Re: More datapoints on my ur-Q

["Fred Munro" <munrof@isys.ca>]

-----Original Message-----
From: MHLIGGINS@aol.com <MHLIGGINS@aol.com>
To: dhquebbeman@theestopinalgroup.com <dhquebbeman@theestopinalgroup.com>;
quattro@coimbra.ans.net <quattro@coimbra.ans.net>
Date: Monday, March 29, 1999 9:35 PM
Subject: RE: More datapoints on my ur-Q


><<Oxidation I believe, but I've never seen yellow rust before, always red,
>red, red...>>
> The higer grades of steel have different oxidation colors. Some of the
>neglected stainless steel I've seen has oxidized to an almost white color.
>
[snip]

    That white stuff you are seeing is the "stainless" in the stainless
steel. Stainless steel resists corrosion because it forms a very tough,
invisible (to the naked eye) surface oxide layer which prevents further
corrosion. Anything which disrupts this layer (abrasion, chlorides, etc.)
can result in corrosion (usually pitting) of the stainless. Without the
oxide layer, stainless can corrode very fast indeed. I've seen 304 stainless
disappear in a matter of days in a high chloride environment (it was
supposed to be 317L stainless, but these little mistakes do happen). There
are literally dozens of stainless alloys available, each suited for specific
conditions and uses.

Fred Munro
'91 200q  271k km