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Most people aren’t old enough to remember the old-time Superman radio show that started with, “ Faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound .”

I remember one show that started with Clark Kent listening in to a news broadcast about a Mad Scientist about to blow up earth.
“This looks like a job for Superman,” says Clark, who runs off to the nearest telephone booth for his speed-of-light change into Superman.

Well, there are times here when we feel like Superman, and that the “S” stands for Solas Ray.
A call came in from an Agency. “We need an incredibly tough LED fixture that’s rated for super high temperatures, and it’s got to be able to stand up to salt water, acids and chemicals – it’s in a water treatment plant that’s right on the ocean.”
“S” for Solas Ray
Most other Agencies would just quote Stainless Steel hardware and move on to the next quote, thinking their work was done. After all, Stainless Steel is about as strong as it gets, Right?

Wrong.
There are two major grades of Stainless Steel, 304 and 316 Stainless Steel.

Most people use 304. But this is a bad move. 304 Stainless will not stand up to salt water and Chlorine…but 316 will.

It’s just like Superman, who is vulnerable to Kryptonite. The 304 grade of Stainless Steel has its Kryptonite, and it’s called salt water.

Near the ocean, 304 will rust away and lose it’s strength. Why?

The key difference is the addition of molybdenum to 316 Stainless, an alloy which drastically enhances corrosion resistance, especially for salt-water or chloride-exposed environments. 316 stainless steel contains molybdenum, but 304 doesn’t.

So, the moral of the story is to get 316 Stainless Steel for Salt water and Chemical resistance.
Bill Nagengast, Lighting Engineer
Solas Ray Lighting
Holds over 20 patents in the lighting industry.
TJ-34 7.20.18