Black Chromate, or "Why the special screws?"

At !!!MANIC Salamander, we're playing for keeps. We don't want to sell anything that won't look and work at least respectably after 10 years parked in the rain, washed twice a year, ridden hard, etc.

We know we can't meet this ideal on every product in every way. Sometimes it is technologically impossible. Sometimes it would cost more than anyone would pay.

But here's one thing we can give you: GREAT FASTENERS!

We use Grade 12.9 alloy Steel, Black Zinc Chromate-plated, lacquered screws EXCLUSIVELY. They aren't sold commercially in metric sizes, as far as I know, so I pay for my own batches to be done.

Why not just use 18-8 Stainless like everybody else?

It seems that all the aftermarket people are gravitating to 18-8 Stainless fasteners. There are a couple advantages:

  • They don't corrode. Even when hot. That makes them a really good choice for exhaust systems.
  • They work ok.
  • They look ok.
  • They are available off-the-shelf.

BUT, let me tell you what I have found after 9 years machine-building and engineering experience with both Alloy and Stainless fasteners.

  • Stainless fasteners get stuck and break off if anything goes wrong.

That means that if the threads of the screw are damaged or contaminated with dirt, metal chips, rust or whatever, the stainless screws have a tendency to get deformed by the mating part, then to harden, and cut into the mating part, anchoring itself so firmly, that within ¼ turn, it will freeze solid, and break off.

  • Stainless' strength to size, and strength to weight, are much worse than Alloy Steel 12.9.

Maybe you keep your bike really clean. Maybe you keep your threads really clean. Fine. Good for you.

But I do not. How can you if you insist on riding on miles and miles of whatever you find, in wet weather? Back at the conveyor belt company, it was pretty easy to fix a galled Stainless fastener. All you need to do is break it off with a wrench, grind it nearly flush with an angle grinder, weld it in with a TIG welder and some filler rod, grind it flush, redrill, and re-tap the threads. Easy as pie. But I don't carry that kind of equipment when I tour, and I want my fasteners to behave themselves anyway.

Grade 12.9 Alloy Steel is tough as nails. No, scratch that. Nails are nothing. It's dozens of times tougher than nails.

  • The threads can be abraded and damaged, but it is much harder to do. Dirty or deformed mating parts won't make your screw useless. It is still worth correcting, but if you're careful, the screw can tough it out.
  • Even if the screw threads get damaged, they stay smoother, allowing the screw to still serve its purpose in far worse condition than would be safe with Stainless. A Grade 12.9 Alloy steel screw will probably be with you at the end of a muddy round-the-world trip, unless you do VERY, VERY bad things to it.
  • The threads are much more precise and smooth, making for a real quality feel.
  • It has phenomenal tensile strength, more than I'll ever ask of it.

One problem; it rusts.

That's where the Black Zinc Chromate and lacquer come in.

I asked around, and this is about as good as it gets. My vendor tells me they coat fasteners this way for Honda. This is almost the same coating as the Green Zinc Chromate that the military has used for decades.

They have a dull grey-black speckled appearance. You may have seen some like them on your bike from the factory.

If you leave your bike in the weather, ride it in the salt, and wash it twice a year, these fasteners probably won't start to rust for 10 years. The only place I wouldn't use them on the chassis is on the exhaust pipes. It is too hot for the coating.

It's a big bother, and it costs money. But as a professional machine builder, I know they are worth it. It is one more battle won in the fight for a quality product.

Request Details

Session Id:njzc3avefxgkkc45x0zijv55Request Type:GET
Time of Request:6/8/2023 1:59:24 AMStatus Code:200
Request Encoding:Unicode (UTF-8)Response Encoding:Unicode (UTF-8)

