all about this problem. Most people in the RV business people (including Airstream engineering department) do not. The usual field problem comes from someone using a regular steel wool pad to polish something. This is guarentteed to leave microscopic Iron contamenation and resulting rust. At Outboard Marine Corporation we had a standard proceedure and chemicals to remove all plain steel contamenants and properly passivate the stainless steel. Try goggling "passivating stainless steel" and see what you get. Otherwise the American Society for Metals or any of the large stainless steel suppliers will definitely have the procedure that they can send you. PM me if you can not get a response. Sorry for the trouble caused by Airstream manufacturing but they refused to hire me as a consultant several years ago when I offered to help them.
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Old 06-14-2007, 06:38 AM   #25
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Great info. As for Airstream's responses, I'd have to agree, they've been rather light lately. FWIW, my protectors have a lesser degree of this issue, but there are a few spots that can clearly be seen. Seems they've had this issue since at least the date of manufacture of my unit which was 12/03.
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Old 06-14-2007, 03:05 PM   #26
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dwightdi
What is see in your pictures is the panels have not been properly "passified". The panels have come in contact with plain steel somewhere during their processing during the original manufacture. I spent 8 years working for Johnson/Evinrude Oatboard motors as their materials engineer. People in the marine industry know all about this problem. Most people in the RV business people (including Airstream engineering department) do not. The usual field problem comes from someone using a regular steel wool pad to polish something. This is guarentteed to leave microscopic Iron contamenation and resulting rust. At Outboard Marine Corporation we had a standard proceedure and chemicals to remove all plain steel contamenants and properly passivate the stainless steel. Try goggling "passivating stainless steel" and see what you get. Otherwise the American Society for Metals or any of the large stainless steel suppliers will definitely have the procedure that they can send you. PM me if you can not get a response. Sorry for the trouble caused by Airstream manufacturing but they refused to hire me as a consultant several years ago when I offered to help them.

OMG, as soon as I can get the proper size pickling tanks, chemicals, rubber gloves and a floor length rubber apron I am going right to work on my rusty panel -- NOT. I am going to go after it as a warranty claim now that I know it is a manufacturing defect.

Thank you for the clarification and providing some insight on what happened. These forums are an amazing resource.
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Old 06-14-2007, 06:24 PM   #27
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Here is one I found FWIW:

Feature Article - How To Passivate Stainless Steel Parts
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Old 06-14-2007, 07:05 PM   #28
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That is an excellant article and covers the subject. The Rock guards I think are made from 302 sheet Austenitic stainless steel. The microscopic rust may come from the rolling or could be the result of how the sheets are given the brushed finish. All marine companies passivate all their stainless parts before they are sold to the public. There is also specialized procedures for the precipitate hardening grades but you do not need to worry about that also. For those intending to buff out a few scratches yourself it is important that you do not use plain steel Brillow pads or you will have a bad looking product as soon as the trailer sets around in a humid enviroment and even worse if it is near the coast in the salt air. If you attempt to do your own passivating, the nitric acid solution they recommend is highly corrosive and you need to take very special precautions to make sure none of it contacts your skin, eyes, or non-rubber clothing. You really do not need to heat the nitric acid. The fumes are also pretty bad so it needs to be done outdoors or with forced ventilation and you need full face protection with the right kind of filter on the respirator. Some saltwater marinas have the capability of performing this service for you.
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