CORTEN RUSTED STEEL

I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW HOW TO TREAT CORTEN RUSTED STEEL. I ORDERED TO HAVE MY WINDOWS & DOORS WITH A LOCAL SUPPLIER, UNFORTUNATELY AFTER DELIVERY I REALISED THAT THE METAL USED IS SUPPOSED TO BECOME RUSTY IN SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND IS NOT AESTHETIC. I WOULD BE GRATEFUL IF SOMEONE COULD HELP ME KNOW MORE ABOUT THIS METAL AND ITS INCONVENIENCE AND HOW TO TREAT IT. THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR COLLABORATION.

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++ Corten steel is a special steel used in architecture to give a pleasing (to some!) patina. The steel is designed to "weather" or "age" to give a coppery colour that will improve with time. It is resilient to many corrosive atmospheres. If you do not like it, I suggest you remove the patina and paint it with suitable paints. Trevor Crichton R&D practical scientist The Pheasantries - Chesham, U.K.

Corten Woman by sculptor Willemine van Laarhoven (see entry of March 28, 2009)

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I stumbled upon this website and found this question. Leave the Cor-ten steel alone. Let it patina. It is beautiful.

Dan O'Mara
- Minneapolis, Minnesota

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Sir;

1. The Corten steel in your case should not be used for windows or doors. Corten Steel in primary used for bridge frame and structure usage.

2. if you must use Corten Steel, you need to get a prepaint or coated type, check with US Steel Construction manufacture. If you leave your Corten steel window and door as it is, it is unsightly and the value of the your property will be affected. Because appearance is important for property value. Also in addition, over a long period, it will just become a pack rust looking, some may find it ok but I can ensure that majority of regular folks will not agree with it.

3. Corten Steel has a very good tensile strength but is not recommended for any residential usage. Anyhow, no one say you have to.

4. You should treat the Corten steel with a VOC corrosion inhibitor. Select the one that will give you the finishing that you want. Normally, a good VOC corrosion inhibitor should give me a long term protection as well as a smooth finishing.

Danis P [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
engineering service - Ontario, Canada

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July 9, 2009

We are a window manufacturer that produces windows in Cor Ten steel among other materials. The engineer that says it should not be used for windows should know that it is very common in Europe where our system comes from. It is quite expensive about three time the cost of galvanized steel. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, I myself do not like the look but some do. It requires no maintenance.

Richard Sussman
- Port Washington, New York

It is a beautiful finish aesthetically. And I agree that it should be left alone. Does anyone know the life cycle of this finish and do companies warranty it...?

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I am a student at FSU and have been working with Corten material during class. We have a Corten sculpture here on campus and it has a nice dark purple color. It looks black from a distance. the oxide layer will not degrade, our sculpture has been up since 1980 and it still looks great.

Kenneth C [last name deleted for privacy by Editor]
Ferris State University - Big Rapids, Michigan

I work in the ship repair. we need to weld double patch on corroded area of gas air heater water washing drain hood and basket casing. Can anybody helps how economical if we use Corten steel. Roughly how much is Corten steel in USD per kg.thanks

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October 9, 2010

COR-TEN IS GOOD.

While reading, I noticed that someone wanted information on price of Corten.

It is around 1350 USD/MT.

VIMAL JAIN
- INDIA

Hello, I am a builder and my architect has specified Corten steel for use above an interior fireplace and on the face of the hearth. Once installed the steel will not be subject to any moisture. I assume I should pre-rust the steel before installation to get the corroded look that is so attractive with Corten.
My questions are:
1. Will it corrode in a dry environment?
2 If I am to pre-rust it is there any treatment I should use on the steel to remove oils or other contaminants.
3. Should I use sea water to hasten the corrosion? I have actually tried a few samples using sea water and have had varying success, some with pretty good results, others that the corrosion is very spotty, as if something present on the surface was preventing the corrosion.
4. If I achieve the desired level of corrosion before installing the pieces, can I seal it to prevent people in the house from getting the rust on them or their clothes?

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January 31, 2008

Looking for the follow up on Mr. Courtney G's interior Corten questions. I too am building and we are using Corten to clad fireplace, hearth and surrounding wall. We are looking for help in areas of thickness used, mounting, and sealing so customer won't get it on themselves.

F Heathen
- Madison, Wisconsin

I am using Corten steel (6 mm thick), but would like to achieve a almost uniform black color for a special application. does anyone knows any 'tricks' or procedures ?
thanks for any reply.

