>>>From: Tamara P. Duvall [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] years ago, and ex-Arachnean (Penny Boston), who studied microbe life in deep caves for NASA, took some pins with her and left them in one of the caves, to see what effect constantly damp and chilly environment would have on them. As I remember it, the brass pins, for all they were thicker, were "eaten through" within 3 months; it took 6 for the stainless steel ones to give up the ghost :)<<<
Well, to be entirely honest, the cave air was highly acidic, not just damp. Sulfuric acid fumes. Still, the "stainless" of stainless steel does refer to resistance to rusting. Not rust-proof, but resistant. I have had or seen stainless steel pins rust, and also black insect pins. Usually, the rust starts where the surface has been scratched a tiny bit. The bottom line, IMO, is that all pins will corrode under the "right" conditions. What pin works best for one person does poorly in another's house. Pollutants, humidity, temperature, and frequency and speed of change of them; all vary from city to city and from household to household, and all will affect the metals. Robin P. [EMAIL PROTECTED] Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA http://www.pittsburghlace.8m.com - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
