Corrosive Skin- Does Anyone Else Have This Issue?

**Tobus** · 16th February 12, 11:22 AM

Yes, Artificer, I have that problem too. I corrode everything I touch. And so I learned from an early age that I cannot wear any inferior metals in contact with my skin.

The worst is my hands. I have hyperhidrosis, lovingly passed on to me by my mother, and so my hands are sweaty all the time. Anything I touch will have a moist, salty residue left behind. And this seems to cause instantaneous rust, tarnishing, and other detrimental effects to metals.

It is incredibly frustrating, especially since I collect historical weaponry (mostly of the type we cannot discuss here, but also including some edged weapons). It didn't take me long to discover, to my horror, that I had nearly ruined several collectible pieces by touching them with my bare hands and leaving them for a few days. So now I have to make sure to wipe everything with protective oil as soon as I'm done handling it, or wear gloves when touching any metal surfaces of collectible items.

Yup, one touch of brass or copper will set the chemical process in motion, leading to their ruin if not quickly wiped off. I've often thought that this should be considered a superpower, but perhaps the action is not quick enough to fight crime with.

At the very least, if I ever end up in prison for some weird reason, I can immediately set to work rusting the bars away by touching them regularly. Maybe in a year or two, I can free myself!

**Santa Wally** · 16th February 12, 05:19 PM

Yes, I have it, but not as bad. I've needed to have stainless steel watch case AND back or they corrode. My sister cannot wear a wristwatch, they won't last long... she stops them.

**tundramanq** · 16th February 12, 05:45 PM

The corrosion causes seem easy, the draining a battery also - the old car batteries, before the plastic cases, would discharge in about a month if left sitting on concrete via high resistance shorting the - cells themselves set up the e-field. The only one that really puzzles me is stopping a windup watch - galvanic corrosion in the bearings from an induced magnetic or electrical field? Any if these people been hit by lightning? LOL

**CDNSushi** · 16th February 12, 06:54 PM

Originally Posted by Tobus

The worst is my hands. I have hyperhidrosis, lovingly passed on to me by my mother, and so my hands are sweaty all the time. Anything I touch will have a moist, salty residue left behind. And this seems to cause instantaneous rust, tarnishing, and other detrimental effects to metals.

I have a friend here in Japan who had something like this. I don't know if it was the exact same condition as you describe, but I DO know that she was actually able to alleviate the problem surgically. I say "alleviate" because I don't know if surgery completely eliminated the problem or just made it more bearable -- I'd have to ask her.

**Mickey** · 16th February 12, 08:15 PM

There's a few folks who have posted here that I had hoped to one day shake their hand. That just isn't going to happen now.

I wish I was an artist because I'm picturing some serious kilted super-villains in a new comic book.

I'm only mildly corrosive on wristwatches, probably like most people, but I think I have Tobus' affliction, but with my feet. I rarely free-sweat on my body, even when the humidity skyrockets, but no matter how cold it gets (and I grew up in -40F winters), my feet soak socks like nobody's business. I wear socks under my hose to protect the hose.

**artificer** · 16th February 12, 08:25 PM

Originally Posted by Tobus

At the very least, if I ever end up in prison for some weird reason, I can immediately set to work rusting the bars away by touching them regularly. Maybe in a year or two, I can free myself!

Great minds, my friend. Operation-Very-Slow-Jail-Break

I'm actually quite relieved to hear all of this, as for the past 30-odd years (since poor Mickey met his corrosive end) I've not really found another person who has suffered the same issues.

BTW: even digital clocks will "lose" minutes around me, if not maintained by satellite or other external feed.

ith:

**Mickey** · 16th February 12, 08:27 PM

Originally Posted by artificer

Great minds, my friend. Operation-Very-Slow-Jail-Break

I'm actually quite relieved to hear all of this, as for the past 30-odd years (since poor Mickey met his corrosive end) I've not really found another person who has suffered the same issues.

BTW: even digital clocks will "lose" minutes around me, if not maintained by satellite or other external feed.

ith:

So you get what I'm saying here.... Serious Super-Villains! This is like, X-Men stuff!

**tundramanq** · 17th February 12, 07:10 AM

Bring in Einstein and his theory of relitivity. Maybe you harbor a black hole and time slows down near you?

**piperdbh** · 17th February 12, 08:04 AM

A friend of mine is a professional trumpet player and he once corroded through the first valve casing on a silver trumpet, where the web between his thumb and index finger was in contact with the metal for 4 hours each day.

**tundramanq** · 17th February 12, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by piperdbh

A friend of mine is a professional trumpet player and he once corroded through the first valve casing on a silver trumpet, where the web between his thumb and index finger was in contact with the metal for 4 hours each day.

Has anyone tried clear acrylic spray paint on these contact areas? I think it can be stripped with alcohol if it dosent work.