In article .com,
writes:
Phil Addison wrote:
On 29 Apr 2005 04:48:04 -0700, in uk.d-i-y wrote:
Under dishwasher detergent - add that it corrodes some steel cutlery,

Are you thinking of old copper steel cutlery?

Dunno - whatever some of ours is made of, they have got pits in them.

that also raises the q of whether its due to the detergent. I simply
dont know.

Pits in cutlery can be caused by leaving them in a puddle on a
dissimilar metal, where electrolytic action then starts up with
a circuit formed by two points of contact. It's common in tea spoons,
and it happens where the two metals touch, usually the curved rear.
(From a hygene point of view, any such damaged cutlery should be
discarded, particularly in a resturant, as it's no longer cleanable.)

I suppose you could get it where two dissimilar metals touch in a
dishwasher cutlery basket, but I don't think you can blame the
detergent much (maybe the salt).

--
Andrew Gabriel