Why Your Silverware Rusts

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."

Comments

I've just got to nitpick

[pyramid termite]

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.

A side note about sulfur in steel

[Eager Newbie]

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.

Re:A side note about sulfur in steel

[s0l0m0n]

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.

Re:"stainless steel silverware"

[Tackhead]

> 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!)

or does it?

[Anonymous Coward]

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?