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| Stainless -Surgical steel ? |
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| message from *~Black Rose~* on 18 Feb 2004 |
surgical and stainless steel and which one is the best and most
anti-allergic.
By the way, my earlobe is definitely better than it was. :o)Thanks everyone
for your help!!
Obviously, there wasn't an infection, it must have been an allergy.So, I
went to buy a ring made of titanium or stainless steel, but because -as you
must know- titanium is much more pricey than steel, I decided to buy
steel.With the only difference that it wasn't stainless, but surgical
steel(hence the question).
Now, all that swelling is gone and there are no sacs with pus, but the back
hole does not seem to heal.It continues to have some pus around it(of
course, it's better than it was).So, I thought it might be the ring again,
or what?
I'm going to buy a ring made of titanium(even if it's pricey) one of these
days and I'll see...
Any help would be highly appreciated.
Thanks in advance...
~Black Rose~
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| Neil replied to *~Black Rose~* on 18 Feb 2004 |
Hello all long time..........
Anyway - got to think back to a job I did when I was 16 !
Stainless steel is not a single metal - it is the name given to a group of
corrosion-resistant steels containing a minimum of 11% chromium - with
additions of nickel, molybdenum, titanium, niobium and others elements.
Properties of each type of steel depends upon its composition
All stainless steels have two common characteristics - they contain chromium
and are resistant to corrosion
Surgical stainless is usually 316* although this was then years ago and
there is prolly a BS number now. IIRC a key difference (aside from the
differences regarding the working of the metal) was that the surface was
much flatter than on say 304 stainless* that is microscopically 'pitted'
thus allowing germs and stuff to get stuck. 416 rings a bell as well - but
that may have been for food use for the same reasons but the alloying
compounds different therefore offering a price difference. The ease of
manufacture also plays a large part in the grades used for different
applications.
When I used to flog the stuff by the tonne the price used to fluctuate daily
mostly on the nickel content of the metal. Different grades have different
nickel contents so if you have issues with nickel then there may be a grade
containing less more suitable for you.
Titanium is more expensive because of the material cost (in its raw form
abundant but expensive to recover and difficult to melt and alloy) but it is
relatively easy to work with. Titanium was discovered first in Britain look
good as jewellery and in fireworks.
*I'm probably half right somewhere but no doubt an engineer or someone from
Sheffield will come along shortly and offer more info.
dunno if this really answers your question but I guess that any ref to
stainless steel re body jewellery would be surgical grade. Perhaps the Ti
stuff will be an option.
might see you all at the munch but will be a last minute decision
HTH
Neil
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| Neil replied to Neil on 18 Feb 2004 |
****, damn you microsoft
Neil
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| UnFormat replied to *~Black Rose~* on 18 Feb 2004 |
I was under the impression that the term "surgical steel" was just short
for "surgical stainless steel" whereas "stainless steel" could mean
kitchen sink material!
However, I have been known to be wrong -- once :)
UnFormat.
BTW: have you tried Niobium? - its quite inert.
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| speedy2 replied to UnFormat on 19 Feb 2004 |
There are many "stainless steels" and even some which are really "stainless"
irons. They will nearly ALL corrode, given the right conditions, the most
common being when in contact with "plain" iron, especially when in finely
divide form. So never use wire wool in a stainless steel sink unit - the
particles left will get the ss rusting really fast!
Also ss knives and forks will rust happily if left in damp conditions next
to plain steel kitchen cutlery.
Some of the ss's are even magnetic - a test thought by many as a way to
distinguish "stainless" from "non".
"Implant" grade "surgical" stainless steel is 316L - being low in some
particular element (it might be nickel) that I can't for the minute
remember! Its not 316, to which some may get reactions.
There is now another, even more specialised version - (according to the
EU) - that should be used..
kernow
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| Neil replied to *~Black Rose~* on 18 Feb 2004 |
Hello all long time..........
Anyway - got to think back to a job I did when I was 16 !
Stainless steel is not a single metal - it is the name given to a group of
corrosion-resistant steels containing a minimum of 11% chromium - with
additions of nickel, molybdenum, titanium, niobium and others elements.
Properties of each type of steel depends upon its composition
All stainless steels have two common characteristics - they contain chromium
and are resistant to corrosion
Surgical stainless is usually 316* although this was then years ago and
there is prolly a BS number now. IIRC a key difference (aside from the
differences regarding the working of the metal) was that the surface was
much flatter than on say 304 stainless* that is microscopically 'pitted'
thus allowing germs and stuff to get stuck. 416 rings a bell as well - but
that may have been for food use for the same reasons but the alloying
compounds different therefore offering a price difference. The ease of
manufacture also plays a large part in the grades used for different
applications.
When I used to flog the stuff by the tonne the price used to fluctuate daily
mostly on the nickel content of the metal. Different grades have different
nickel contents so if you have issues with nickel then there may be a grade
containing less more suitable for you.
Titanium is more expensive because of the material cost (in its raw form
abundant but expensive to recover and difficult to melt and alloy) but it is
relatively easy to work with. Titanium was discovered first in Britain look
good as jewellery and in fireworks.
*I'm probably half right somewhere but no doubt an engineer or someone from
Sheffield will come along shortly and offer more info.
dunno if this really answers your question but I guess that any ref to
stainless steel re body jewellery would be surgical grade. Perhaps the Ti
stuff will be an option.
might see you all at the munch but will be a last minute decision
HTH
Neil
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| Big Dave replied to Neil on 19 Feb 2004 |
I'm an angineer and live near Sheffield..........
Yes. you are almost right.
If anyone is REALLY that interested I'll drop a post in and explain the
differences properly......?
Big Dave
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| -slh- replied to Big Dave on 19 Feb 2004 |
Im an (electrical) engineer and live IN Sheffield, and all I know is
that stainless is a pain in the arse to drill holes in if you havent got
cobalt coated bits.
Steve
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| UnFormat replied to Neil on 19 Feb 2004 |
You're telling me! How are you doing?
UnFormat.
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| vampy replied to *~Black Rose~* on 19 Feb 2004 |
as other people have said, there are varying grades of stainless and
surgical steel. until recently 316L was commonly used in body jewellery, but
this doesn't comply with the Nickel Directive for use in fresh piercings.
Most decent steel jewellery these days is 316 LVM, which is of better
quality, but I don't think this complies with the directive either. Wildcat
have released a range of steel jewellery that does comply with the
directive, which is called 'implantanium'...though this still isn't as good
as Ti in my opiniom as it's heavier and scratches more easily.
Is there really that much of a difference in price between steel and
titanium jewellery? I must admit I've not purchased jewellery at retail
prices for a while now, but a quick look on the wildcat site seems to
indicate that you can get a Ti BCR for less than £3 (and i think they don't
even charge for postage). If you want 'cheap' titanium jewellery, then get
it with a haematite or other gemstone ball, this reduces the price
dramatically as it's difficult (and hence expensive) to make titanium balls.
Some people react to nickel found in all grades of steel, surgical or not,
and even if you're not allergic to it, piercings heal much faster with a
more inert material in...so don't go to piercers who promote using anything
other than titanium, niobium or PTFE for inital piercings.
-v-
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