cor- ten steel

i need to weld some cor-ten steel for a sculpture project and am having difficulty finding a local source for electrodes or mig wire(except in 50# spools). color match is important. if anyone has any suggestions, i would appreciate it.

I have welded lots of corrosion resistant steel in my public sculptures even made a few life-size steel castings- cor-ten is a brand name of United States Steel, Bethlehem Steel also makes a corrosion resistant steel as do a few of the mini-mills around the country. This steel gets its corrosion resistance from the addition of 5% copper in the formula. As to color match - it takes 10 years or so for the rust coating to become uniform - even then, it will vary.

Where did you get you steel, usually the steel supplier can recommend a welding supplier or two. Also the steel manufacturers offer tech. publications that covers all phases of using their product. You may be able to download this info - I am not sure but search around. In closing, a trained eye will always be able to see the weld. Hot rolled material and castings have a different granular structure than the weld.

Good Luck Cheers, Ken Clark www.2rts.com

KF, I don't have an answer, but ask over in rec.crafts.metalworking. Active group, lots of helpful, knowledgeable folks.

Dave

Color match is important, I agree with you.

The generic name for Cor-ten, or weathering steel is A-566

When I first searched for Cor-Ten wire, no one had a clue what I really wanted... as soon as a found the name A-566, doors opened.

Hope this helps.

James, Seattle, Washington, USA, Earth