No passwords, no registration, no paywalls, no popups, no AI

As an Amazon Associate & eBay Partner we earn from affil links

finishing.com -- The Home Page of the Finishing Industry

Search our quarter-million Q&As

Home of the finishing HOTLINE since 1989

-----

Stainless steel "Tea Staining"

Dear all,

Any one with experience about Stainless Steel can tell me what is the meaning of "tea staining"? Any help would be really appreciated.

Brian Kelley
- Melbourne, Vic, Australia

Brian:

I have heard this term used for a variety of things, but the bottom line is that it is a yellowish brown (like tea) stain on the surface of stainless steel that is usually iron oxide formed from long aging or improper passivation. It can also be sulfides if you are using a high sulfur grade like 303 or other free machining grades. Customers have used this term to us for any staining like this.

Depending on which it is, the treatment is different. You can test this by soaking in 5-10% NaOH overnight. If the yellow stain is gone, it was sulfides or sulphates. You can accelerate this by heating the NaOH (careful!).

Lee Kremer
Stellar Solutions, Inc.

McHenry, Illinois

Sorry! Finishing.com is temporarily Read-Only.
Ted Mooney is retiring but I have several offers to take it over.
We're working hard to make sure we find it the best new home.

Disclaimer: It's not possible to fully diagnose a finishing problem or the hazards of an operation via these pages. All information presented is for general reference and does not represent a professional opinion nor the policy of an author's employer. The internet is largely anonymous & unvetted; some names may be fictitious and some recommendations might be harmful.

If you are seeking a product or service related to metal finishing, please check these Directories: