Painting a SS backplate?

[Father]

Been using an OxyCheq 18# Mach V wing and travel plate with lead on the belt.
Switched to the backplate to get all the weight off my hips and onto my back.

Order this one... mainly because it was a good price.

The picture looks like every other SS backplate.

I finally got it in the mail this week. It looked a little dull, almost beadblasted, out of the box. Gave it the benefit of the doubt.

After one dive it's showing signs of what I assume will turn into rust. I have plenty of other SS parts that don't show any rust after plenty of dives. I always rinse everything off to the point of obsessive compulsiveness.

Pic 1 2

Sent Dolphin Scuba a message hoping they'll make good on it.
So if anyone is thinking of going this route, reconsider.

I'll post a follow-up when I hear back from the seller.

So here's a stupid question...

Can you spray paint a SS backplate with some sort of heavy duty Rustoleum-type paint or (and this would probably be more expensive than it would be worth but) have it powder coated?

Would that protect it until the paint started flaking off or does spray paint really not adhere all that well to SS in the first place?

How about taking it to get Cerakoted?

This is definitely not a "name brand" like OMS, Hollis, or Scubapro, so I probably shouldn't be surprised, but money is money and when you sell something specifically for diving it should be assumed it's going to be exposed to corrosive conditions.

 

[DBF]

If the plate is stainless steel it won't be rust, what it will be is dried out crud that has come from the water it has been washed in, the rougher the surface the more crud get trapped. It is the reason stainless steel is normally polished
Painting the plate will end up looking even worse in the long term. Best thing to do is clean it off and then after its normal wash blow the water off.


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[lucca brassi]

Put the plate on electropolishing best what you can do with SS plate -mirror look (cost me 50€)

If the plate is stainless steel it won't be rust,

not true ! from pictures of surface passivation was not made or was solution too dirty

passivation can be done at home using citric acid (It gets you in a pharmacy or department with preservatives for food )

 

[Rich Keller]

You could try a tool handle coating like this. Shop Plastic Dip Coatings at Lowes.com! This would need to be painted on with as many coats as you feel are needed. I also paint this onto my wetsuit in high abrasion areas.

 

[Father]

Lucca Brassi, I'm not sure what's being done in that video. Could you explain it?

Got a response from Dolphin Scuba.
I'm no metallurgist but I've read on a couple knife forums that bead blasted finish degrades the steel and it's much more prone to rusting as a result. It looks nice but it's definitely not appropriate for metal that's going to be in a highly corrosive environment.

I'm more than likely going to send it back.
Some other people told me to out a magnet on it. If it sticks to it strongly it has a high carbon content and not good steel. Also to clean it with Dawn soap and a scotch-brite pad.


"Even stainless steel will rust,
It maybe rinsed thoroughly but if you are in an area of salt water in the air ,like the Jersey shore or Hawaii, it will show signs of rusting faster than being in other areas with less salt in the air or dependent on exposure time to the salt water.
The unit is stainless and it has a bead blasted finish.

" I wanted to give you an opportunity to make good in this before posting any kind of negative feedback."

If I send another unit , it will have the same characteristics and behave to the same way .I can do that ,but we will want the other unit back
If you do not want to keep it, We will be happy to issue you a full refund but again, we will want the unit back. You will have to ship it back to us.

I am not sure what more we could do,

I have attached the link to the return form and the return authorization number if you decide not to keep the unit and send it back

Please let me know what you have decided

- dolphin_scuba"



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[lucca brassi]

https://www.terrauniversal.com/cleanroom-benches-tables/electropolished-stainless-steel.php

the process is well known in every better metal workshops (special they work with SS )

my backplate :

more pictures in gallery

PS:

The unit is stainless and it has a bead blasted finish

that is process to simply hide irregularities and fingerprints from tools and machining on the BP surface .

that surface is ideal for rusting because you made metal more susceptible to rust .

With blasting you made bigger surface of BP (micro hills and valleys) with smooth and polishing you lower that

surface on minimum ) In that micro valleys is also generated conditions for oxidation and corrosion .

It maybe rinsed thoroughly but if you are in an area of salt water in the air ,like the Jersey shore or Hawaii,

only because of wrong processing or wrong choice of material

BP must be from right material 316Ti ,smooth surface , electropolished and at last passivated ( that is difference

between low cost and HQ backplates )

and i work with metallurgists in same lab.

 

[Father]

So can a bead blasted BP be polished like the one in your picture?

It'll probably be easier to just send it back for a refund and get a better quality one rather than trying to find someone who can make it what it should have been in the first place.


Does anyone know of any other brands that should be avoided for a BP that's going to be used for salt water diving?

Wanted to keep the price lower.... I probably should have know that Storm deal was too good to be true.
I found an OMS one on Amazon that's a decent price ($86) and specifically states

• Corrosion Resistant Stainless Steel Back Plate
• Passivated to Prevent Oxidation

I would assume it means it's not a piece of garbage.

There's also one on DGX for a good price ($75) and also states "The stainless steel plates are polished and passivated."

I'm leaning toward the OMS for the extra pound of weight since I'll be going to a 3mm shorty soon. Figure if I still need a little more weight after that I can add a heavy STA or strap a belt weight to my tank band.

 

[Keith.M]

Hey Father, that kind of bums me out that this has happened to your plate. Dolphin is my LDS. I am glad though that they are offering a full refund.

I didn't really like the storm plate so I went out to DGE for my plates.
https://www.divegearexpress.com/dgx-backplate-stainless-steel

I have two of these. One with about 80 dives on it, almost all in salt water.

I do rinse it after every trip, but nothing special. It does not show any kind of rust whatsoever.

 

[gcarter]

I would still try passivation first.

 

[Father]

Thanks Keith.M
I don't necessarily hold any ill will for Dolphin. I'm just a little surprised they don't know their product isn't suitable for salt water diving.

I was looking at DGX.
Oddly, the OMS BP I was looking at says 6lbs on other sites but DGX says it's 5lbs.