|
Letter 13000
Rusty SUS303
We have been machining some SUS 303 parts, which under normal
conditions should not rust. But recently we had been seeing some of
our parts with some brownish stains which resemble rust, after about
1 to 2 weeks. We are using a CNC with water based coolant for
machining. Any reason for the parts to turn out like this?
Padmavathy Subbrayan
- Penang, Malaysia
Mr. Subbrayan:
What you are seeing COULD be rust, but it is probably sulfides and
sulfates from the sulfur in the 303. You can tell which it is by
testing in a 5% NaOH solution overnight (it probably will take only
an hour or two). If the yellow stains go away, it was sulfur caused.
If they do not go away, soak the parts in a citric acid based product
(contact us if you need this). If the discoloration goes away, it was
rust. Let us know if we can help.
Dear Reader, please --
- Post a
question on a different subject.
-
- Answer or follow-up on this subject (in non-commercial
fashion).
-
-
 |