Why You Should Consider Stainless Steel for Your Next Project: A List of Advantages
Admin • March 22, 2017
Stainless steel is a versatile metal that can be used in an almost unlimited number of applications around your home. The next time you have a project that requires metal fabrication, you may want to consider selecting stainless steel. Below is more information about this marvelous metal as well as several advantages that stainless steel offers.
Stainless steel is a combination of steel, which is an alloy of iron and carbon, and chromium. Chromium is a metallic element that is naturally hard and shiny as well as extraordinarily resistant to corrosion. The addition of chromium to ordinary steel, which will rust if left unprotected, is what provides stainless steel with its remarkable properties.
Like other steel formulations, stainless steel can be manufactured in several sub-types depending on the needs of the consumer. Each sub-type has its own special characteristics, strength rating, and corrosion resistance. However, regardless of specific formulation, all types of stainless steel demonstrate the following general advantages.
High Level of Corrosion Resistance
As its name would indicate, stainless steel does not easily corrode, stain, or otherwise degrade. It is resilient to rusting thanks to its rare characteristic of being able to form an ultra-thin, invisible layer of protection. This reaction can be described as "self-healing.” An attack upon the surface of stainless steel is thwarted by the rapid formation of this chromium barrier, which prevents oxidation of the underlying steel.
While stainless steel is not invincible, as it is possible for rusting to occur, stainless steel’s resistance against corrosion is unmatched when compared with that of ordinary steel alloys.
Natural Beauty That Requires No Finishing
One of stainless steel's best attributes is that it requires little or no additional finishing once it has been fabricated into an object. The natural patina of stainless steel contains its own beauty, which is immediately recognizable and that makes stainless steel a timeless metal.
Stainless steel has been used for over a hundred years in all kinds of projects big and small. No matter the era of a project's creation, stainless steel has imparted a stylish look that attracts compliments and admiration. In addition, stainless steel’s neutral, silvery-gray color allows stainless steel to complement almost any other color and makes it an ideal choice for use in the home alongside other objects.
Complete Safety for Food- and Health-Related Uses
Stainless steel is in almost universal use in the food-service and medical industries, and for good reason. Of course, corrosion resistance is the main reason for the metal’s widespread use around food and in other potentially compromising environments.
However, stainless steel is also extremely easy to clean, is able to withstand sterilization in an autoclave, and does not cause an allergic response except in rare circumstances. This makes stainless steel a great choice for use in food-preparation surfaces, cooking utensils, and medical instruments.
Ability to Be Readily Worked By Fabricators
Some metals are more challenging to fabricate than others, including aluminum, which can be hard to weld. However, stainless steel can be cut, bent, and welded just like other steel alloys, and this makes it suitable for almost any project that can be built out of ordinary steel. This ease of fabrication will keep project costs lower when compared to projects using aluminum or other metals.
Excellent Strength Characteristics
With the beauty and practicality of stainless steel so apparent, it is easy to forget that stainless steel is steel and has all of its strength advantages. That is why stainless steel has been successfully used in giant projects such as the Chrysler Building, the St. Louis Gateway Arch, and the Disney Concert Hall.
Stainless steel has also found prominent use in automobiles and is a common base material for railroad cars. That means stainless steel will have the strength for your everyday projects and can be relied upon to hold up under loads and stresses.
If you have never considered using stainless steel for your next custom project, keep in mind all the above advantages. Consult with a metal fabricator about your needs and desire to use stainless steel, and work with them to create a project that will be beautiful and long lasting.
Most Popular Types of Welding
Are you hiring a welder to get something fabricated or repaired? Sam's Welding Inc. offers the following types of welding in El Cajon: Gas metal arc welding. Perhaps the most popular of them all, this method is also known by its abbreviations GMAW or MIG, for metal inert gas. It’s an average of five times faster than electrical arc methods and includes four material transfer options: spray, pulsed spray, globular and short circuiting. Shielded metal arc welding. A form of stick welding commonly known as SMAW, this process uses electrical current to form an arc between the rod and metals in production. Uses include industrial fabrication such as the construction of iron and steel structures. Gas tungsten arc welding. This method is known as TIG or GTAW and requires the most skill, as heat is continuously regulated by means of a foot pedal. If amperage is set too high, you can end up burning holes in the metal. If it’s too low, the weld won’t flow properly. It’s especially useful for combining thick pieces of stainless steel and ironless metals. Flux-cored arc welding. Unlike MIG and TIG, FCAW keeps contamination out by means of a flux. This process doesn’t require a shielding gas, can be done outdoors and is quite efficient. Working with different positions such as horizontal, vertical and tee joints requires different machine configurations. Serving San Diego, CA Whether you need several hundred pieces or just one, we’re happy to take on the project for you. We are combat veteran owned and have more than two decades of experience handling military projects with success. We serve El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee, and the entire county. We have expertise with the design and fabrication of gates and fences. You’re welcome to walk into our San Diego shop or call us anytime at 619-281-2709 .
Whether you have some new projects lined up to modify and enhance your home or there are some significant repairs that need to be done to some of the metalwork, you want to have a professional metal welder on the job. There are numerous specific instances in which having welding done by a certified military group such as Sam’s Welding Inc. in El Cajon is worth your investment. Perhaps you need a car welder to perform some precise car part welding or you need to ensure the safety of a premises with some security door welding . Of course, not everything that involves metal fabrication or repair is on a large scale. More often than not, welding is needed for smaller things that see use on a daily basis, such as: Staircases Hand railings Gates Fences As far as stairs are concerned, our professionals can help with anything from a new hand railing to a completely new and complex spiral staircase. Even if the work needs to be done outside on fences and gates where the materials need to be more durable, our nearly four decades of experience in the field have given us the knowledge of how to complete jobs in a way that is both aesthetically pleasing and keeps you and your loved ones safe. Serving El Cajon, La Mesa and Santee Metalwork, whether it is basic framing or a more elaborate fence job, has a large impact on our lives every day. Therefore, when the time comes in which you decide to invest in modifications, fabrications, or repairs, you’d better be sure that you have qualified people doing the work. That’s what you’ll get when you call Sam’s Welding at 619-281-2709 . If you live in El Cajon, La Mesa or Santee, ask about our walk-in and mobile services to maximize our availability to you.
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