Can anyone assist in what material should be used to clean spray paint (probably cellulose) graffiti off the face of CorTen steel cladding without damaging the surface.

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+++++++ All of my impressions of Corten is that once up it doesn't need to be maintained. I am using this material as part of entry sign for the community of San Pedro, California. I am concerned with graffiti and general wear as it will be in a maritime climate. Thanks I am a Landscape Architect with the City of Los Angeles, Recreation and Parks, Advance Planning. Craig R [last name deleted for privacy by Editor] City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks - Los Angeles, California +++++++ I AM BUILDING CUSTOM HOMES MADE OF CORTEN. WHAT WE HAVE FOUND TO GET THE WHOLE HOUSE TO RUST EQUALLY IS TO HAVE IT SODA BLASTED. IT IS LIKE SAND BLASTING, BUT USE A BAKING SODA TYPE MEDIUM. AS FOR THE INTERIOR WALL PANELS THERE IS A PRODUCT THAT DOES SEAL THE MATERIAL, BUT IT IS AN OIL BASED PRODUCT AND DOES TAKE A LONG TIME DRY IN. IF YOU ARE IN NEED OF REMOVING PAINT OR GRAFFITI IS TO SODA BLAST IT. THE BLASTING WILL NOT ROUGHEN UP THE SURFACE. CHRIS MILLER STRUCTURAL STEEL FABRICATOR AND INSTALLER - PHOENIX, ARIZONA

If u have to paint it and want it to last, wire brush off the worst till you have reached an acceptable finish level, it does not need cleaning back to perfect, then paint with Hammerite [linked by editor to product info at Amazon], this is a bonding paint available in many colours.

it will last for years and should prevent further rusting.

Friends and I have used it for over 30 years and never found any problems, we have even used it to cover the bottoms of cars to delay salt corrosion, as our local authorities believe in very liberal applications of salt on our roads.

I work as a contractor and we have had rust stain problems with the Corten steel. I am not sure this helps with the original question, but we have used a "blued" metal with a clear powder coat finish to achieve a nice mottled, but rust free look. The "bluing" is done by hand, I believe it is the same chemical used to maintain gun barrels. (at least, that is where I first heard of it)

Should Corten steel panels rust to the point that you can rub the color off easily?

Is Corten Steel good for manufacturing boats? Is it good in water environment if painted?

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May 19, 2011

Someone asked if it was OK for making boats. No answers yet. Has anyone any thoughts on this?

Stamford Stoddard
i AM BUYING A 16 METRE BOAT MADE OF cOR-TEN sTEEL - Chichester West Sussex UK

I want to follow up on the discussion of Corten steel in signs. I'm interested in using Corten as dimensional letters/graphics on a monument sign. As the material oxidizes to its stable state should I anticipate streaking on the face of the sign?

I wondering if I could get the same results as Corten with any other metal? I am looking for some other product which give me the rusty look but no stain or at least not too much.

Thanx

S I D E B A R

November 25, 2008 I am looking for some Cor-Ten samples; including corrugated, and perforated. Can anyone recommend a reputable company that will provide specs with the sample? Any ideas for other interesting metals for exterior uses? Tim Koelle artist - NYC, New York November 28, 2008 Hi, Tim. This site exists courtesy of supporting advertisers; and advertisers don't exist who will pay for the posting of testimonials to their competitors :-) Plus, this is a no-registration-required site, and when we offer an opportunity to commercially profit from a posting, it's like raw meat to hyenas: it attracts shills posing as satisfied customers, and precipitates a race to the bottom as each sales manager gives 10 reasons his company is better than the previously mentioned one :-) So I hope the readers can suggest the other interesting materials you are looking for, but our postings are restricted to technical issues and we can't print recommendations of suppliers. Sorry. Regards, Ted Mooney, P.E. finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

the Corten steel finish can be coated using a water based coating Perma Coat then finished coated with Master Clear from Modern Masters. I have seen this effect extensively used in Spain and Portugal.

