RB73 Piquia 4 Leg Rusted Outdoor Heater

The Piquia model is a compact CorTen steel wood stove with an industrial look. This terrace stove has a galvanized steel door handle and stainless steel lock bolts around, both above and below the door. These contrast well with the warm rustic plate material. The legs of the 3-legged version are made of stainless steel. The version with 4 legs has a small ash tray on the back.

What does CorTen steel mean?

COR-rosion resistance   : corrosion resistance
TEN-sile strength            : tensile strength
It has been developed by US Steel with the aim of creating weatherproof steel. It is a metal alloy consisting of iron to which copper, silicon, nickel and chromium have been added.

CorTen steel properties

Characteristic of CorTenstaal is the brown-orange rust color and the long lifespan.
Through the addition of the other metals to the iron, CorTen steel develops a solid layer of rust, the oxide skin, which shields the deeper material from oxygen. In contrast to ordinary steel, corrosion is not a wear, but rather a protection of the steel.
The solid rust layer that has to develop will, depending on the weather, take 2 to 6 months. After this, the CorTen no longer delivers rust (water).

Faster start-up of the rust process

Accelerating and allowing to rust more evenly is possible with a salt or acid solution.
For salt, kitchen salt works fine and for acid can be thought of vinegar. Mix this with water in a plant spray and inject the product.

Benefits of CorTen steel

• beautiful appearance and gets a warm rust color
• very durable (lasts about 10 times longer than ordinary steel)
• very strong material (similar to stainless steel)
• does not need to be treated
• it is 100% recyclable

Disadvantages of CorTen steel

• rust water which is released at the beginning can give rust spots on eg tiles
• relatively expensive material