Question about oxidation when unframing sets

[Sabza]

I bought a very nice set recently, and was thinking about putting it in a nicer frame (the frame it came in is cheap plastic). One of my friends warned me that when she opened a 10+ year old set it almost immediately smelled like sulfur and some of the pins oxidized.

Has that happened to anyone else, and are there ways to prevent it? If not, I will obviously keep it in the cheap plastic frame!

Thanks!

 

[cdfelix]

That's interesting, I wasn't aware that that could happen but now that I think about it some of my older pins so have some discolouration. I just always blamed sun or age. Did your friend say if it was gradual? Do you think if you switch the frames quickly that the pins will still be affected?

 

[Sabza]

That's interesting, I wasn't aware that that could happen but now that I think about it some of my older pins so have some discolouration. I just always blamed sun or age. Did your friend say if it was gradual? Do you think if you switch the frames quickly that the pins will still be affected?

She said the smell was immediate and that it happened within the day. I have no idea if moving them quickly would help.

 

[BilgeRat]

Sulfur, huh? That's bizarre. I've seen pins rust, but I've assumed they were kept in a moist environment.

 

[sismelis]

I seem to remember from my art conservation pals that the sulphur smell is due to some part of plastic breaking down over time. The pins should be better off out of that off-gassing environment, so I would take the chance and switch the frames. You might be able to "wash" the pins with a damp cloth and something like Ivory soap to help remove some of the off-gassing residue. Just my two cents, I am not a conservator!