Hi guys is there any way to fix ferritic spark damage on stainless 304. I didnt do it but,
I have been asked to find a solution.
I do alot of structural/ architectural and mining. Not so much staino repair and might have turned it down if it wasnt a mate. I do staino but never had to fix some and because its not mine I would be guessing at the cause, pretty confident it was at a workshop though with a grinder, all same direction spray etc. Apparently it appeared a few weeks after kitchen install and supplier is not taking responsibility.
Any help would be great, Thanks.

Pretty hard…
Grinding would even embedd it deeper

Milling out may work and refill With tig. But in the end it may be cheaper to make it new

That's a tough hit! Once it starts to rust it has chemically affected the stainless. "Maybe" some trickery with acid solutions and possibly a passivation machine but could easily do more harm than good.

Sorry mate.😔

Thanks guys. I was thinking pickling paste but figured it would just reappear afterwards.
Thanks for your help

Is Ferritic spark iron embedded into the parent metal that starts to rust? I’m still new to the field and trying to pick up terms.

Doesn’t 304 stainless have a high iron content that makes it prone to rust in some conditions? Our boat has stainless railings that are rusty from the salt air. If that’s the case you might be better off going with different grade of stainless

Stainless contains chromium which has a high affinity for carbon. Mild steel has much higher carbon content in comparison. When the hot sparks land on the stainless, the heat lets the chemicals react more readily, thus contaminating the chemical properties of the stainless. This makes life for our poor pal GD really tough because it usually shows up after the job has been installed.

Like Jody says: "You have to keep stainless, stainless." "That should be a t-shirt, heh."

That is correct about 304 being prone to corrosion in chemically active environments. (acids, chlorides, New England)
316 would typically be used in those applications but all grades are prone to carbon contamination.

Yeah no stress. Just wanted to check before I touched it, dont want to get involved if it wont fix it for him. Just be another avenue the supplier can use to wiggle out of thier responsibilities. That whole "somebody else touched it crap". Sadly time is money so I have had to handball that back to him to duke it out with supplier.
Thanks for all the good advice