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."

"stainless steel silverware"

[Evro]

...stainless steel silverware ...

Unless it's made of silver, shouldn't that be called flatware [dictionary.com]?

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

Silverware != (Ag)ware

[Atrahasis]

Try looking up silverware [dictionary.com] 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.

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 [dfoggknives.com] .. check out his forged, folded knives [dfoggknives.com] 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.