Best Faucet Finish for Outdoors
I'm working on making a pool faucet and was wondering which material would be best for outdoors: mild steel brass plated or stainless steel brass plated?
Question
I'm working on making a pool faucet and was wondering which material would be best for outdoors: mild steel brass plated or stainless steel brass plated?
Answer
You don't say in your email whether this is a commercial product or a onetime situation. I think the stainless steel brass plated part would hold up better for the long-term. However, getting a good brass plate on stainless steel is somewhat more difficult than on mild steel. But it can be done! If this is something that you are thinking about doing on your own I would strongly recommend that you consider having a plating shop do the work.
Stainless steel has an oxide coating on it that must be removed prior to plating it with any type of metal. The best way of removing this oxide layer is by using a Wood's nickel strike. A mild steel substrate does not require this step.
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