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Stainless steel sculpture for harsh climate

I am a sculptor living temporarily in Vancouver Canada but normally based in St. John's Newfoundland and Labrador on the easternmost tip of Canada. I usually work in cast bronze or mild steel. I am planning a large stainless steel abstract/figurative sculpture, using 1/4" plate. The climate in St. John's is damp and thick with salt sea air and alternates over a prolonged winter with freezing and thawing temperatures, snow, rain, fog and sunshine. Summers are temperate, and it's usually windy 12 months of the year. I would like the sculpture to remain shiney. Is there a best grade of stainless to use, and should it be coated or finished in some way to protect the shine from the harsh climate? How does welding affect the finish?
Cheers

Jim Maunder
sculptor - Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
2006

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First of two simultaneous responses --

Try www.nickelinstitute.org webpages-there you can find many useful download free infos on that subject. I think that you can use some sort of duplex SS. Hope it helps and good luck!

Goran Budija
- Cerovski vrh Croatia
2006

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Second of two simultaneous responses -- 2006

316L stainless should be suitable. Welds will be visible but probably acceptable. Practice grinding and polishing. A smoother finish remains clean and is less likely to corrode. Perhaps use bright annealed + cold rolled (2BA) material, and passivate when completed. See finishes at http://www.ssina.com/finishes/sheetsamples.html#image

See also the Australian Stainless Steel Development Association's document on Preventing Coastal Corrosion (Tea Staining): http://www.assda.asn.au/asp/index.asp?pgid=18502

Ken Vlach [deceased]
- Goleta, California
Finishing.com honored Ken for his countless carefully researched responses. He passed away May 14, 2015.
Rest in peace, Ken. Thank you for your hard work which the finishing world, and we at finishing.com, continue to benefit from.

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Good quality 1/4 stainless plate might be hard to find. The thicker the stainless, the more likely the surface will be more porous, have pits or pinholes...just be careful. You might be polishing swiss cheese. ;-)

Type 316 stainless should be recommended but please visit
www.nidi.org and ask them to send you a free specification guide for stainless. The publication is free or used to be.

Good luck!

Michael Liu Taylor
specialty stainless steel distributor - Dallas, Texas
2007

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2007

Jim,

316 is a good choice for your application, ONLY if you pickle+passivate+electropolish your construction.

Otherwise, it will stain and rust after a few months.
Having almost 20 years of experience with stainless steel in outdoor applications, only electropolished stainless steel remains free of rust for years.

If you can't have your construction electropolished, I advise to choose a better steel than 316.

Kind regards,

Marc Quaghebeur
- Brugge, Belgium