Jennifer,

I work with aluminum quite a bit.  Like stainless, is an excellent
material for many outdoor products, but they have some differences.
Compared to stainless, if it is unfinished, it will show more oxidation
over time in an outdoor environment, so the initial shine will dull down
to a slightly less reflective (but pleasing) patina. I don't have
experience with anodization, so I can't comment on that, except to say
that it isn't cheap, so some of the savings from switching to aluminum
will disappear.  Also, "brushed" aluminum is fairly easy to re-surface;
an anodized surface would be somewhat more involved. Aluminum is not as
strong as stainless, for a given dimension, so it is possible that the
artist would need to use thicker panels of aluminum, but I wonder if the
stainless really needs to be 1/4" thick(?).  That would depend on the
design, but a lighter gauge stainless would save materials costs and
laser-cutting costs.  If vandalism is likely in the area, my concern
with aluminum would be scratching, since it is a softer material.  I
hope a good solution becomes clear.

Harry McDaniel
HarryMcDaniel.com

> -------------------------
>  Aluminum vs. stainless steel for fence panels [20] by Jennifer Easton
> _(04 Apr 2022 20:51 UTC)_
> Reply to list
>
>  Hi All,
>  I'm sure I'm not the only one reeling from the crazy rise in the cost
> of stainless...
>
>  Artists/fabricators/end-users:
>  Our facility standards dictate 316 grade stainless for "decorative
> metalwork." I have an artist commissioned to do fence panels (the
> framework is already in place - powder coated steel). His plan was to
> do #4 finish stainless on laser-cut 1/4" panels (each panel about
> 3'hx4'w). In talking to a potential fabricator they asked about
> aluminum as an alternate to save $. The artist is interested in
> exploring an anodized aluminum.
>
>  The site is going to be very publicly accessible, will likely get
> tagged (stickers, as well as markers etc), and is adjacent to cars, so
> will likely suffer door dings, etc. It is not far from the bay, so
> will likely be impacted by sea air (in addition to car exhaust).
>
>  I'd like to consider a variance to our specs, but I have zero
> experience  with aluminum panels, and specifically anodized aluminum -
> maintenance? repair? longevity?
>
>  Any experience, good resources, etc welcome. Is anodizing preferable
> for longevity and maintenance to non-anodized?
>
>  Thanks in advance to the hive of amazing projects that have already
> gone forth from this community.
>
>  Best,
> Jennifer
>
> Jennifer A. Easton
>
> she/her
>
> Art Program Manager
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> -------------------------