landyacht said...check your stainless bits with a magnet. you might be suprised to find how little nickel and chrome they are using
Some grades of Stainless are magnetic, check your kitchen sink, 400 series, same as knives etc. I have also seen 300 series become magnetic after welding when it's theoretically impossible, can't explain that one
There are hundreds of grades of Stainless Steels designed for specific purposes, unfortunately we have to use the best one closest to our needs, not always perfect however.
If you were prepared to pay for quality you could have it
unfortunately no-one is, so manufacturers have to find the cheapest option.
Actually at the moment there is a material that costs the same as 316L (used to be double) but is 40% stronger & more corrosion resistant, only it's harder to work with.
BTW a lot of the corrosion is not the actual material rusting but the surface has been contaminated while manufacturing and they don't passivate (acid clean) to remove it.
China is getting better with their materials although the Oil & Gas industry still won't accept materials from most of Asia, no exceptions!
