Tin cup rust

[TheBloodySixthMS]

I recently purchased a tin cup brand new. It has rust along the bottom on the inside around the seams where it was soldered. I'm curious to as if it's harmful to drink it with the rust in there or would I need to get it out?

Confederatly,
Tim

 

[MaryDee]

Tin does rust. According to the Village Tinsmith website, after use it should be washed, dried carefully and then, for storage, lightly coated with cooking or mineral oil. (Substtute for lard which was used back in the day--if you go there, be sure it's unsalted.) Obviously, remove the oil before the next event! http://www.csa-dixie.com/villagetinsmith/history.html

A small amount of rust probably won't hurt you unless you're unduly sensitive to iron or have hemochromatosis. However, a new unused cup should not be rusty! Can you return it? Also, make sure the solder is lead-free before using the cup for anything but decoration.

 

[CMWinkler]

Mine rusts and it's never hurt me.

 

[Albert Sailhorst]

I've had, and used, my tin cup for 12 years.....I always rinse it out and let it air dry at events, then, when I get home, just keep it attached to my haversack for the winter. At the beginning of the event season, I wash it with soap and water, but I do not scrub it. Then, I dry it with paper towels until there is not a bit of moisture on it, then I am ready for another reenacting season. Fortunately, mine has not rusted....it is discolored and coffee "stained", but no rust!!.....Maybe I just got lucky!!

 

[frankconrad]

If you go back to the 1950s, every windmill and spring had a tin can to drink with.80 percent were rusty. fill it swirl it around throw it out with whatever debris was in, it fill and enjoy. No problem.

 

[robert hayden]

I recently purchased a tin cup brand new. It has rust along the bottom on the inside around the seams where it was soldered. I'm curious to as if it's harmful to drink it with the rust in there or would I need to get it out?

Confederatly,
Tim

equal amounts of grime, rust, and fire soot on the outside of your tinware identifies you as a veteran. Small amounts of the same ingredients on the inside of the cup probably won't hurt you either. Rinse out the cup before and after use.

 

[Mike Serpa]

I would worry more about the solder. Is it lead based?

 

[RebYell64]

The Effects of Eating From Rusted Utensils

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/list_7366249_effects-eating-rusted-utensils.html

I guess drinking would pertain to the same standards.

 

[Frederick14Va]

Gently clean the tin cup to remove any loose rust particles... it doesn't need to be scoured down to bright metal... which would only serve to promote it to rust worse next time... the small micro-scratches in the metal tend to inhibit rust to form. If its tin, a wipe down with Mineral Oil, and left on it.. will prevent any further rust development till the next event... and its not hazardous. It also wont go rancid and sticky like veg oil will do... If the last use of it was for coffee one generally notices that it wont rust as easily or quickly than if you had used it for another beverage... The acids in the coffee also retard the development of rust... Sometimes I just leave the coffee residue in the cup as is... it doesn't usually rust... till the next event...lol.. The tarnished or rusty stained cup may be a bit concerning to look at... but it wont hurt you...

 

[CMWinkler]

BTW, I use mine to brew tea, as well as other things. It inhibits rust.

 

[James B White]

The Effects of Eating From Rusted Utensils

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/list_7366249_effects-eating-rusted-utensils.html

I guess drinking would pertain to the same standards.

That was just bizarre. You can get tetanus. No you can't. Be careful of tetanus. No, it's an urban legend.

I don't even know why someone would connect rust on eating utensils and tetanus, unless it was the old warning about stepping on a rusty nail. But the risk is the nail, on the ground so it picks up soil, creating a puncture wound. Not the rust.

Unless someone gets soil on their fork and stabs themselves, I can't see any point in worrying about tetanus.

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000615.htm

 

[Beltplate53]

Will Scotch rust Tin? Lol

 

[ole]

I grew up drinking from rusty stuff. Pails of water, pails of milk. I don't think you have a thing to worry about. But then I was about one when I started. Might have built up some resistance.

 

[Craig L Barry]

Rust in a tin cup? This is one of the least of your worries at a garden variety Civil War event. Worry more about the rust on the muskets as well as event safety standards and the yahoo you are in the line next to...that's what you have to worry about. The minute amount of rust you get in a tin cup is nothing to worry about.

 

[gary]

Are there any health studies on the risk of tin rust? I know with steel you get iron rust and you do need iron in your diet.

 

[James B White]

Are there any health studies on the risk of tin rust? I know with steel you get iron rust and you do need iron in your diet.

Tin itself isn't what's rusting. The tin is a coating on the underlying iron or steel to keep it from rusting, and when the tin is missing or worn off, the steel underneath is what rusts. In the OP, the soldering probably damaged the tin.

 

[poorjack]

I wouldn't worry about it much. I was told to just don't drink acidic drinks that could leach out any lead or other metallic compounds into the liquid. I guess that rules out coffee, tea......... The drinks specifically mentioned to me along that line were fruit in nature like OJ. I never carried that in the field and pretty much stuck to water, tea and coffee.

 

[unicornforge]

According to the Ordinance Manuals of that time period, tin was tinned iron sheets. Hopefully the person who made it used lead-free solder. In my humble opinion the vendor that sold you a rusty cup is a bit questionable to say the least. If it was so poorly made as to be rusty, did he acquire the cup from a third-world country that still uses lead solder? Always purchase from a vendor with a good reputation and a vendor where you know where the cup/item was made. If you don't know where or who made it, ....personally I would not risk my health. Also, you can remove the loose rust with a 3M pad, either one from a big box store's paint department or a heavy-duty type dish sponge from the grocery store. The key words here are "loose rust", for a patina finish you leave a hint of oxidation on the item. After you remove the loose rust with the 3M pad, apply a food-quality vegetable oil if you are going to store the cup for a while. Food grade mineral oil from a grocery store is different from mineral oil from a hardware/garden store. Don't use mineral oil, use vegetable oil, it is what the blacksmiths at the reenactments are using as a food-safe finish. The vegetable oil creates a patina, more or less like the finish on iron pans that have been "seasoned". Seasoned iron pots and pans basically have a patina finish that is a light coating of oxidation(rust) that has vegetable oil baked into the oxidation.

 

[RebYell64]

Lord, this thread is making my OCD go nuts....as I look at my canteen....I noticed a little bit of rust in it and I nearly freaked out.

 

[Dave Hull]

Another way to ensure the inside of the cup stays bright and shiny is to add some coconut oil to your coffee or tea. Trader Joe's sells the stuff in a pint sized jar, dig out a table spoon or so and let it dissolve in your heated beverage of choice, instant protection. My wife also tells me a tablespoon of coconut oil in your morning coffee or tea is like a super booster for energy. I myself, cannot attest to the accuracy of the energizing properties, but my tin cup is free of rust.