I'm going to be replacing my safety rail wire soon and thought it would be a good chance to fix the one bent stanchion I have on my boat. Anyone got any advice about straightening a SS bent stanchion?!
Depends on how bent it is.
You could put the straight bit in a vise with soft jaws, slide a larger diameter tube over the bent bit and straighten it bit by bit at 20 mm intervals on the stanchion. It will still leave marks on it though as 316 is fairly soft.
Might be easier to spend $25 or $30 at Whitworths on a new one.
If it has just been pushed inboard so it is no longer vertical , it can be straightened by using a 1200 mm length of 25 mm pipe .
To prevent scratching wrap plenty of insulation tape around the stanchion at the top, just below the lower lifeline and just above the base , use 3 u bolts and clamps to attach the pipe to the inboard side of the stanchion at the tape points , then the stanchion can be eased back to its original position.
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Pilgrim
