Corten Steel
Corten steel is a weather resistant copper chromium alloy steel, it displays a great level of resistance to atmospheric weathering compared to unalloyed or mild steel.
The natural colours, longevity and practically maintenance free nature of corten steel has meant it is very popular amongst high profile architects, and used in a range of applications like bridges and sculptures.
The naturally occurring protective patina layer constantly develops and self-regenerates over time. Because of this, the corrosion rate is significantly slower than mild steel, at around 0.02mm every year.
At The Art Of Steel, as standard we use a 3mm thick corten steel, and offer wall spacers on all our wall art to promote the wet/dry cycles that are crucial to the lifespan of corten steel. As a result, after 100 years you could still have an item that’s 1mm in thickness.
Pros to Corten steel:
- Durability
- Anti-corrosive properties and weather resistant
- Low maintenance
- Cost-effectiveness
- Environmentally friendly
Cons to Corten steel:
- Staining caused by 'run off'
- Not suitable for humid climates
Process:
Run-Off:
This is a significant aspect of all metal art that should be considered, ‘Run off’ is the rusty water than can drain or ‘run off’, potentially causing staining on surfaces where it is placed.
Ways to mitigate this risk, if you want to, are:
1) Weather the steel before putting in place. You can allow your Corten product to complete the ‘run-off’ stages of the weathering process in a separate area.
2) Protect the area. Consider placing your Corten product on a slab or other protective material that can be cleaned, moved or replaced easily once the Corten has weathered.
3) Positioning. Choose to position your Corten product on grass, soil, slate, stone and wood chippings that can all either be turned over, or not be affected by the run-off stages of the weathering process.
The weathering process of Corten steel is integral to this product and as such we will not accept any responsibility for damage caused to surrounding materials because of rust run off from Corten steel products. Please ensure you do not place your product on any surface that may be damaged during the weathering process.
We recommend using a bitumen paint on any surface that will be buried, to improve the longevity to the section unable to complete the wet/dry cycles.
If you have any questions around the material that we use, please get in touch and we’ll do our best to help you!
