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plating, anodizing, & finishing Q&As since 1989

We're suffering from Rusty SS316L material

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2004

Why SS316L material pitted or show sign of rust on the surface of the material. We have done some non-directional hairline polishing on this material. Our product are use at area near to the seaside. Is there any way to remove this rust stain and is there any form of chemical we can apply on the surface to improve the corrosion resistance.

Maureen Ong
metal fabricator - Singapore

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2004

Hi Maureen,

Short, sweeet and succinct ... please go to the archives and hit # 19760.

Freeman Newton [deceased]
(It is our sad duty to advise that Freeman passed away
April 21, 2012. R.I.P. old friend).

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2004

316 ss is usually pretty good near the ocean, 304ss will not hold up. If you have rust on the surface you can get rid of it and repassivat the surface with some good citric acid formulations that are available in Singapore. There are a variety of products based on Oxalic Acid [affil link] that will remove the rust if you want faster action, then repassivate with the citric formulations to help it hole up better.

Lee Kremer
Stellar Solutions, Inc.

McHenry, Illinois

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2004

To avoid rust or repair rusted 316-parts in seaside-applications, my experience is that electropolishing is giving the best results.

Marc Quaghebeur
- Brugge, Belgium

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2004

I agree with Marc, electropolishing gives the best results.

Klaas de Boer
- Heerenveen, the Netherlands