Question on different coating materials

[Alin10123]

Hey guys,
With all these new materials coming up for coating, i just had a few questions regarding different coatings. With regards to bare aluminum. I understand that if you hold onto a light long enough that's bare aluminum, it will start to tarnish and your hands will start to turn black. Is that only the case with aluminum?

What about Nickel? I know it's a lot harder material, but if a light is plated with nickel and you're touching the light all the time and holding it with your bare hands, does any of the material come off at all? onto your hands? Or is it a fairly solid coating?

What about with anodizing? If you anodize a light with either type 2 or HA3, when you touch it, does anything ever rub off of the light and onto your hands?

For example, if i pickup an iron pipe and then i put it down and i go to smell my hand; my hand will probably smell like iron and some of it would have gotten on me. Will the above materials do that?

What about materials such as stainless steel? titanium?

Thanks in advance

 

[Anglepoise]

Easy ones first.

Stainless steel and Ti are clean to the touch and nothing will come off on your hands.

Anodizing the same. Clean to the touch but being a 'coating' can and will abrade over time.

Chrome and Nickel are hard coatings and will stay put and clean.

Now Aluminum is the tricky one. I use and work with it all the time and its dirty when being polished , but when spotlessly clean and de greased, it can be handled in everyday use without getting black marks on hands etc.

However the metal to metal contact in threads, with a little lube thrown in will quickly make a black mess that gets on everything.

 

[Alin10123]

Easy ones first.

Stainless steel and Ti are clean to the touch and nothing will come off on your hands.

Anodizing the same. Clean to the touch but being a 'coating' can and will abrade over time.

Chrome and Nickel are hard coatings and will stay put and clean.

Now Aluminum is the tricky one. I use and work with it all the time and its dirty when being polished , but when spotlessly clean and de greased, it can be handled in everyday use without getting black marks on hands etc.

However the metal to metal contact in threads, with a little lube thrown in will quickly make a black mess that gets on everything.

Thanks for the reply.
So when you said "stay put and clean" regarding chrome and nickel. Does that mean the same as when you said "clean to the touch" just like stainless steel and Ti?

Also regarding Anodizing, you said clean to the touch but will abrade over time since it's a coating. I'm pretty sure that means simply by touching the light over and over again a lot of times, it will still be clean to the touch? Will eventually a little come off when you touch it? Or it something much harder that abrades the surface reuired?

 

[gadget_lover]

I can't answer all the questions, but I can tell you that the anodized surface will not wear off on hands, clothes etc. It will abrade when rubbed against hard, rough surfaces such as concrete, knives (in my pocket), etc.

Daniel

 

[Anglepoise]

Thanks for the reply.
So when you said "stay put and clean" regarding chrome and nickel. Does that mean the same as when you said "clean to the touch" just like stainless steel and Ti?

/QUOTE]

Yes... Chrome and Nickel are both plating. Can be kept clean by wiping and nothing will come off.

However any 'coating' or 'plating' can be damaged from a high drop on to concrete ( for example ) . Now this might dent the base metal and the coating or plating might crack or chip and show damage at the point of impact.

 

[Alin10123]

Thanks!