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Why Your Silverware Rusts

Posted by timothy on from the hearts-of-stone-don't-need-to-rust dept.

Judebert writes: "Watching your stainless steel silverware rust is enough to drive a geek to apoplexy. Not that you care, just that it is stainless, after all. Well, some clever Brits at the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine have figured out Why Stainless Steel Corrodes and published a like-named article in Nature. Science Daily, as usual, mirrored their press release. When stainless steel goes, the results can be catastrophic. Especially considering that the stuff is used in Formula 1 engines, industrial equipment, and thousands of other places. Turns out the problem is sulfur in the steel / chromium alloy. But they've also figured out ways to fix the problem without resorting to very expensive low-sulphur steels."

27 comments

  1. Tarn-X works wonders by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    As well as does tin foil and epsom salt.

    1. Re:Tarn-X works wonders by Zurk · · Score: 1, Insightful

      doesnt help with deep pits of corrosion which is what this is talking about. heat treatment or improvements in the forming process are the only things that help. the main problem is uneven distribution of chromium.

  2. So... by topside420 · · Score: 1

    ..does this make it stainless stainless steel?

  3. "stainless steel silverware" by Evro · · Score: 2, Informative

    ...stainless steel silverware ...

    Unless it's made of silver, shouldn't that be called flatware?

    Sorry for being anal, but "stainless steel silverware" sounds dumb.

    --
    rooooar
    1. Re:"stainless steel silverware" by Tackhead · · Score: 3, Funny
      > Unless it's made of silver, shouldn't that be called flatware [dictionary.com]?

      Well, yes, but in defence of the Slashdot editors, they entitled it "why your silverware rusts".

      For Slashdotters, any utensil that (a) isn't a spork, and (b) isn't made of plastic, counts as "silverware" ;-)

      It'd make a neat Slashdot poll, though. Do you own:

      ...silverware (utensils made of Ag, often passed down through the maternal half of your family for generations, that sits in a velvet-lined case and slowly tarnishes until Mom decides it's time to clean it again)

      ...flatware (the same utensils, but made out of stainless steel, that you actually eat with ;-)

      ...CowboyNealware? (Hey, CowboyNeal! Buy me a pizza!)

    2. Re:"stainless steel silverware" by Evro · · Score: 1

      often passed down through the maternal half of your family for generations, that sits in a velvet-lined case and slowly tarnishes until Mom decides it's time to clean it again

      Wow, that's not just my family? Actually, ours sat in said case until it broke, now it's in the basement. Perish the thought of eating with the stuff!

      --
      rooooar
  4. stainLESS NOT stainFREE by rtaylor · · Score: 1, Flamebait

    It's in the frigging name of the alloy, yet we still can't figure out that it just stains less than regular metals (definately true). Otherwise it would be called stainfree, as in free of stains, or will not stain.

    --
    Rod Taylor
    1. Re:stainLESS NOT stainFREE by immanis · · Score: 1

      What the heck are you talking about? That would make the name "Stainsless steel".

      Stainless, like remorseless. Without remorse. Or clueless, without a clue.

      --

      best web host ever

    2. Re:stainLESS NOT stainFREE by gillham · · Score: 1


      Well that is a rather useFREE post.

    3. Re:stainLESS NOT stainFREE by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, it actually was called stainless because it stained less not because it was without stain. More of a marketing thing than any attempt at accurate description.

    4. Re:stainLESS NOT stainFREE by Bloater · · Score: 1

      > Otherwise it would be called stainfree

      "Buy your cutlery today and we'll throw in a stain at no extra cost!"

    5. Re:stainLESS NOT stainFREE by TheLink · · Score: 1

      Maybe we're just clueless?

      :).

      --
    6. Re:stainLESS NOT stainFREE by rtaylor · · Score: 2

      heh.. Do some research. It was a marketing ploy to push new cheap flatware. It stained less than normal flatware, so the marketing department called it stainless.

      --
      Rod Taylor
  5. Silverware != (Ag)ware by Atrahasis · · Score: 2, Informative
    Try looking up silverware and discover

    silverware Pronunciation Key (slvr-wâr) n.

    1.Hollowware and flatware made of or plated with silver
    2.Metal eating and serving utensils

    Metal!=silver in case you were wondering.

    --

    Games Workshop Petition

    1. Re:Silverware != (Ag)ware by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, I tried looking up silverware in a real dictionary and found:

      sil*ver*ware (sil`vr-wâr`) n. Articles made of or plated with silver; especially, tableware.

      So it's not exactly a universal notion to use silverware to refer to your stainless steel flatware.

  6. You're lying by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I saw them demonstrate it on TV. It was amazing, and for the low low price of 29.95 for a year's supply.

  7. other metals by RoosterT · · Score: 2

    When stainless steel goes, the results can be catastrophic. Especially considering that the stuff is used in Formula 1 engines, industrial equipment, and thousands of other places

    In application where corrosion is a big concern, there are many different alloys and other metals that are very often used instead of plain 316SS. Two that jump to mind from my job at a chemical plant are titanium and nickel.

