Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ

Passivation of stainless steel weld joints

We have confronted with a situation of rusting of stainless steel joints. We haven't done any passivation/picking after welding. We were using tools and filler materials for SS use only.

Now we had cleaned the joint of all rusts, applied the pickling solution. Actually we don't have a procedure of pickling/passivation. which solution to use etc. again we are finding some more rust on the next day. don't know what is happening!

please advice

Dear Mr. Vasudevan,

It is difficult to know all the possible reasons for your problem, but I can offer a few suggestions based on my experience -

1. Make sure the procedure and materials you are using to remove the rust are from a reputable source and that you are following the procedure/manufacturer's recommendations thoroughly.

2. I apologize if you are aware of this requirement, but an important step after the rust is removed is to remove any residue from the treated area. This can be done by flushing the area with clean water or with a clean cloth/sponge wetted with clean water. It is necessary to remove any residue of the rust removing material. If the residue is not removed, iron (which is now in the rust removing material) can be left on the weld surface. This iron could then rust again.

I hope this will help you.

Hi ,

Can you please publish the procedure of passivation for the stainless steel welding,
So that can be useful for everyone,,

Regards
Babu

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