Trace Information

CategoryMessageFrom First(s)From Last(s)
umbracoGlobalsettingsreserverd urls: '/config/splashes/booting.aspx,/config/splashes/nonodes.aspx,/ext/,/install/,/umbraco/,/vsenterprisehelper.axd,'
aspx.pageBegin PreInit0.00065370.000654
umbracoInithandling request0.00071680.000063
request handlercurrent url '/products/black-chromate.aspx'0.0009630.000246
umbracoRequestHandlerxpath: '/root/*/* [@urlName = "products"]/* [@urlName = "black-chromate"] | /root/* [@urlName = "black-chromate"]'0.00108370.000121
umbracoRequestHandlerJust before xPath query (False, '/root/*/* [@urlName = "products"]/* [@urlName = "black-chromate"] | /root/* [@urlName = "black-chromate"]')0.00121740.000134
umbracoRequestHandlerpageXPathQueryStart: '/root'0.00125590.000039
umbracoRequestHandlerAdding to cache... ('/products/black-chromate.aspx')0.00271940.001464
umbracoRequestHandlerAfter xPath query0.00277230.000053
umbracoRequestHandlerAccess checking started0.00285670.000084
umbracoRequestHandlerPage not protected0.00304220.000186
umbracoRequestHandlerAccess checking ended0.0030790.000037
umbracoInitDone handling request0.00311240.000033
umbracoPageElement loaded: pageHeading0.00368040.000568
umbracoPageElement loaded: pageContent0.00376970.000089
umbracoPageElement loaded: pageTitle0.00386240.000093
umbracoPageElement loaded: metaDescription0.00407580.000213
umbracoPageElement loaded: metaKeywords0.00421190.000136
umbracoPageElement loaded: umbracoNaviHide0.00428870.000077
umbracoPagePagedata loaded for Black Chromate (ID: 1337)0.00433750.000049
templateMaster template is the same as the current template. It would course an endless loop!0.01505810.010721
aspx.pageEnd PreInit0.07045460.055397
aspx.pageBegin Init0.07056360.000109
itemStart parsing 'pageTitle'0.07121790.000654
itemDone parsing 'pageTitle'0.07134650.000129
itemStart parsing 'metaDescription'0.07143190.000085
itemDone parsing 'metaDescription'0.07150870.000077
itemStart parsing 'metaKeywords'0.07157470.000066
itemDone parsing 'metaKeywords'0.07164470.000070
umbracoMacroMacro loaded from cache (ID: 14, Header Images)0.07177920.000135
renderMacroRendering started (macro: Header Images, type: 1, cacheRate: 0)0.07183040.000051
umbracoMacroBefore adding extensions0.07198980.000159
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltCommon, ExsltCommon0.07803530.006046
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltDatesAndTimes, ExsltDatesAndTimes0.07812180.000087
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltMath, ExsltMath0.07816210.000040
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltRegularExpressions, ExsltRegularExpressions0.07819810.000036
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltStrings, ExsltStrings0.07825590.000058
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltSets, ExsltSets0.07829180.000036
umbracoMacroAfter adding extensions0.07832680.000035
umbracoMacroBefore performing transformation0.07844230.000116
umbracoMacroAfter performing transformation0.07948770.001045
umbracoMacroMacro loaded from cache (ID: 13, Top Navigation)0.0796240.000136
renderMacroRendering started (macro: Top Navigation, type: 1, cacheRate: 0)0.07967590.000052
umbracoMacroBefore adding extensions0.07980880.000133
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltCommon, ExsltCommon0.08492130.005113
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltDatesAndTimes, ExsltDatesAndTimes0.08500340.000082
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltMath, ExsltMath0.08504120.000038
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltRegularExpressions, ExsltRegularExpressions0.08510960.000068
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltStrings, ExsltStrings0.08514810.000039
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltSets, ExsltSets0.08518260.000035
umbracoMacroAfter adding extensions0.08521690.000034
umbracoMacroBefore performing transformation0.08529970.000083
umbracoMacroAfter performing transformation0.08784130.002542
umbracoMacroMacro loaded from cache (ID: 1, Breadcrumb Nav)0.08795730.000116
renderMacroRendering started (macro: Breadcrumb Nav, type: 1, cacheRate: 0)0.08801290.000056
umbracoMacroBefore adding extensions0.08816150.000149
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltCommon, ExsltCommon0.09314170.004980
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltDatesAndTimes, ExsltDatesAndTimes0.09322560.000084
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltMath, ExsltMath0.09326480.000039
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltRegularExpressions, ExsltRegularExpressions0.09329990.000035
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltStrings, ExsltStrings0.09335520.000055
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltSets, ExsltSets0.0933920.000037
umbracoMacroAfter adding extensions0.09342550.000034
umbracoMacroBefore performing transformation0.09350820.000083
umbracoMacroAfter performing transformation0.09425260.000744
itemStart parsing 'pageHeading'0.09434870.000096
itemDone parsing 'pageHeading'0.09446920.000121
itemStart parsing 'pageContent'0.09455470.000086
itemDone parsing 'pageContent'0.0946330.000078
renderMacroRendering started (macro: Sub Nav, type: 1, cacheRate: 0)0.10326140.008628
umbracoMacroBefore adding extensions0.19037130.087110
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltCommon, ExsltCommon0.19576370.005392
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltDatesAndTimes, ExsltDatesAndTimes0.19586910.000105
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltMath, ExsltMath0.19592140.000052
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltRegularExpressions, ExsltRegularExpressions0.1959730.000052
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltStrings, ExsltStrings0.19602110.000048
umbracoXsltExtensionExtension added: urn:Exslt.ExsltSets, ExsltSets0.19606850.000047
umbracoMacroAfter adding extensions0.19610350.000035
umbracoMacroBefore performing transformation0.19619540.000092
umbracoMacroAfter performing transformation0.3636930.167498
aspx.pageEnd Init0.36384280.000150
aspx.pageBegin InitComplete0.36388370.000041
aspx.pageEnd InitComplete0.36391940.000036
aspx.pageBegin PreLoad0.36395230.000033
aspx.pageEnd PreLoad0.36398530.000033
aspx.pageBegin Load0.36401730.000032
aspx.pageEnd Load0.36410710.000090
aspx.pageBegin LoadComplete0.36414290.000036
aspx.pageEnd LoadComplete0.36418250.000040
aspx.pageBegin PreRender0.36430770.000125
aspx.pageEnd PreRender0.36441810.000110
aspx.pageBegin PreRenderComplete0.36445420.000036
aspx.pageEnd PreRenderComplete0.36448730.000033
aspx.pageBegin SaveState0.36725440.002767
aspx.pageEnd SaveState0.36793070.000676
aspx.pageBegin SaveStateComplete0.36797490.000044
aspx.pageEnd SaveStateComplete0.36801780.000043
aspx.pageBegin Render0.36805150.000034
aspx.pageEnd Render0.37194410.003893

