Author Topic: My stainless is gone.  (Read 8261 times)

Offline Chuck Rogers

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My stainless is gone.
« on: March 29, 2009, 12:29:54 AM »
I thought it would last alot longer, but it'sstarting to disappear. I have a 55 gal drum lined with SS and I noticed tonight, while scrapping the sides of the tank, that large areas are gone. Is there something I'm doing wrong? It's 18 or 20 ga SS, not the thin stuff. I guess I'll be relining it tomorrow, or this coming week. Any Ideas on what happened to it? Thanks
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Offline Sam Roberts

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #1 on: March 29, 2009, 01:23:58 AM »
No ideal what happened to it but you can bet I'll be checking mine later on today.
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Offline Chuck Rogers

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #2 on: March 29, 2009, 01:05:53 PM »
I'm thinking that the SS was not good quality, or that I might be using too much washing soda. The SS sheet was from a scrap yard, so I have no idea what grade it is, and I use one box (3lbs 7oz) of A&H super washing soda, to a 55 gal tank. Is this too much? The tank is relined now, and should be up and running soon. Just need to refill it.
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Offline Robert Hilman

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #3 on: March 29, 2009, 05:44:22 PM »
Chuck, the grade makes  all the difference. I make phosphoric acid for a living, but we won't go there this time. When I was a kid in the early 60's my father who was cheap paid $300.00 for a LARGE kitchen sink. He got it at a good price from a friend that owned a plumbing supply store. Everyone in the nieghborhood loved it. The man across the street bought one that looked just like it for $125.00 from a store. So my Mom started I thought he was your friend, I thought you got a good price. My father said, honey that sink will still be here when we are gone, he will have to replace his in a few years. The other guy had to replace his in 5 years because it kept rusting. My parents are dead 15 years now. My sister just sold the house, and yes the sink is still there.
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Offline Ed Allspaugh

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #4 on: March 30, 2009, 08:37:02 AM »
You have to get the grade of SS that a magnet does not stick to. Does a magnet stick to the SS you have now? Don't remember the grade of SS, but as Robert said there are many, and some have more iron. Take a magnet with you. I have had the same SS plates since 2003.
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Offline C. Perry Rapier

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #5 on: March 30, 2009, 10:11:56 AM »
Quote
You have to get the grade of SS that a magnet does not stick to. Does a magnet stick to the SS you have now? Don't remember the grade of SS, but as Robert said there are many, and some have more iron. Take a magnet with you. I have had the same SS plates since 2003.



Yes, the kind of SS makes all the difference in the world. I too have used the same SS pieces Ed, and I am just now starting to see a couple little pin holes, but it still working fine and I have more pieces, so I am good to go. Also, I see that some of you run your amps up real high, like at 40 ampls. If I get 20 I think thats setting the woods on fire, SO, does higher AMPS burn the SS up faster? Just curious.  :-/

And Ed, the magner test for SS. I never heard of that before but it makes a lot of sense.

Offline Robert Hilman

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #6 on: March 30, 2009, 11:45:13 AM »
Perry, if a magnet sticks to it it is more steel than stainless. What you want is about 416. But at a scrap yard they don't know. We have a roll off just for stainless, but all grades go in it.
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Offline Chuck Rogers

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #7 on: March 30, 2009, 05:38:03 PM »
Here's what it looked like when I got it out. Not much left. I try to keep my amps around 30 - 35. Tha seems to do the trick. A magnet does not stick to the other pieces that I have from this sheet of SS, so I'm guessing it's either the amps, or the mixture concentration. Any thoughts?
« Last Edit: March 30, 2009, 05:42:47 PM by crogers561 »
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Offline C. Perry Rapier

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #8 on: March 30, 2009, 05:40:30 PM »
Quote
We have a roll off just for stainless, but all grades go in it.

