Titanium Gold PVD Coating on Stainless Steel Wall Decoration
Why the gold on these panels is a vacuum deposited coating rather than paint, and what that means in a working interior.
Stainless Steel Ball
Stainless Steel Mirror-Faced Large Sphere Design A
Stainless Steel Mirror-Faced Large Sphere Design A is a mirror polished 316L stainless steel water feature built to order in our Shenzhen workshop.
Product Overview
What This Piece Is
Stainless Steel Mirror-Faced Large Sphere Design A is a mirror polished 316L stainless steel water feature built to order in our Shenzhen workshop.
A water feature adds sound as well as sight, which is what makes a courtyard feel separated from the street beyond it.
316L is the low carbon version of 316, which keeps the weld zone from sensitising on the long continuous seams a large sculpture needs.
The size is set by your drawing rather than by a catalogue.
Stainless Steel Mirror-Faced Large Sphere Design A produced by Xinhengda Sculpture in Shenzhen
Key Benefits
Why Buyers Specify This Piece
- Made in 316L stainless steel, chosen where long welded seams meet a marine or poolside environment.
- The mirror polished surface picks up sky, planting and passing people, so the piece changes through the day instead of reading as one fixed object.
- The patina is brought on in the workshop, so the piece arrives already the colour it will keep rather than bare steel that takes a year to settle.
- Height, width and base detail for this water feature are set from your drawing, so it is proportioned to the space instead of being the nearest standard size.
- Lighting can be designed into the water feature so it still reads after dark, with the cable route concealed inside the structure.
- At large scale this water feature is trial assembled in the workshop, then split into transportable sections with the joints placed where they will not be seen.
- A water feature adds sound as well as sight, which is what makes a courtyard feel separated from the street beyond it.
Application Scenarios
Where It Is Installed
Set on a lawn, in a planting bed or on a courtyard paving grid, on a concrete pad or a levelled base plate.
Installed in a park, on a plaza or at a landscape entrance, where the piece has to survive public contact and read from a distance.
Placed in a hotel lobby, on an arrival axis or beside a reception desk, where it is the first object a guest registers.
Used in a mall atrium, a retail entrance or a showroom, as a fixed point that shoppers photograph and navigate by.
Who It Is For
The People Who Order This
- Public art planners and municipal teams siting a water feature in parks and public plazas where it will take public contact
- Galleries and trade buyers reselling 316L stainless water features into their own local projects
- Main contractors who need the water feature, the base plate and the crate quoted as one package
- Private clients commissioning a single mirror polished water feature for gardens and courtyards
Problems It Solves
What This Piece Removes From the Project
- On a big piece the welds run for metres. Low carbon 316L keeps those seams as corrosion resistant as the panel beside them.
- A poorly polished mirror surface shows the weld lines and a wavy reflection. Grinding the seams flat before polishing is what removes both.
- Untreated weathering steel arrives silver grey and stains everything below it while it turns. Pre-weathering avoids both problems on site.
- Getting a water feature into gardens and courtyards is usually harder than the design assumed. Access is checked before the piece is built, not on delivery day.
- Off the shelf water features are never the size gardens and courtyards actually needs, so schemes end up compromised. Making this one to the drawing removes that compromise.
Technical Features
How It Is Constructed
- Internal pipework, pump chamber and drainage detailed into the form rather than added afterwards
- Mirror polished by hand through successive grits until the reflection is undistorted across the whole surface
- Accelerated weathering carried out before dispatch so the colour is established on arrival
- Fabricated throughout in 316L stainless steel with matching filler where the material is welded
- Base plate and anchor pattern for the water feature issued as a drawing before the foundation is poured
- Weld seams placed on the lines of the water feature so they read as edges rather than repairs
Specifications
Recorded Specification
| Material | 316L stainless steel |
|---|---|
| Finish | Mirror polished and Pre weathered rust patina |
| Form | Water Feature |
| Category | Stainless Steel Ball |
| Size | Made to your drawing |
| Minimum Order | Quoted per project |
| Placement | Outdoor and indoor |
| Lighting | Integrated lighting available |
| Packing | Foam lined plywood crate built to the finished geometry |
| Origin | Shenzhen China |
Dimensions, weight and lead time for this water feature are confirmed with the quotation, because it is built to your drawing rather than to a stainless steel ball catalogue size.
