CF salt and watches

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65rosessamurai

Guest
This is a question that has been on my mind for a while.

This subject is basically about how the CF salt and metals react. After many years of having leather band watches, or plated steel, I found that the only watch that can endure my salt (and my skin can endure) is the stainless steel diver's watches, or submersive watches.
I also have had to be careful about wedding rings, as well. So, for those of you not married, but will be soon, I highly recommend a wedding ring (or any ring for that matter) to be non-alergenic, or at least durable to the salty sweat. I once had a 18k gold wedding band, which didn't discolor, nor cause any irritation, but also hardly wore it in my 12 years of marriage (don't ask why). Now, I got a ring made of platinum, which looks like white gold, but is much more durable, but more expensive.
One question was whether I'm the only one who has had this problem, and found the solution for, or if everyone else had the same results.

I also have to be careful about my salty deposits on mouse pads, and such. In the summer, I have to change my work uniform frequently because I can turn it white within a day! My dark blue mouse pad is slowly fading to a whitish color, and another one I was using just fell apart, probably from the salt. Anyone else go through mouse pads as frequent, or did you find a solution for it? Fortunately I don't gum-up my mouse pads.

I found the most weakest metals are aluminum alloy metals, alloy steel, and copper. The aluminum, if plated, will rust under the plating, causing the plating to peel. The copper will just turn to a darkish green color, which in some cases can be polished off. The steel just basically seems to rust much faster for me than for anyone else. In that case, I try to wipe off where my hands had touched the steel, and use an oil solvent, or something to "season" it. (A term my mom used frequently for our cast iron fry pan)

I'm also curious as to what other metals were found to adversly react to the salty sweat, and what was done to avoid, or prevent it.
 

anonymous

New member
I always had problems with watches. Lately I stopped wearing any, and there is the mobile so no need for the watch.
 

JennifersHope

New member
Me too.. The jewlery literally breaks off of me... I get so salty.. I love jewlery I often want to ask for it as a present for CHristmas or my birthday because to me it is like wearing a peice of the persons that gave it to yous love but I think I would need the real expensive kind (which I would never ask for) otherwise it just breaks off..or turns green..


Jennifer
 
I

IG

Guest
Rings I don't have a problem with, nor mouse pads.
Watches after a few months I have to get a new one [usually because I've lost it in the first place]. I think it might be because 1) they're cheap watches in the first place and b) by the time I finally lose the watch the underside looks really eroded. Maybe that has something to do with the loose clasp.
 

anonymous

New member
I've had problems with my saxophone. I'm constantly eroding the laqyer with my salty hands. Makes my beautiful horn look like garbage...
 
I've had problems with watches, bracelets, musical insturments, mouse pads, and anything else you could think of. Now the only type of watch I wear is one that doesn't contact my skin - the ones with the ribbon work really well. If the metal of the watch touches my skin eventually the watch stops working. I also developed a severe recation to my med-alert bracelet, which is stainless steel. I'm wondering if anyone has any ideas about the bracelet.
~Carla 19/f w/CF
 

Emily65Roses

New member
Mike wears my old medic alert necklace, the one I wore when I was in 4th grade. The chain is different because I had a tiny neck and he has a big man neck... haha. But the pendant is the same, except that we engraved "Emily" in it as well (it alrady had "cystic fibrosis" on it), so hopefully if he gets into an accident, no one will think he's Emily and has CF. Anyway, point is... one of the coolest things about it that he and I both get a kick out of, is that as was with all my old medic alerts, there's a spot in the middle that's all worn away and tarnished because the salt ate away at the metal. Mike thinks it's cool, makes it more personal. Hehe. I've nver had stuff clear break off of me, but my salt has certainly "damaged" stuff I've worn.
 

anonymous

New member
Kait is allergic to jewlery,even my gold earrings, the metal on her jeans ( the button, snap ) is always breaking her stomach out with little bumps. We try to remember to put tape on the inside of her jeans so it doesn't touch her skin.

Kaitsmom<img src="i/expressions/rose.gif" border="0">
 
6

65rosessamurai

Guest
Thanks for all the replies, so far.

I also ended up buying a watch over 3 million yen ($350), with a stainless wrist band. It was as a set for an engagement gift to my wife. I also needed a decent watch to go with my suits that I now frequently wear.

To the anonymous who posted about the saxophone rusting...have you tried to wipe it down soon after using it with a wet towel? I'm in Iaido, which is a style of Japanese Swordsmanship, and I have to wipe down my sword, and sometimes give it a "shower" frequently because the handle turns white from my salt! The metal part is plated aluminum, so if I don't wipe that down (There's an oil made for it), the salt will get under the plating and rust the cast aluminum...I'm at the level of proficiency to get a real sword, one that will most unlikely fall apart from my sweat!

Odd thing is, the stainless steel bracelets causing a reaction seems odd. I frequently run my watch under water when washing my hands, and up to this point, the only stainless watch that gave me a problem was a $70 waterproof watch with rubber as part of the links to the wrist band. The wrist band broke at the link!

