How does the atmosphere affect sharp, thin metal surfaces?
Suppose I have a pack of razor blades.
If they are to be stored for 10 years, does it matter whether they are stored in the sealed original packaging, or is it ok to remove them from the packaging?
How would them being opened, such that the thin sharp blades, are exposed to the atmosphere inside the home, the temperatures, humidity, etc. affect sharpness.
Which way, if either, would keep the blades as sharp today, as they would be in 10 years, and why.
Going beyond 10 years and using an example not related to razor blades, but rather an antique or vintage item.
Ex: World War I sharp knife that is exposed to the atmosphere for close to 100 years. Does the passing of time affect how sharp the blade is? (exclude outside forces, like rusting, or any contact with any substance that could affect the metal)
Thanks.
If they are to be stored for 10 years, does it matter whether they are stored in the sealed original packaging, or is it ok to remove them from the packaging?
How would them being opened, such that the thin sharp blades, are exposed to the atmosphere inside the home, the temperatures, humidity, etc. affect sharpness.
Which way, if either, would keep the blades as sharp today, as they would be in 10 years, and why.
Going beyond 10 years and using an example not related to razor blades, but rather an antique or vintage item.
Ex: World War I sharp knife that is exposed to the atmosphere for close to 100 years. Does the passing of time affect how sharp the blade is? (exclude outside forces, like rusting, or any contact with any substance that could affect the metal)
Thanks.
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Since regular air is somewhat humid, then any exposure to oxygen should cause some corrosion over time to any metal that has not been treated with some kind of anti-oxidation (such as the oil blackfox mentioned). You could expect this corrosion to occur faster in more humid or more oxygen rich environments, but nowhere on Earth is the air dry enough that no corrosion would occur at all.
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I did not mean to exclude oxygen and other atmospheric affects.
I was excluding rust caused by the metal get moist or wet, or coming into contact with any chemicals that might dull the blade, or microscopically dissolve some metal.
I have a silver coin that spent over 300 years on the ocean floor. It's not uniformly round or flat, so the water and the salt of the ocean and other factors affected the coins appearance.