You cannot anodize staiinless steel. You could powder coat it which is another process where a finish is applied electrically but not anodize. I worked in an anodizing plant in Seattle for 12 years so I have some knowledge on this subject
As Frank was alluding to, the corrosion issue between disimilar metals needs an anodic solution of some sort to trigger the reaction between the metals. Air won't do it unless there is lots of moisture over a long period of time. Salt water would work best as would fresh water that is electrically charged, such as that found in some marinas. The Duranodic process of anodizing aluminum uses a sulfuric acid/water solution that is electrically charged to increase and control the oxidation process on the aluminum. (Anodizing is the process of putting an oxide coating on the aluminum. Aluminum oxiide is very hard and used as grit for some types of sandpaper)
Merc has been making aluminum gimbal rings snce they hung the first drive on a boat. If properly cared for they should last the life of the drive itself.
I had a 1985 23' Cobalt with an Alpha I drive that spent its life in salt water. It had the Mercathode system and after 10 years the drive had no serious corrosion. The SST ring is not needed for recreational boats. IMO
As Frank was alluding to, the corrosion issue between disimilar metals needs an anodic solution of some sort to trigger the reaction between the metals. Air won't do it unless there is lots of moisture over a long period of time. Salt water would work best as would fresh water that is electrically charged, such as that found in some marinas. The Duranodic process of anodizing aluminum uses a sulfuric acid/water solution that is electrically charged to increase and control the oxidation process on the aluminum. (Anodizing is the process of putting an oxide coating on the aluminum. Aluminum oxiide is very hard and used as grit for some types of sandpaper)
Merc has been making aluminum gimbal rings snce they hung the first drive on a boat. If properly cared for they should last the life of the drive itself.
I had a 1985 23' Cobalt with an Alpha I drive that spent its life in salt water. It had the Mercathode system and after 10 years the drive had no serious corrosion. The SST ring is not needed for recreational boats. IMO