Control Tree

Control UniqueIDTypeRender Size Bytes (including children)ViewState Size Bytes (excluding children)ControlState Size Bytes (excluding children)
__PageASP.default_aspx1842200
    ctl00ASP.masterpages_textpage_master000
        ctl00$ctl00ASP.masterpages_master_master000
            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00ASP.umbraco_masterpages_default_master000
                ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefaultSystem.Web.UI.WebControls.ContentPlaceHolder000
                    ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl08System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                    ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl00umbraco.presentation.templateControls.Item000
                        ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl00$ctl00System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                    ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl09System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                    ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl01umbraco.presentation.templateControls.Item000
                        ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl01$ctl00System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                    ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl10System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                    ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl02umbraco.presentation.templateControls.Item000
                        ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl02$ctl00System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                    ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl11System.Web.UI.ResourceBasedLiteralControl000
                    aspnetFormSystem.Web.UI.HtmlControls.HtmlForm000
                        ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl12System.Web.UI.ResourceBasedLiteralControl000
                        ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl03System.Web.UI.WebControls.LoginStatus000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl03$ctl00System.Web.UI.WebControls.LinkButton000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl03$ctl01System.Web.UI.WebControls.ImageButton000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl03$ctl02System.Web.UI.WebControls.LinkButton000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl03$ctl03System.Web.UI.WebControls.ImageButton000
                        ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl13System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                        ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl04umbraco.presentation.templateControls.Macro000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl05System.Web.UI.WebControls.PlaceHolder000
                                ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl14System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                        ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl15System.Web.UI.ResourceBasedLiteralControl000
                        ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl06umbraco.presentation.templateControls.Macro000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl07System.Web.UI.WebControls.PlaceHolder000
                                ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl16System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                        ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl17System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                        ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContentSystem.Web.UI.WebControls.ContentPlaceHolder000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl06System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl00umbraco.presentation.templateControls.Macro000
                                ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl04System.Web.UI.WebControls.PlaceHolder000
                                    ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl07System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl08System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl01umbraco.presentation.templateControls.Item000
                                ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl01$ctl00System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl09System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl02umbraco.presentation.templateControls.Item000
                                ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl02$ctl00System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl10System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl03umbraco.presentation.templateControls.Macro000
                                ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl05System.Web.UI.WebControls.PlaceHolder000
                                    ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl11System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                            ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$childContent$ctl12System.Web.UI.LiteralControl000
                        ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl18System.Web.UI.ResourceBasedLiteralControl000
                    ctl00$ctl00$ctl00$ContentPlaceHolderDefault$ctl19System.Web.UI.ResourceBasedLiteralControl000

