PRODUCTION OF STAINLESS STEEL OR WORKED ARTICLE THEREOF EXCELLENT IN ANTIBACTERIAL PROPERTY

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily restore stable antibacterial properties of a stainless steel at a relatively inexpensive production cost without deteriorating various characteristics such as beautiful appearance and workability characteristic of the stainless steel and furthermore to impart antibacterial properties even to a stainless steel contg. no Cu. SOLUTION: A stainless steel or a worked article thereof is simply immersed in a soln. contg. Cu ions or is furthermore subjected to electrolytic treatment in the above soln to modify the surface of the stainless steel and to regulate the concn. of Cu in the surface layer part to >=0.10 atomic % effective for antibacterial properties, where, as the soln. of pH =4 the one contg. one or >= two kinds of halogen ions and sulfide ions can be used as well.