Anyone have any luck with "hypo-allergenic jewelry"?
 

anonymous

New member
Totally... I used to wear a sterling silver necklace everyday for like six months, and one day the chain literally fell into about 10 pieces in my hand. Salty...

The only thing I've never had problems with is my engagement ring, it's platinum.
 
C

cherry

Guest
I can't believe I logged in today and saw this!
I had been telling my mother that I had to buy a new watch every couple of months because it always snaps off because of the salt and she didn't believe me and thought I just wanted a new watch for Christmas. But now I have proof!
I have always had nicer watches but I found that if they ever had any links eventually they would break off me. How is that different than the sterling silver ones. I need to know what time it is at all times but i can't use a cell phone so I am desperate! anyone found a really good watch?

Sue
23 w/CF
 
L

luke

Guest
I have that problem with my glasses....when I sweat a lot my glasses will leave a lovely green stripe in my hair and the side of my head. I am unsure what kind of "metal" they are but they were cheap so I am sure it isn't anything spectacular.


luke
 

JazzysMom

New member
Now that I think about it I always wondered how I was so "accident prone" when it came to breaking my necklaces. I use to think I kept getting them caught on something causing them to break. It never dawned on me that the chain might be weak from the salt etc. I cant testify to the metal of a watch because I dont wear my watches enough for the metal to be a problem. What I do have problems with is the batteries dying quickly. When I ask my husband to replace the batteries for Christmas since I wont take the time to do it, he just replaces the watch. LOL! How I wish I could find the old fashion wind up watches. Those and the wind up alarm clocks. There was something to be said about them!
 
6

65rosessamurai

Guest
Just when you think something so insignificant, actually becomes bigger than expected...I thought other's had come across this problem often. Maybe my chemestry classes paid off, after all!! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif" border="0">

I'm not sure how sterling silver will turn out (that's another chemestry question), but as I mentioned, having a stainless steel watch and band seems to be the best bet.

Glad to help you out cherry (Sue), so now maybe that'll help you in selecting <img src="i/expressions/present.gif" border="0"> a new watch. (I highly recommend stainless!)

JazzysMom, I had seen over here some pocket watches that they still sell. Had one over owning a wrist watch, but the downfall was the pocket watch failed the "forgot it in the pants pocket and threw it in the washer" test! I figure as long as the watch is water submersive, then maybe running under water while washing hands will take the salt residue off, and help it last. <img src="i/expressions/clock.gif" border="0">

I can't say for necklaces, I had a necklace with a crucafix on it, and it started to burn my skin after a few months of wearing it.

But, so far, I've found that things that do not contain copper, or brass (a copper alloy), aluminum (even cast aluminum), leather and other "similarities", gold plating (if the gold is low in it's Carat, it'll have more of different alloys that may react to salt.

It'd be great if some chemist happened to stumble upon this to give a more concise explanation as to why (and what) certain metals react to our CF related salty sweat.
Maybe with the vast access to information from the internet, a little research and I may be able to come up with more information. (can't promise, but sometimes my own curosity can get the best of me.)
<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">
 
6

65rosessamurai

Guest
Oddly, after chatting on the forum for a while, this looks like pertinent information!! (for those who would like to wear jewelry, etc. without it burning, breaking, etc.)
So, I'll see what I can do about what metals work good, and bad for CF'rs (based on basic chemestry)

Signed,
Professor Salty (or Dr. NaCl)
 

JazzysMom

New member
HMMM, Fred. You had a crucifax that started to burn you. Sounds more like a scene from a horror movie. Is there something more we should know about you?! LOL
 

anonymous

New member
I've had issues with metal glasses....after only a few months the metal parts that touched my face would turn greenish(and the only the part that touched my skin). With silver jewelry some of it will start looking eroded after awhile. And I even had that problem with a gold necklace that I wore all the time....you can see where the metal was worn away on
 

supermanfan

New member
That's funny you mention the salt and watches 65rosessamurai... my watches batteries always died before they should have...
 
6

65rosessamurai

Guest
Well, besides the burning cross, Melissa, I also can't STAND garlic!!! I don't have many mirrors at home, and I love my steaks rare!! (Bloody Rare!!) LOL!!

Hate to think that crucafix was some sort of hint!! I got it at a pueblo in California when visiting my sister, and I had the ex-wife with me at that time!

As for the watch batteries, the best theory would be that the backplate to the watch is often used as a ground. Because I doubt the watch is isolated from the skin, the salt in the skin will act as an "electrolyte", and perhaps cause enough current leakage to cause the battery to die out, quicker. Of course, the current flow is too small to do any damage, and the worse case might be a bit more of an irritation from the bezzel, and maybe some redness.

As I recalled correctly, the sweat test is similar in results to that. I was age seven, so I vaguely remember more detail than the stinging of the test, but there was an electrode put on the spot to be tested, and the pentode placed elswhere to cause a small electrical current (no more than 0.5mA--a standard I recall from My Biotechnology class!) to flow, and cause the place where the electrode was set to cause sweat for the test.

Anyway, still yet more to find out, eh?
 
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