Chainplate inspection

[galleywench]

Who would I go about seeing regarding testing the strength of chainplates? I think there is a dye test of some sort but I need to do some research on cost/reliability etc...
I was going to replace all the chainplates for the shrouds and backstay, and still intend to for the shrouds, but I can use stainless flatbar which is reasonably cheap. The backstay is a weird shape though, and using flat bar is pretty much out of the question, so the cost will go up considerably.

[Rachel]

Just out of curiosity, what is that chainplate made of? It doesn't quite look like stainless or bronze, from what I can see (which, granted, is not that much, because I can't make the photo enlarge).

[galleywench]

Good question, I'm not sure... I noticed the same thing. It is clearly a different material than the shroud chainplates. If I were to guess, I would say galvanized steel. If it is galvanized, I know it's not optimal, but I am trying to find places to save money. If I can determine that it is still sound I can live with it for a season. Of all the chainplates on the boat, this was by far the easiest to remove.