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Thread: welding corten?

  1. #1
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    Default welding corten?

    A question, if I may, for those familiar with working with 'corten'.
    I'm just about to construct a 4.5mtr public sculpture in this material in a coastal environment.(I have not worked corten before)
    it will be mostly constructed offsite, however some welding and grinding will be required after installation....which will mean a patchwork of odd colours and uneven oxidisation over the whole piece.
    could anyone suggest a way of oxidising the sculpture once on site so as to achieve an even patination?

    what if the hokey pokey is really what it's all about?

  2. #2
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    Hi Undie, I'll check tomorrow but pretty sure I have used Ferrous Chloride for this sort of thing before. Not sure how it works with corten though. I have been looking around trying to find where to buy corten in Newcastle but haven't had much luck yet. Have a few projects I could use it on.

    www.solidwoodfurniture.com.au

    A good edge takes a little sweat!!

  3. #3
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    Thanks Claw..
    I'm after some some 6mm ..if you happen to find any in your travels..

    what if the hokey pokey is really what it's all about?

  4. #4
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    I saw this out of the corner Undy, curious I'd heard the name before came across this in my travels: CORTEN RUSTED STEEL it seamed to have some relevance to what your up to. Also these people Wood/Marsh Pty Ltd Architecture did the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art building, give 'em a call mention my name

  5. #5
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    Corten is what is termed a weathering steel and can be sucessfully welded with mild steel electrodes.

    Corten acts a bit like aluminium and develops a self shielding corroded surface which protects the sub surface.

    The way to go would be to trial off cut pieces and electrodes.

    I did see a website forum re welding corten for sculpture when googling .It may be worth hunting it down and submitting a question or two re the patination questions.
    Even better here is a C &P:

    "As with most other alloys within the carbon steel group, Cor-ten and other weathering steels react with oxygen to produce a rust oxide on untreated surfaces. In normal carbon steels the oxidisation process can eventually lead to an oxide conversion of the entire fabric – potentially resulting in structural collapse. The alloying elements added into weathering steels (in particular the copper and chromium components), encourage a very dense oxide layer to develop on the exposed surfaces, this exceptional density effectively inhibits any deeper corrosive penetration into the fabric of the metal. Dependent upon the ambient atmosphere and conditions the steel is exposed to, a rich rust oxide patina naturally develops without unduly compromising the longevity of the artwork. The weathered patina process relies on an ongoing cycle of WETTING followed by DRYING; the steel will nornally deteriorate if continually wet or if exposed to high saline and other corrosive atmospheres. To encourage an even development of the ‘patina’, sculptures made in weathering steels can be lightly shot-blasted prior to final installation. The surface of the metal may also be treated with a mild SPIRIT OF SALTS (a weak solution of hydrochloric acid), to accelerate the oxide’s development, though excessive treatment can potentially induce acid pitting." Read the entire article here: weathering steels

    Cheers
    Grahame
    Last edited by ubeaut; 29th Apr 2011 at 08:20 PM. Reason: Added URL to Copyright site where article was taken from to avoid copyright infringement.

  6. #6
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    Sounds good Grahame, similar info to I found. I emailed Bluescope who have a product called Xlerplate which is the Australian version of corten and got this responce. I asked where to buy it and which grade I needed for outdoor sculptural work.

    Dear Mark,

    Thank you very much for your enquiry.
    The grade of steel you require is called HW350 it is a weathering steel that corrodes and forms a patina which seals the surface of the steel and helps to reduce the corrosion rate. It is not an easy product to get. I have attached a list of suppliers and suggest that the only one I am confident of having any stock is OneSteel George Ward in Sydney.

    Please find enclosed the following items as listed:

    *Supplier List


    For your convenience our product information is now also available on our website at: -



    Should you require any further information please do not hesitate to call BlueScope Steel Direct on Freecall 1800 024 402. Our technical staff will be more than happy to provide you with all the help they can.

    Again, thank you very much for your interest.

    Yours sincerely,
    Chris Vasos
    Customer Consultant - BlueScope Steel Direct

    This was the list for the Newcastle area.

