I'd suggest either the stainless steel or silicon bronze. Both can be forged and welded easily, with no visible seams. Copper also, although it takes a bigger welder to work the copper as it conducts so readily. Likewise for forging it; you have to getg the whole piece up to forging heat, pretty much.
The 300 series stainlesses forge pretty well at a high yellow heat, but get tougher to work as they cool. The work harden pretty quickly if worked cold, the same way non-ferrous metals do.
If you go with the stainless, try to use only stainless steel wire brushes and dedicated grinding wheels with it, or you can contaminate it with steelparticles that foster rust. Stainless can be electgropolished after forging and welding to restore its "stainless" characteristics and shine it up. Or it can be left with firescale for a grey, iron-like finish.
Silicon bronze is very strong, forges well hot, and be TIG welded with no color change at the joints. The cost is high, but the maintenance is low.
You can join stainless steel to mild steel by using a high-nickel stainless electrode/wire such as 309 or 316L, and silicon bronze can be joined to mild steel using silicon bronze filler and a TIG or MIG welder.
I would probably not opt for chroming mild steel as the service life is an unknown quantity and depends on the skills of the plater and the care it receives in use. Since both of those are factors outside your control, I think that caution dictates sticking with something that YOU control, like stainless or bronze.
Aluminum would be a poor choice for mixing with mild steel, due to problems with galvanic corrosion. Those can happen when mixing stainless, copper or bronze with mild steel too, but to such a minor degree that I think you can safely ignore it. Particularly if the connections are welded.
The 300 series stainless can be annealed the same way you anneal non-ferrous metals such as bronze or copper, by heating to cherry red and quenching in cold water. 400 series stainless, on the other hand, will harden if heated and quenched.
If you end up deciding to use either stainless or bronze, I'd suggest that either one be polished and left natural after working and let nature take its course on the age patinas. The color change alone will be a nice contrast to the Cor-Ten or mild steel.
If you wantg it to last pretty near forever and cost is no object, then I'd go with stainless steel for the obelisk and silicon bronze for the accents. No maintenance issues, no rust, and a good visual contrast between the two materials.
Jake, I'd suggest either the
Jake,
I'd suggest either the stainless steel or silicon bronze. Both can be forged and welded easily, with no visible seams. Copper also, although it takes a bigger welder to work the copper as it conducts so readily. Likewise for forging it; you have to getg the whole piece up to forging heat, pretty much.
The 300 series stainlesses forge pretty well at a high yellow heat, but get tougher to work as they cool. The work harden pretty quickly if worked cold, the same way non-ferrous metals do.
If you go with the stainless, try to use only stainless steel wire brushes and dedicated grinding wheels with it, or you can contaminate it with steelparticles that foster rust. Stainless can be electgropolished after forging and welding to restore its "stainless" characteristics and shine it up. Or it can be left with firescale for a grey, iron-like finish.
Silicon bronze is very strong, forges well hot, and be TIG welded with no color change at the joints. The cost is high, but the maintenance is low.
You can join stainless steel to mild steel by using a high-nickel stainless electrode/wire such as 309 or 316L, and silicon bronze can be joined to mild steel using silicon bronze filler and a TIG or MIG welder.
I would probably not opt for chroming mild steel as the service life is an unknown quantity and depends on the skills of the plater and the care it receives in use. Since both of those are factors outside your control, I think that caution dictates sticking with something that YOU control, like stainless or bronze.
Aluminum would be a poor choice for mixing with mild steel, due to problems with galvanic corrosion. Those can happen when mixing stainless, copper or bronze with mild steel too, but to such a minor degree that I think you can safely ignore it. Particularly if the connections are welded.
The 300 series stainless can be annealed the same way you anneal non-ferrous metals such as bronze or copper, by heating to cherry red and quenching in cold water. 400 series stainless, on the other hand, will harden if heated and quenched.
If you end up deciding to use either stainless or bronze, I'd suggest that either one be polished and left natural after working and let nature take its course on the age patinas. The color change alone will be a nice contrast to the Cor-Ten or mild steel.
If you wantg it to last pretty near forever and cost is no object, then I'd go with stainless steel for the obelisk and silicon bronze for the accents. No maintenance issues, no rust, and a good visual contrast between the two materials.