Materials
What It Is Made From
- 316L stainless steel
- Integrated LED components where lighting is specified
- Stainless or galvanised fixings sized for this water feature and supplied with it
Manufacturing Process
How It Is Made
1
Laser cutting of 316L sheet to the developed pattern
2
Forming and rolling of the panel sections
3
TIG welding with 316L filler across the full seam length
4
Weld dressing and levelling
5
Polishing or texturing to the specified finish
6
Pickling and passivation after all welding is complete
Quality Control
What Is Checked and When
- Incoming sheet grade checked against the order
- Welder qualification matched to the seam type
- Seam length inspected in sections during dressing
- Passivation record kept for the whole piece
- Trial assembly before the crate is built
Customisation Options
What Can Be Changed
- Overall height, width and depth of the water feature set from your drawing or from the dimensions of gardens and courtyards
- Your own branding applied to the water feature for resale as OEM or ODM work
- The 316L stainless grade stepped up where the piece is going within reach of salt or treated water
- Proportions adjusted so the water feature reads correctly from the approach distance in parks and public plazas
Comparison
How It Compares With the Alternatives
Compared with Standard 316 stainless steel
Standard 316 is fine on short seams. Where a sculpture is welded almost continuously, 316L keeps the heat affected zone as durable as the rest.
Compared with A cast or moulded reproduction
A reproduction repeats a fixed size. This water feature is built to your dimensions, which is the whole reason to commission one.
Compared with Buying through a trading company
A trader passes drawings along and adds a margin. Here the water feature is drawn and built by the same people you are talking to.
Use Guide
Looking After It Once It Is Installed
- Fresh water rinse on a regular cycle in coastal air
- Neutral detergent wash, then dry the surface
- Keep the base and drainage clear of leaf litter
- No chloride based or abrasive cleaners
- Fingerprints show on a mirror surface. A neutral detergent wash and a dry microfibre cloth is all it takes.
Related Products
Other Pieces in Stainless Steel Ball
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this be made in a different size
Yes. Stainless Steel Mirror-Faced Large Sphere Design A is made to order, so the height and width are set from your drawing or from the dimensions of the space. Send the position and the height you have in mind and the quotation follows those figures.
Why 316L stainless steel rather than something cheaper
316L is the low carbon version of 316, which keeps the weld zone from sensitising on the long continuous seams a large sculpture needs. On a big piece the welds run for metres. Low carbon 316L keeps those seams as corrosion resistant as the panel beside them.
Will the mirror finish show the welds
Not if the seams are ground level before polishing starts. Every weld on a mirror piece is dressed flat first, which is why the reflection stays undistorted across the joint.
Will the rust run onto my paving
There is some run off while the patina settles. The usual detail is a gravel or dark stone margin under the piece, which absorbs it without showing.
How is a water feature this size packed and shipped
A plywood crate is built around the finished geometry with foam on every mirror polished face. Large water features are split into sections at joints chosen during design, trial assembled in the workshop, then marked so they go back together in the same order on site.
What do you need from me to quote
The position, the height or overall size you want, and any drawing, render or reference photograph you already have. For gardens and courtyards a photograph of the space is often enough to start.
What is the lead time
Lead time depends on the size of the water feature, the mirror polish and how much design work it needs, so it is confirmed with the quotation rather than promised in advance. Send the brief and the schedule comes back with the price.
Quote This Piece for Your Project
Send the position, the height you want and any drawing you have. The quotation comes back against your figures, not against a catalogue size.