Brass paper clips

I am posting this query for a colleague at a Public Record Office
who does not have access to Consdist, he is the Senior Conservator
from Flintshire Record Office, Mr Malcolm Godfrey.

Malcolm states:

    The Record office purchased some Brass paper clips for use
    within the Record Office and when the first box was opened the
    brass was found to be discoloured/stained. I then had them
    independently examined and the following comments were noted;

       "Brass paper clips produced from 1mm diameter BS 2873:1969
        CZ108/Delta CF5 quality material submitted to the laboratory
        for examination following a complaint of surface staining.
        Preliminary visual examination confirmed the materials
        exhibited dark surface discolouration and or staining
        indicating that they had been in contact with a chemically
        aggressive environment "

    The remaining summary of the examination revealed that the
    staining was a result of oxidation corrosion and
    dezincification, but that it was not possible to identify the
    cause of the corrosion.

    As the environment within my Record Office does not contain any
    chemically aggressive elements, the contamination must have been
    induced during the manufacturing process or latter storage. Has
    anyone else experienced any such problems with Brass Paper Clips
    ?

    It is also my hope that by notifying other people of this
    problem that they too will be careful and examine ALL items that
    they purchase, and not to blithely accept the manufacturers
    guarantees for all products in all instances.

    Malcolm Godfrey
    Senior Conservator
    Flintshire Record Office

John Woodhouse
Head of Preservation and Photography
John Rylands University Library of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester M13 9PP
+44 161-275-3733
Fax: +44 161-273-7488 or 0161 275-3759

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                  Conservation DistList Instance 10:52
                Distributed: Wednesday, December 4, 1996
                       Message Id: cdl-10-52-015
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