Corrosion

jonsel
on 6 Mar 10 (21:14)

I was going through some cabinet drawers tonight and found, among all the various cuts, a few pieces with this white pebbly powder on them. I’m assuming it’s some kind of corrosion. Any idea if it’s magnesium or another metal used in old cuts? Is it dangerous? Is it worth trying to clean or has it likely damaged the underlying metal?

corrosion.jpg

dickg
on 6 Mar 10 (22:31)

sometimes nothing will help, but i would use press wash to try to clean it, don’t know if its dangerous but i wouldn’t lick it . after cleaning you can use a little keroscene on it to prevent it from happening again. Good Luck Dick G.

Bielerpr
on 7 Mar 10 (01:03)

jonsel

This would appear to be a magnesium cut (not the best metal of choice for engravings). This is long gone. Toss it. It is not dangerous per se (if this appeared on metal type it would be) but it is also of no use any more. The corrosion has destroyed the printing surface. These need to be protected from oxygen. A covering of Vasoline will preserve such engravings for future use.

Gerald
http://BielerPress.blogspot.com

jonsel
on 7 Mar 10 (21:04)

Thanks. I wasn’t terribly concerned about it, as it was just part of a numerous drawers full of cuts I picked up as part of a cabinet purchase. I just found it interesting that of an entire drawer, only 2 or 3 cuts had this on them. I guess the rest were copper or some other more durable metal.

Arie Koelewyn
on 8 Mar 10 (11:21)

Or not cleaned as well the last time they were used. I find a layer of ink tends to minimize this kind of oxidation. It’s harder to clean them before the next use, but I throw away fewer magnesium cuts. These days I just buy copper. It’s just not that more expensive.

winking cat press
on 8 Mar 10 (12:04)

Jonsel…. those are indeed magnesium cuts, and the one pictured is beyond hope. It’s time for it to go to the recyclers. There are a few products that will prevent the corrosion pictured. I use a spray lub designed for firearms… called Break-Free…. and it works amazingly well for the few magnesium cuts I have in my collection.

However, I’m with Arie. I use copper for almost all of my cut work. It’s finer grained, and so makes for a much cleaner line, and it lasts forever with just minimal care. While i make all of my own, I’m pretty sure that Owaso Graphics still makes them too.

BarbHauser
on 8 Mar 10 (14:09)

Is there such a thing as 11-point (0.153”) copper plates? I’ve been using magnesium plates since they come in 11-point and that’s what goes with my 0.759” honeycomb base. Owosso copper dies come only in quarter-inch or 16-gauge (0.064”).

Thanks,

Barbara