Corten Steel with Natural Rusted Finish

Corten Steel with a Natural Rusted Finish is a natural and endures the harshest of environments

We at Lump think Corten steel is so awesome because it makes our timeless pieces, well, timeless. Like everybody, we love the warm natural appearance of rust. Unlike mild steel that will rust through when left out in the elements, Corten steel forms a protective layer on the surface after it has been exposed to poor weather. This protective layer, prevents the steel from rusting through. The surface continually regenerates itself each time it is subjected to poor weather creating its own protective coating and our lovely rusted finish. Awesome.

Cool things we know about working with Corten Steel….

Corten Steel is double the tensile strength of mild steel.

It WILL leach a rust stain onto surrounding surfaces when exposed to poor weather.

There is NO way to seal off the rust or avoid the rust stains leaching onto surrounding surfaces.

The colour and surface will change depending on the elements it is exposed to.

At Lump we have 1.6mm – 3mm sheet thickness as well as large over size sheets and 6mm plate available to us to make fabulous things.

Safe structural welding requires super special imported, BHP specified, low carbon welding wire.

Special welding techniques are needed to ensure welding spots corrode at the same rate as the steel.

A more uniform rusted finish is achieved if the steel is sandblasted before rusting.

The rusted finish is also achieved faster with sandblasting prior to rusting.

We supply all sculptures and screens pre-rusted and remove all oils and stains from the corten prior to our rusting method. But please note, we cannot control the colour of the rusted finish, as it is a naturally occurring chemical reaction and it will continue to change and develop over time.

Rust – it will rub off on to your hands, it will leach a stain in poor weather and it will infect any other metal in contact with it. But, a rusted surface is a natural surface. It will delight in changes in pattern and colour and deeply ripen with age. You can change the look of it and it will return to its natural state, you can prevent it and also remove it. But don’t be fooled. Rust will never sleep We recommend one of our Lump Faux Finishes as a substitute to the natural rusted finish for internal fit outs and applications.