Oak and silversteel

[devonwoody]

I am making an outdoor gateleg table, and have come to the swingleg mechanism stage.
Can I use silver steel and those modern bronzy coloured screws with oak timber without getting any corrosion and discolour problems?

 

[Chris Knight]

Devon,

Discolouration appears pretty quickly in the presence of water - you could try on a few scraps. However, I would observe that silver steel is not stainless steel, it is a high carbon steel designed for easy heat treatment and it contains no silver. That moniker comes from its polished appearance as sold. In a similar vein, those bronzy screws ain't bronze. It's a coating that will come off in time.

I would use stainless steel and bronze or stainless screws. Bronze screws are obtainable form Boat builders suppliers and chandlers - ditto stainless but these are more generally available

 

[DaveL]

I bought stainless screws from good old Screwfix for the patio chairs I made, they are not that expensive for the peace of mind that they will not rust.

 

[johnjin]

Hi Devonwoody

As Chris says do not use silversteel for outside use as it will rust like crazy. Stainless is the way to go.

All the best

John

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks all, I didnt think of screwfix.

 

[Anonymous]

Devon

The good thing about silver steel is it is very straight and of even thickness. rectangular sections tend to be ground flat and straight which can be very useful but makes it expensive. As others have stated, it is not resistant to corrosion in the way that SOME 'stainless' steels are.

A few years back I was employed a senior engineer in a company and had to drive up to Wakefield to check out a 'rusty' stainless installation.

It was a very even red/brown colour. Wrong grade of stainless used for the installation in a leisure centre. The chlorine in the air had corroded it. I had to settle at £120,000 cost to the company

Stainless steel comes in many grades

Cheers

Tony