Robert, I don't understand the above statement, I am not following you.  :)

Offline Chuck Rogers

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #9 on: March 30, 2009, 05:45:18 PM »
A roll off is a big dumpster that rolls off the back of a truck. The back of the truck tilts, and the dumpster rolls off. Hooked to a cable of course. We have them at work for our scrap metal.
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Offline Chuck Rogers

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #10 on: March 30, 2009, 05:47:43 PM »
One other thing I've been thinking of, is that we have a water softner here. A water softner adds salt to the water as part of the process. Not sure what that may do. We need a chemist in here to help out.
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Offline Raymond Dube

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #11 on: March 30, 2009, 06:05:13 PM »
I'm thinking Robert works at a recycling yard or something similar...a 'roll off' is a dumpster that you can move form place to place (such as jobsites, etc)...they fill it up and when it's full, it gets filled up and returned to the recycling company.
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Offline C. Perry Rapier

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #12 on: March 30, 2009, 10:21:21 PM »
Thank you for the explanation fellow. I see what Robert is saying now. They have a huge container just for stainless and they don't sort, they just throw it all in there and so various grades are all mixed in there together.  :) ;) Got it. Sometimes you gotta dummy stuff down so I can understand it. :)

And Chuck, about that piece that you show there, all eaten up. From what I can see it is pretty thin and flimsy stuff for you to be able to shape it to go around the contours of the barrel. I am using two nice big sheets, one at each side of the barrel, hooked together, and unless I had a bending machine, theres no way I could bend them to contour the inside of a round barrel. BUT, maybe I am missing something with you Chuck, and maybe you did have/use a bending machine that shaped your SS.

Offline Raymond Dube

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #13 on: March 30, 2009, 10:28:15 PM »
I think you are correct in that Chuck used thin sheets that he was able to bend to fit the barrel....not sure how thick yours are Perry, but if you have a machine shop near you, they may have a press and can form it for you (for a fee of course....unless you know someone working there, or better yet, the owner)...

....when I was involved in drag racing, a buddy owned a frame shop where he made all his own frames from the ground up (car frames, not picture frames LOL)....he could bend stuff into all kinds of shape...I may have to look him up as I haven't talked to him in a few years...I bet he even has some nice heavy guage stainless scrap that I can pick up at a reasonable price....just not sure if I really need an electro setup....yet ;)
« Last Edit: March 30, 2009, 10:29:21 PM by imanut2 »
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Offline Robert Hilman

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #14 on: March 31, 2009, 01:12:08 AM »
Sorry Perry, worked in a chemical plant all my life. I forget that not everybody else does.
Chuck, I work in an acid plant. The stainless don't look too bad ;D
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Offline Duke Gilleland

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #15 on: March 31, 2009, 05:10:35 AM »
I found several of the old army chow hall SS trays some time back and use them ofr my Electro rig. Shape with a shop hammer and get great results. Eventually they get the "rustic" look and I replace.
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Offline Ed Allspaugh

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #16 on: March 31, 2009, 07:39:29 AM »
The pieces I have are no more than 1/8"thick, 8'"wide x34" long. They are kick plates that you see on the bottom of doors, mainly in commercial type buildings. You have to watch because they are all not SS.

 I don't know Chuck, maybe you have nonmagnetic steel, and not true SS with chromium in it. That piece you show sure looks like ferrous pieces I've seen used. Heres a link if ya can read it.
                  http://www.springerlink.com/content/t87392354526w0r1/
« Last Edit: March 31, 2009, 11:43:01 AM by mred_200 »
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Offline C. Perry Rapier

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #17 on: March 31, 2009, 11:39:43 AM »
Quote
I found several of the old army chow hall SS trays some time back and use them ofr my Electro rig. Shape with a shop hammer and get great results. Eventually they get the "rustic" look and I replace.


Duke, UNLESS, them pieces are eaten clean through, you are throwing away good stuff. My SS also gets that "rustic" look, and it will, its supposed to, but, I just take a good stiff brush, after letting it dry, to it, and then you are good for another thousand miles. Thats the way I do it anyway, and like I said earlier, I have never worn out a piece of SS.

Offline Jeff Seago

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #18 on: March 31, 2009, 07:07:27 PM »
Hmm,

The stainless steel that I use in my lye bath never gets oxidized!  Maybe that's cause I don't use any!!   ;D ;D

All kidding aside I am writing all of this stuff down for when I have a place to set up my own electro.

Offline Chuck Rogers

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Re: My stainless is gone.
« Reply #19 on: March 31, 2009, 08:53:56 PM »
The SS I'm using is 18ga. about 1/32" thick. Maybe that is too thin? I like to have it line the barrel so I have th most room. It's not that easy to bend. I have seen much thinner
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