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Does 316L stainless steel get weaker with repeated heating/cooling cycles?

I'm using 316L stainless steel welding rods with a diameter of 3.2 mm to make a mesh through which I am melting glass at about 840 degrees Centigrade. Each rod is about 400 mm long and spanning 330 mm with glass stacked on top. The rods are placed at 30 mm to 40 mm centres about 40 mm above the work surface. As the glass heats, it drips through the mesh onto the work surface. It seems to me as though the rods are getting weaker (i.e. sagging more) each time they are used. Would that perception be correct and can anyone suggest a way of correcting it?

Gordon Williamson
Craftsman/artist - Canberra, Australia
February 22, 2009

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