    Listing: XLERPLATE® & XLERCOIL® Suppliers
    Role: Supplier

    Supplier
    Address
    Suburb
    Postcode
    State
    Phone
    Fax
    Contact

    OneSteel Steel & Tube - Newcastle
    Industrial Drive
    MAYFIELD
    2304
    NSW
    02 4967 0900
    02 4967 0970


    Horan Steel - Newcastle
    24 Spit Island Close
    MAYFIELD WEST
    2304
    NSW
    02 4967 9888
    02 4967 9800


    BlueScope Distribution - Cardiff
    45 Munibung Rd
    CARDIFF
    2285
    NSW
    02 4954 8011
    02 4956 5440


    OneSteel George Ward - Granville
    13 Ferndell Street
    GRANVILLE
    2142
    NSW
    02 9681 6811
    02 9681 6161


    www.solidwoodfurniture.com.au

    A good edge takes a little sweat!!

  7. #7
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    I have just googled some more and found

    http://steelproducts.bluescopesteel....iles/TB-26.pdf

    a bulletin about the stuff. It also came out as Wel-ten and Ly-ten as well as Cor -ten

    They used to make truck bodies from it as it is lighter than steel so you could make it thinner and carry more payload.

    I had used it once to "sculpture" a tipper body.Perhaps thats where to start.Check the builders of truck bodies for offcuts to trial on.

    There a couple of blokes that post here who may have more experience than I, with it.
    Possibly Wello and Specialist

    Grahame

  8. #8
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    Thanks very much Grahame, Claw and spring ,
    I hadn't thought about different product names or other uses (truck bodies, containers, boat hulls etc) when searching.
    I've also discovered that there's lots of 3mm available but 6mm is hard to come by (unless I want to order 20 tons)
    .....anyone out there after 18 tons of 6mm corten?

    what if the hokey pokey is really what it's all about?

  9. #9
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    Hi Undie
    Where did you find the 3mm and what sort of prices are they asking?

    www.solidwoodfurniture.com.au

    A good edge takes a little sweat!!

  10. #10
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    this product sounds very interesting.

    can it be used as walling for a staircase?

    out of curiosity, how expensive is it?

    thanks.

  11. #11
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    Interesting subject . Apparently in the US they make bridges and other outside structures out of it . I couldnt find any steel suppliers in our area who had even heard of it let alone get it in .

  12. #12
    welding is offline Engineers are qualified to make claims
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    They also make shipping containers out of it. A cheap way to get it is to buy an old shipping container and scrap it although thickness range is minor so you pretty much have a lot of one size.

    John

  13. #13
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    I have a friend who uses it by the truck load on a CNC punch press, if it is not this it is something very similar as he showed me how it does not rust. It must be readily available for him to use so much. He spot welds & mig welds it no problem.
    CHRIS

  14. #14
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    I get my corten from Surdex Steel in Melbourne Surdex Steel - First for Steel - Contact Us
    I'm sure they could help you with it in other states, it's a BHP product WR350.
    Generally comes in 8 x 4 sheets and 3mm is the most common but you can get it in 1.6 as well if you are lucky.
    I've tried to get it in 6mm but haven't ever been able to, the thicker grades are known as HR350 from memory.
    Think its about $160/sheet but I usually get it laser cut so I'm not sure. Would be cheaper in quantity and steel prices depend on your account volume usually.
    Welds and works very much like regular mild steel, it has a full scale coating which is a bit of a bugger on grinding disks. To get the even rust effect you have to get the scale off, grit blasting is the best way. If I'm not corner to corner welding it I would always grind the scale off before mig or tig welding it, tig fuses beautifully if you can get away with it.
    If you are MIG welding it use Autocraft LW1-6 wire, this gives the closest colour to the base metal when it rusts. To use this wire as filler wire for tig spin a couple of strands together in the chuck of a cordless drill with the other ends in the vise, works fine.

  15. #15
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    jatt is offline Always within 10 paces from nearest stubby holder
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    Is this the same kind of thing one sees on some new houses? As in the rusted steel look on the stel work, like its supposed to be like that.
    Frisky wife, happy life. ​Then I woke up. Oh well it was fun while it lasted.
    From an early age my father taught me to wear welding gloves . "Its not to protect your hands son, its to put out the fire when u set yourself alight".

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