Watermarks from rain on Stainless Steel table?

Tspud1

@StL, a magnet will stick to type 430 but not to Type 304,
Martensitic vs Ferritic stainless

NPHuskerFL

This is "film" on a SS custard machine cabinet. It is always peeled off before we turn over possession to the owner &/or operator. The film is to help in transport from scratching etc and this film is on the sheets of SS as I described before. Removing it has 0% to do with the water staining. That's the quality of the SS. Clean it with anyone of suggested products and roll with it. But, personally if it was sold as an outdoor unit I would question the quality of grade of SS.

SmokyBear

@Tspud1 - yes, but they all appear to be sitting on covered decks/patios also, and not being rained on directly.

I'm learning that 304 steel apparently doesn't do well "totally" uncovered in the rain, which is weird since I thought a lot of forum members had stainless tables that sit uncovered out in the open (and not on a covered patio or deck) a big part if not all of the year.

Tspud1

Stainless is a pretty controlled process at the mills. I get mill certs with stainless steel so it's known if type 304 or 430 regardless of the magnet test. I have found that old glue is harder to get the PVC off.

SmokyBear

PS: I would have planned better on my cover if I knew that 304 doesn't like being rained directly on..but as it seems like a lot of forum members have tables that sit "totally" uncovered (ie: not on a covered patio) thought I'd be OK..

The good news is that Sheila Shine takes "most" of the water stains off (although it needed a few passes) - but I don't have any kind of roof on the deck and am wondering how 304 stainless is going to do over time on those nights when I can't cover the Egg until it cools down - and it winds up raining directly on it.  Could be somewhat high maintenance to keep it looking good unfortunately, which isn't something I was aware of..

SmokyBear

I'm still wondering if the stainless is "fine" and the spots are due to rainwater mixing with any residual adhesive (even if I can't see it outright, that stuff came off HARD!)..could be the spots are just "gunk"..

Maybe as the adhesive totally clears off (over time), or I get some Sheila Shine or baby oil as a protective layer on, it won't happen as much if at all.

paqman

Bar Keeper's Friend to get rid of stain/rust. Mineral oil to protect the finish and give it a nice shine.

If you leave metal on it, it will rust. If you let water evaporate on it, it will leave marks regardless of the steel quality. Arround here, for most of the summer, there will be a film of pollen after just a few hours...

Terrebandit

Maybe you could clean it up good and then give it a coat or two of car wax. That would allow the water to bead and protect the surface. Outside of that, I wouldn't worry so much about it. It's a nice table for sure.

paqman

Before and after cleaning with Bar Keeper's Friend:

Tspud1

@paqman Now that's a impressive before and after. Think I'll get some to try.

paqman

@Tspud1‌ - Bar Keeper's Friend works miracle on metal and other surfaces. It is amazing to give back some shine to the kitchen sink. I was able to get rid of rust stains in the bath that we could not remove with anything else after we moved in to our new house. I was also able to get rid of a nasty metal mark that was making me crazy on our new quartz countertop...

SmokyBear

paqman said:

Bar Keeper's Friend to get rid of stain/rust. Mineral oil to protect the finish and give it a nice shine. If you leave metal on it, it will rust. If you let water evaporate on it, it will leave marks regardless of the steel quality. Arround here, for most of the summer, there will be a film of pollen after just a few hours...

Thanks..that's exactly the type of info I was looking for..sounds like it has nothing to do with the quality of the stainless (which I believe is good and Type 304) but just how rainwater and stainless steel interact.

The only thing I still can't figure out is why there are people that apparently leave their tables uncovered in the rain - with no roof over them - and they are (supposedly) fine.  That's the real mystery..

NPHuskerFL

@SmokeyBear‌ mine is either under the cover or pop-up. However, mine has been rained on many times. My table is over 18 yrs old it has some little scratches etc (character). But, never had issues with water stains. I hit it with a damp rag most of the time and once in a while I'll use Beekeepers Friend and it looks like new. It's all good.