i noticed that my brass wash nozzle has some rust forming inside from water left over, as on my zinc shut-off valve, it never seems to have any problems. i would imagine, isn't zinc just as durable as brass for what we put it through? i'm thinking about switching over to all zinc wash accessories...
zinc just as durable as brass?
- Thread starter BigAl3
- Start date
Setec Astronomy
Well-known member
What color is the "rust" on the brass? Technically, rust is iron oxide, and brass is a copper alloy without any iron in it. Copper oxides are green, like the patina on the Statue of Liberty. Sometimes those nozzles have a steel screen inside that rusts.
Setec Astronomy
Well-known member
In the old days, cadmium plated steel was frequently given a yellow chromate dip which resulted in a "brassy" color. However, due to toxicity/environmental issues with both cad and chrome, that isn't so common anymore. I try to use plastic for the nozzle/valve stuff because it will never corrode, but it has some fracture toughness issues relative to brass, as does zinc (some of the plastics are better than others, but that's too big a subject for this post). I still think you have something going on with steel nozzle internals that are rusting.
Setec Astronomy said:
thanks for the reply. i think i'll stick with zinc, it's a bright chrome color and doesn't seem to have any problems (seems just as tough as brass) from my experience (no rusting, etc..) and not to mention, it's a little cheaper. for the purpose of what we use nozzles, shut-off valves, etc. for... plastic and zinc seem to work more than enough for what we put it through...
EdLancer
New member
Brass is the best material for water hose accessories, zinc is usually reserved for cheap knock off stuff. I don't think you got a real brass attachment, maybe it is steel plated brass or yellow chromated.
I'm no metal expert but I do know that boats put hunks of zinc on to counteract electrolysis because the zinc sacrifices itself before copper or iron.
Electrolysis doesn't factor into the car washing scenario, but to me, zinc just doesn't seem as robust as other metals so I'll stick with brass or plastic for my attachments and washy bits.
Heck, galvanized nails aren't pure zinc either, probably too fragile. They're iron with a zinc coating.
-John C.
Electrolysis doesn't factor into the car washing scenario, but to me, zinc just doesn't seem as robust as other metals so I'll stick with brass or plastic for my attachments and washy bits.
Heck, galvanized nails aren't pure zinc either, probably too fragile. They're iron with a zinc coating.
-John C.