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Hi Brian. Welding stainless is easier than aluminum and it's more corrosion
resistant. A bit of paint on the aluminum will take care of that if you keep an
eye on it and touch up the paint as needed.
It's easier to cut and drill aluminum but I prefer stainless. It's not that
tough to work with. I generally use a portable band saw to get the general shape
or size needed, then a 4-1/2 inch grinder to finish it off. I also use the
grinder and a 1/16 inch cut-off blade for cutting larger pieces of sheet like
for my ballast tanks etc.
A lot depends on your source for material and which one is cheaper. For me,
stainless is easier to work with because of it's weldability. It can be bent
and/or folded where aluminum can't without cracking.
If the stainless has been cut or welded and I think the corrosion
resistance has been lost I use a wire wheel and a sanding disk to polish it up a
bit. Sometimes a buffer wheel and polishing compound stick to get a good shine.
It doesn't get rusty then unless I've gotten the piece really hot so that the
chromium boils to the surface. In that case I sand away the surface and lay a
little more stainless rod over it, sand to contour and it's good as new. If the
part will be in contact with concrete then aluminum won't work. The alkali in
the cement eats aluminum in short order. You could put a separator like nylon or
something between them but why make it more complicated.
If you have the equipment to weld aluminum there are some places where it's
good because of it's light weight but generally stainless will out last aluminum
by 2 or 3 times it's life span. Look at sailboats and you'll see very few
aluminum fittings there. Mostly stainless unless weight is an issue. If aluminum
is used it's anodized and/or treated and requires more maintenance.
Frank D.
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