I am not saying don't paint them, but I think you should check with someone that knows something. Unfortunately, that would not be me :-( Another forum might be your best bet. "Home Repairs" has some people that check in that might know something about Metallurgy. I think that it does support the bricks above it. Temporary support can be provided by other means and removed after the mortar cures. (A couple of 2x4s wedged by a couple more would work on the entry door.) Given that it is 21 years old and has a nice patina, you can probably take your time to figure it out. There is no sense in rushing in and possibly screwing something up. A couple more months is not going to make that much difference. It was probably already oxidized and relatively stable when it was installed and that is why it did not stain anything. There are ways to passivate some steel alloys that you might find more attractive than oxide. Nitric and phosphoric acid treatments are common, I think. I really have no idea if this is possible with your type of beam or post-installation. I think that I started looking into this kind of chemistry when I first checked into modern automotive coolants. Stuff was pretty simple when engines were all iron and radiators were copper with lead solder. One coolant fit all. Now that aluminum plastic and steel have been thrown into the mix, and silicate as a passivation agent is out due to the need to replace coolant every two years, there are a lot of different coolants and you best use the best coolant specified by your manufacturer unless you have an inorganic chemistry-related degree.

I had the same problem mounting shades to metal door. I used J B Weld to patch the hole (Just wasn't comfortable making holes in metal door). Then used Command strips - large on top of door to hold the spring loaded roller and smaller on the bottom (upside down) to hook the wood insert strip in the shade onto. The Command strips were offwhite like the door. They can be glued if the hold isn't strong enough. They can be pried off carefully later if you want to change styles of window cover. Wasn't real pretty but it worked. No one noticed since it didn't show unless you looked for it.

Lynn, how funny, I have an LG fridge, GE Café range and KA dishwasher also! Stainless steel actually has a grain, but it's at the microscopic level, so you can't really see it. What you do see on stainless appliances is the brushed finish that was put on the metal. Basically, it's an even finish of small scratches put on by an abrasive material. Think of the big cylindrical roller that goes over your car at the car wash, only made out of an sandpaper. That's why the finish is not necessarily the same on different brands; they choose how rough they want the finish. My GE range has a coarser finish than the others. Lynn, your dishwasher probably has a much finer finish, so smudges show more, it's smoother. My KA dishwasher is magnetic also, unlike the other appliances. On all my appliances the direction of the finish is horizontal. You can probably see it better if you look at it with a magnifying glass. There are many types of stainless steel, depending on how they were manufactured and the exact composition of the metal. Different casting methods/composition produce materials with different microstructures and chemical/mechanical properties. Some handle corrosion better than others, some weld well, some can be formed easily, some can be fabricated and then heat treated to make them stronger, some are magnetic and others are not. An example would be the 18/10 stainless that is recommended for cookware. It's chemical composition helps it resist corrosion from food acids, household chemicals, and rust. However, since it's not one of the stronger stainless steels, you wouldn't want to use it for the valves in your car engine. At the company where I work, we routinely deal with about 12 different types of stainless. The application it will be used for and fabrication techniques vary depending on the specific type.

I purchased a whirlpool refrigerator/freezer on bottom with smudgeproof coating. coating started peeling around the handles where they screwed in. Icemaker started leaking, water froze up under the large drawer above freezer. This caused the coating to peel on the bottom of the freezer drawer and it rusted. I called the store where i purchased it, naturally my warranty was up. The lady in appliances stated they don’t have anything to do with the appliances, they just sell them. She told me why don’t i paint it! i said what!!! couldn’t believe she said that. I had two service men come out. First one defrosted the ice under the drawer and defrosted line behind icemaker. Said should be fine. After he left, i called left message said it wasn’t working. Didn’t hear back. Called another company, he defrosted it with dryer, said it needed a part, part would cost $100 and he had to order it and it would take a week to get it. Came back, put part in said it should be fine. Next morning, icemaker still not working, leaking allover the floor. Call whirlpool, several places no help. Looked up litigations against whirlpool, could’t believe how many there were. Had a list of model numbers that they listed that would qualify. Naturally, mine wasn’t list. Left an email and extensive not with serial/model numbers, got answer back stated couldn’t help me because my number wasn’t listed. Well icemaker still not working and leaking. Spent over $400?on two servicemen. Not wasting anymore money. I will never purchase another whirlpool product, pardon my french this sucks!!!!!🥺😜