Sink - strange cuts in metal

Jabbah

Hello

I have a Carron satin stainless steel sink which is about a year old. It has been carefully looked after and has just the usual surface scratches that are unavoidable. I had a soft flexible silicone type sink drainer on top of this and today when I took it off to clean underneath I felt what seemed to be a deep cut in the metal. This is a close up photograph. My questions are - is that rust I'm looking at? Is this a health hazard? And what kind of object would have made that type of cut in stainless steel? Could this be some fault or weakness? I am at a complete loss as there has been nothing on there other than the soft silicone drying pad with dishes drying above? Just looking for any thoughts from those who have more experience or knowledge than I do.

QrizB

Yes it's rust. It seems to follow the grain of the metal, where you'd expect crevice corrosion to appear.

You say you've had a drainer on top of the sink. Has it been keeping the sink damp, not allowing air to circulate? There are lots of different alloys that get called stainless steel, but most of them rely on oxygen to maintain the corrosion-resistant surface. If it's been damp and underneath a cover, without good air circulation, it's quite possible for stainless steel to rust.

Jabbah

Thank you so much - I didn't know that. It's a proper cut in the metal. Do you have any suggestions about what I could do to stop it getting worse?

FreeBear

Also seen stainless steel "rust" when in contact with a plain old steel object (s skewer perhaps ?).

GDB2222

Jabbah said:

Thank you so much - I didn't know that. It's a proper cut in the metal. Do you have any suggestions about what I could do to stop it getting worse?

It looks quite shallow, so just use a nylon scourer in the direction of the grain. It should polish off and not be too noticeable. 

And get rid of the silicone drainer. 

twopenny

You could try Solvol Autosol which cleans metal. Originally for cars I now use it for lots of jobs in the house and have tried it on my ss sink with no ill effect. Quick and easy and not expensive.

FreeBear

twopenny said: You could try Solvol Autosol which cleans metal.

Toothpaste also makes for a very fine polishing compound.

Jabbah

Thank you so much everyone. The silicone drainer is in the bin and I have several options to try. I appreciate all the knowledge and help you have given so freely.

greyteam1959

Have you actually tried contacting the manufacturers ?
Before you start messing about with it ?
You may do more harm than good. 

Mr.Generous

Carron stainless used to recommend "Barkeepers friend"

for all marks and stains on sinks when I dealt with them at work.

Often the rust is deposits on top of the stainless, even tapwater contains traces of metals and can leave rust stains on all sorts of materials that won't rust themselves.