124. Best finish for immersion service?

Letter 124

Best finish for immersion service?

-----

Looking for a finish for mild steel which will withstand water immersion and some metal to metal contact. Must be low cost; product is high volume, low cost home consumer item (wholesale, $6.00) so can't spend much on finishing. Any ideas?

Jerry Shultz

How many square inches must be coated, Jerry, and what did you have in mind for finishing costs (if you had any number in mind). Is there an anticipated life? There are two basic types of coatings: sacrificial (zinc or aluminum for example) which can protect the steel despite a breach in the coating, but which will have a definite and limited life; and barrier coatings (paint, more noble metals) which depend on the coating being impervious--this sounds optimistic, given the metal to metal contact. Are you sure you can't make this thing out of stainless steel? Good luck.

Ted Mooney, P.E.
Finishing.com Inc. - Brick, NJ

Dear Reader: please choose what you want to do.

I want to post a question or inquiry of my own.; I want to answer or follow-up on this question publicly
: This letter is within a monitored forum, very much "alive" here in 2008. If you spot any broken links or obsolete info, please advise!