Ike housing : tracks of rust

Hello everyone,

I checked out my G2 Ikelite housing yesterday (last time I used it was 2 months ago). Everything was OK except one thing :

the locks are riveted in the housing through a stainless steel plate. I noticed some tracks of rust in the thin gap remaining between the housing and the plate (so thin it is impossible to insert a paper sheet between the plate and the housing).

What do you think about it? Is it serious? Is it something which occurs usually?

Thank you for your help

Stainless Steel WILL rust if not rinsed properly. Your problem seems to indicate that the housing was not rinsed enough after the last use and cystals formed in the crack. The last freshwater rinse on a trip I like to use new water (not previously used for another camera), and a toothbrush to get to salt crystals that may already be forming in the tight spots due to gear dry out. Always keep your gear as wet as possible until you get a really good rinse.

From Monterey Bay Sea Otters Dive Club newsletter: "About the worst that can happen to your gear is (microscopic) salt crystals growing in and on it. With their sharp edges they act like sandpaper. The problem is that they start growing immediately when salt water starts evaporating, and they can even grow when water with a minimal salt content evaporates. So it is not enough to rinse your gear. The mantra is "soak and rinse"! If that is not possible soon after a dive, it is better to pack your gear in a plastic garbage bag to keep it as moist as possible until you can soak and rinse it."

This applies to your camera gear too. You can't soak it too much.

Dave

Try placing a magnet next to the spot in question.

If it is magnetic it could be a low quality type stainless steel. Stainless steel comes in varying types of qualities. Low quality will be magnetic, and will rust.

I seriously doubt that Ikelite would intentionally use inferior quality components in their products.

From personal experience, I found that cheep import stainless screws sometimes are the culprit. They rust slightly and bleed over to the adjacent parts and gets caught between the catch, or strike and the acrylic. It’s un sightly but noting to worry about, may be your rivets are similar ?

Its hard to get in between those tight spots when rinsing your housing. Try pressure washing with a garden hose in those spots.

Marc