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What finish is best for stainless steel water fountain spigot?

My machine shop has done some parts that are spigots for public water fountains. 304 stainless was called for. Neither I nor the customer has in-house experts on the subject of finishing to recommend the best way to go to be as rust-resistant as possible. Would passivate and then a chrome plate be feasible?

Jim Sprague
machine shop owner - Spencer, Iowa
December 21, 2010

There's a 316 Stainless steel that is food grade.

Dale Burford
- Weston, Wisconsin, United States
First of two simultaneous responses -- December 23, 2010

While it does not look as nice as chrome, electroless nickel is the way that I would go. It will stand most cleaners better and is a great deal easier to apply to the complex shapes than chrome will ever be. 0.001" should work quite well over SS. Use 0.0015" if you want to be extra sure.

James Watts
- Navarre, Florida
Second of two simultaneous responses -- December 23, 2010

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