  8. I've just got to nitpick by pyramid+termite · · Score: 4, Funny

    Silverware does not rust - it tarnishes. And stainless steel "silverware" is technically flatware. And no, it's not polite to play Asteroids on your Palm Pilot during dinner. Sit up straight and remember that it's rude to comment on the condition of your host's table service and for Pete's sake don't use your cell phone's vibrate function to shake the martinis. Kids these days - no manners.

  9. Stainless steel silver where? by andaru · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    "Cat got your tongue? (something important seems to be missing from your comment ... like the body or the subject!)"

    --

    Why is Grand Theft Auto a much more serious crime than Reckless Driving?

  10. A side note about sulfur in steel by Eager+Newbie · · Score: 3, Informative

    Sulfur is often added to steel (not just stainless) to make it easier to machine (faster machining, less wear of cutting bits, producing a lower cost). This is really beneficial in stainless steel, which is typically harder to machine than regular steel. The chromium in stainless steel hardens the more it is "worked" (milling, turning on a lathe, etc).

    Take a look at Machinery's Handbook for detailed info.

    --
    "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." Bill Gates Yeah Right!
    1. Re:A side note about sulfur in steel by s0l0m0n · · Score: 3, Informative

      Stainless is harder to work in someways, easier in others.

      For example, if you have a chunk of carbon steel, and you want to cut a shape into it with an abrasive, it is probably going to lose it's temper due to the heat (temper like is defined at the bottom of this page, not like angry) Don Fogg Custom knives .. check out his forged, folded knives also! they are sweet, yet bitterly priced.

      Stainless steel has a much higher resistance to the loss of temper due to the heat generated in it's grinding or machining. Stainless is also much less likely to have carbon burn off when under high heat.

      However, Stainless in it's many forms requires a much more tightly controlled Quenching and heat treating process in order to maximize it's properties.

      Stainless is good for dishwashers. Not for knives. and especially not for swords.

  11. Re:I would believe you but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
    Kathleen !worth good spelling or grammar.

    Kathleen, I wanted to do this in this most potentially embarassing way possible, and I figured doing it here and now, in front of a quarter of a million strangers was as good a way as any. I love you more then I can describe within the limits of this tiny little story. We've been together for many years now, and I've known for most of that time that I wanted to spend my life with you. Enough rambling. Will you marry me?

    Embarrassing. Double 'r', double 's'.

    I also disagree with your use of then. Than is used to be comparative. Then is indicative of expressions of time or timing and consequence.

    It's wiser being good than bad; It's safer being meek than fierce; It's fitter being sane than mad. --R. Browning.

    Might I suggest a more heartfelt and serious way of proposal? What was the diamond on the ring? A penguin shaped imperfect piece of shit bought at the mall last minute? Zales? I doubt Mr. JUBEI machine knows an SI-J from a VVS1-E. You are very heavily 'included,' Malda. Can you think of s shittier and more cliché day to propose, or is Valentine's Day king shit of that Tird Island. She must be a lobotomized retard, otherwise you should have spat upon by your would be spouse.

    Hey, loserboi, don't forget to invite Larry Wall to the wedding and write your vows in a Perl Script. Then you can "chomp" down on your cake.

    You don't have to be a Kreskin to see the end of this loser elopement ending in the very near future.

    This is crap, Malda. If I was an English teacher, and this was a 5 grader's half assed attempt at writing a romantic short story, I'd throw the script back in the kid's face and wonder who dropped him as a kid. This is pathetic. I feel bad for your wife.

  12. or does it? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting
    My stainless steel cutlery is over fifty years old, and it looks like new.

    It's some kind of Swedish steel. I also have a Swedish knife where the blade is so tough that I had to bring it to a professional knife sharpener to put an edge on it. That was nearly fifteen years ago, and weirdly enough it hasn't dulled a bit although I use it regularly.

    What the hell is it with Sweden and steel anyway? Do they use magical Dwarfs in mountain caves to forge it or something?

    1. Re:or does it? by Detritus · · Score: 2

      An old book on the history of the steel industry mentioned that the high quality of Swedish steel was primarily due to the high quality of their iron ore. It had unusually low amounts of the elements that degrade the quality of the steel.

      --
      Mea navis aericumbens anguillis abundat
    2. Re:or does it? by OuD · · Score: 2, Funny
      Oh.. i think it's a lot older than fifty years. According to nordic tales you probably have one of those +2 Swedish Knives of Bearslaying forged in the dark caverns of Kebnekaise.

      The metal, originally known as 'Ril' (probably etymologically related to the english 'real', used by merchants to differentiate between the 'real' metal and fake ones) was very valuable and, when found in the mines, the miner would usually run around screaming 'mitt ril! mitt ril!' which roughly translates to 'my ril! my ril!'.

      Many years later the dwarves adopted the commonly used phrase giving birth to the modern word 'Mithril'.

      Just hold on the knife.. ;)

  13. Why MY flatware rusts... by Dr.+Nonsense · · Score: 1

    I don't know about you, but my flatware rusts because I rarely do the dishes, thus leave it sitting in the sink with water and grime for weeks on end...