Session State

Session KeyTypeValue

Application State

Application KeyTypeValue
vnc38ykjnkjdnk2jt98ygkxjngSystem.DateTime6/8/2023 1:56:53 AM
umbracoUrlSystem.Stringwww.manicsalamander.com:80/umbraco
umbracoNeedConfigurationSystem.BooleanFalse

Request Cookies Collection

NameValueSize

Response Cookies Collection

NameValueSize

Headers Collection

NameValue
ConnectionKeep-Alive
Accepttext/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,*/*;q=0.8
Accept-Encodingbr,gzip
Accept-Languageen-US,en;q=0.5
Hostwww.manicsalamander.com
If-Modified-SinceWed, 08 Feb 2023 00:05:25 GMT
User-AgentCCBot/2.0 (https://commoncrawl.org/faq/)

Response Headers Collection

NameValue
X-AspNet-Version2.0.50727
Cache-Controlprivate
Content-Typetext/html

Form Collection

NameValue

Querystring Collection

NameValue

Server Variables

NameValue
ALL_HTTPHTTP_CONNECTION:Keep-Alive HTTP_ACCEPT:text/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,*/*;q=0.8 HTTP_ACCEPT_ENCODING:br,gzip HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGE:en-US,en;q=0.5 HTTP_HOST:www.manicsalamander.com HTTP_IF_MODIFIED_SINCE:Wed, 08 Feb 2023 00:05:25 GMT HTTP_USER_AGENT:CCBot/2.0 (https://commoncrawl.org/faq/)
ALL_RAWConnection: Keep-Alive Accept: text/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,*/*;q=0.8 Accept-Encoding: br,gzip Accept-Language: en-US,en;q=0.5 Host: www.manicsalamander.com If-Modified-Since: Wed, 08 Feb 2023 00:05:25 GMT User-Agent: CCBot/2.0 (https://commoncrawl.org/faq/)
APPL_MD_PATH/LM/W3SVC/366/ROOT
APPL_PHYSICAL_PATHC:\HostingSpaces\manicsal\manicsalamander.com\wwwroot\
AUTH_TYPE 
AUTH_USER 
AUTH_PASSWORD 
LOGON_USER 
REMOTE_USER 
CERT_COOKIE 
CERT_FLAGS 
CERT_ISSUER 
CERT_KEYSIZE 
CERT_SECRETKEYSIZE 
CERT_SERIALNUMBER 
CERT_SERVER_ISSUER 
CERT_SERVER_SUBJECT 
CERT_SUBJECT 
CONTENT_LENGTH0
CONTENT_TYPE 
GATEWAY_INTERFACECGI/1.1
HTTPSoff
HTTPS_KEYSIZE 
HTTPS_SECRETKEYSIZE 
HTTPS_SERVER_ISSUER 
HTTPS_SERVER_SUBJECT 
INSTANCE_ID366
INSTANCE_META_PATH/LM/W3SVC/366
LOCAL_ADDR64.27.51.218
PATH_INFO/products/black-chromate.aspx
PATH_TRANSLATEDC:\HostingSpaces\manicsal\manicsalamander.com\wwwroot\products\black-chromate.aspx
QUERY_STRING 
REMOTE_ADDR35.172.164.32
REMOTE_HOST35.172.164.32
REMOTE_PORT37606
REQUEST_METHODGET
SCRIPT_NAME/products/black-chromate.aspx
SERVER_NAMEwww.manicsalamander.com
SERVER_PORT80
SERVER_PORT_SECURE0
SERVER_PROTOCOLHTTP/1.1
SERVER_SOFTWAREMicrosoft-IIS/7.5
URL/products/black-chromate.aspx
HTTP_CONNECTIONKeep-Alive
HTTP_ACCEPTtext/html,application/xhtml+xml,application/xml;q=0.9,*/*;q=0.8
HTTP_ACCEPT_ENCODINGbr,gzip
HTTP_ACCEPT_LANGUAGEen-US,en;q=0.5
HTTP_HOSTwww.manicsalamander.com
HTTP_IF_MODIFIED_SINCEWed, 08 Feb 2023 00:05:25 GMT
HTTP_USER_AGENTCCBot/2.0 (https://commoncrawl.org/faq/)

Microsoft .NET Framework Version:2.0.50727.8806; ASP.NET Version:2.0.50727.8762