Stainless Steel; Bright and Corrosion Resistant |
Stainless steel is an alloy of iron, nickel and chromium, first formulated in the early 20th century in Sheffield.
It is much more expensive and difficult to work than "normal" steel but this is offset by its superior strength, corrosion resistance
and beauty. It is a silver coloured metal that can be polished to a satin or mirror finish. Either
finish will contrast with darker forged steel, or copper and bronze, when used as detailing.
There are many variations of the alloy but essentially grade 304 is
suitable for interior use, whilst the more corrosion resistant and
expensive 316 should be used outside. It is virtually maintenance free and either grade can be left unpainted.
Heating and forging stainless steel creates a dark scale on its surface. This can be selectively buffed away leaving an attractive polished, silver and black finish suitable for interior use. If however the metal is to be used outside, all the scale must be removed
after forging by abrasive finishing, or by "pickling" with special
acids, or by an
electro-chemical process. Both treatments "passivate" the
metal to give it a corrosion free surface. Passivation can also be
combined with
electropolishing to lend the forged texture a bright and "sparkly" finish.