Stainless Steel: The Record Breakers!
Stainless steel is used for countless applications all over the world. Though many of these applications are undoubtedly industrial, the versatility of stainless steel should never be underestimated. The following world records, none of which can be considered as remotely industrial, are irrefutable proof of this fact.
World's Tallest Paperclip Sculpture
Pietro D'Angelo, an Italian artist, made his first paperclip sculpture back in 2008 and hasn't stopped building them since. The tallest he has made to date, which holds this record, is entitled 'Pole Dance' and depicts a larger-than-life exotic dancer which stands at a towering height of 228cm (7'5").
Pietro begins each sculpture by making a net of stainless steel wire, onto which he hooks as many as 20,000 specially-made stainless steel paperclips. When the sculpture is completed, a process which can take as long as three months, the paperclips completely obscure the original stainless steel net from view.
World's Largest Paperclip
The above record is not the only time that paperclips feature in the record books. While Pietro D'Angelo uses tens of thousands of them, Evgeny Stepovik from Russia went to the other extreme and created just a single paperclip from stainless steel. The mammoth clip measures 9.28 metres (30'5") at its tallest point and weighs in at a whopping 530 kilograms (over 1,168 pounds).
Highest Price Paid for a Watch at Auction
In November of 2019, a Grandmaster Chime watch created by Patek Philippe came under the hammer (not literally!) at Christie's auction house in Switzerland. The one-of-a-kind timepiece boasted numerous unique features, including dials made using golden opaline and a highly-polished stainless steel casing.
The final record-setting bid was a staggering 31 million Swiss Francs, equivalent to around £24,329,900. This smashed the existing record (which was also held by a Patek Philippe watch) by a massive £9 million. 99% of the proceeds of the sale were donated to charities supporting research into muscular dystrophy.
World's Most Expensive Sofa
Ron Arad, a British artist who was born in Israel, is the creator of the priciest sofa in the world. Arad created 20 of the minimally-titled 'D Sofas' using only stainless steel, pricing them at a steep $300,000 each. In 2007, one of the sofas turned up at Phillips de Pury auction house in New York, where it was purchased for $409,000.
On the BS Stainless website, you can discover details about the wide and diverse array of stainless steel materials and components we supply, along with just some of the applications they are used for. We also invite you to visit the 'Resources' section to learn even more fascinating facts about this infinitely-versatile metal alloy.