OT- Help!- Discolored metal (aluminum) bowls

Jan 02, 2004 3 Replies

I know you guys know a lot about metals, I hope you don't mind the OT post.



My mother has a pair of small, old metal bowls, I assume they are aluminum. Last night we put canned Salmon cat food in them. When the cats were done, I rinsed the bowls out and put them in the dishwasher. When removed from the dishwasher, the bowls were discolored, a dark grey or black. The discoloration is mostly on the inside- outside is pretty much untouched. We have used the bowls this way many times before, with no problems. I don't understand what hapened. They are 40 years old or more, and I would like to save them. I would really appreciate any suggestions on restoring these bowls. Thanks!!!



Regards, Tom


First question is have you put them in the dishwasher before? If not, then I understand, I've had the same thing with spun aluminum that wasn't protected some how (anodizing?). Dishwasher detergent is very caustic stuff. Lane

Yes, they have been in the dishwasher many times before, with no problem. My mother says that the dishwasher detergent is the same as usual.

Thanks,

Tom

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