March 28, 2009 I love Corten steel for its color and turn it into women. You get a kind of black color if you leave 2 pieces on top of each in a wet environment. This is one of my women. Height 1.60 m. Willemine van Laarhoven sculptor Willemine van Laarhoven - Holland March 28, 2009 For cold steel, she's quite "hot", Willemine :-) Regards, Ted Mooney, P.E. finishing.com Brick, New Jersey

MY ISSUE IS A SIMPLE ONE. I HAVE USED CORTEN SQUARE TUBING, SQUARE BAR, AND FLAT BAR TO BUILD A BEAUTIFUL GAZEBO AND RAILING IN MY BACKYARD. IT HAS RUSTED TO A BEAUTIFUL DEEP REDDISH RUSTY COLOR THAT ONLY CORTEN CAN DO.
BUT IT CONTINUES TO DRIP RUST ONTO MY GRAY GRANITE PATIO, DISCOLORING AND STAINING IT. I DON'T KNOW IF I SHOULD NOW SEAL IT TO STOP FURTHER RUST DRIPS, WHETHER ANY TYPE OF SEALER SHOULD BE USED THAT WILL NOT DISCOLOR MY EFFORTS AND HOLD UP OVER THE YEARS, OR ANY OTHER SOLUTION TO MY PLIGHT. I WOULD APPRECIATE ANY AND ALL HELP.

Has anyone tried - or know of - using Corten Steel as a planter in a fountain? Wondering if it will completely corrode, or it will retain its structural integrity. The architect is using Corten and we'd like to stick with the same material.

Greetings,

I am a licensed contractor specializing in water feature design and construction. Currently I am writing an article about one of the three projects we have worked on using Cor-Ten.
Please be so kind to answer the following questions I have not been able to answer.
1. I have Cor-Ten as a metal alloy, is there a better way of describing it?
2. Is it a type or cousin of Stainless? is it welded like stainless?
3. We made a 40'x60' perimeter of 3/4" Cor-Ten and I want to include the weight in the article. What is the approximate weight of a Cubic foot of Cor-ten?

In cooperation, Jim Wilder

Hi I saw a person rolling on what he called an Oil based smelly coat coat to seal that sexy rusty metal artwork.

What is it called? Please name a brand or two

We are a distributor of high end architectural windows. One of our products is available in Corten steel. The way we treat the finish is after fabrication it's allowed to weather for 2-3 weeks to develop the desired patina. The loose "dust" is then removed and a coat of wax sealer is hand applied giving it a very unique leather-like look. This finish lasts indefinitely. Corten if left alone will take 2-4 years to reach it's peak patina and then should remain in that state with very little change.

Has anything conclusive been offered in terms of stopping the rusting process of Corten?

I have a client who now likes the dark gray of the initial Corten state (and I do in this instance as well) and would like to know if there is some proven or tested method of removing what little rust that has formed and then seal it to remain as a raw, deep gray metal.

Thank you!

Mario

I assume Corten has no fire rating? We want to use it as a facing on an external boundary wall situation which requires 30 minutes rating. Can it be mounted over a suitable rated board behind?

March 10, 2010

After blasting the Corten steel surface is within no time black.
Is this copper, chrome or phosphor oxide which is left behind the surface and can we paint over this surface?

Want to use container to build a house project in Thailand Bangkok.
Like to know the was brand to protect corten steel from rusting after I send blast.

I am an architect and have designed a fountain that has a rusted panel. We like the level of the rust in terms of a patina and want to keep at this level. If I apply oil to the surface should this suffice? If so, what type of oil should I use?

Abrasive blasting is the way to go for an even rust finish.

I have found that the original rusting stage does produce staining but once this has been achieved the run off is minimal. The nature of corten, as I understand it, is that the oxidation layer becomes very dense and this protects the underlying material. There is not a continuation of oxidation into the material so there is no more oxides running off!

I love the dry dusty appearance of the corten and have never sealed it because I don't want to loose this. Is there any processes or materials that can seal the surface but leave the dry finish.

from my reading of any material about corten I understand that a coastal situation is not recommended but as David Brown has stated above he has done this.
I am trying to convince a client at the moment that corten will be suitable for a balcony ballustrading on a house right on the beach here in WA.

can any body help me?

We have a metal sculpture fabricated in Core Ten that was graffitied. The only way we could remove the graffiti was with a wire brush which took us back to the bare metal. I know that eventually the patina will weather out but as this sculpture is "high visibility" and I know will get "hit": again, is there any way the bare surfaces can be treated to promote quicker oxidation.

To obtain a quick patina on Cor-ten you can try to use some sulphuric acid or hydrochloric acid. You will have a rusty surface within a day :-)
Careful when applying!

CorTen is not for the run-of-the-mill structure but it can be used with wood windows and doors to give a quality appearance.

I have leased a building that has a large Corten fascia. The previous owner had large letters on the fascia. After removing the letters and wire brushing the surface, you can still see the out line of the letters. Is there a product to remove all the rust before applying new sign?

Q. Is it possible to stop weathered corten from ending up on the clothes of the general public. Can it be sealed after weathering?