Noob question: is the needle supposed to turn black like this?
I've been using the same one for a few weeks now and just noticed it was turning black. I tried to clean it but that did nothing. Is this something that happens with cheap needles? Is there a particular brand I should get?
23 replies
the steel is just developing a black oxide coating from handling. no problem.
Oh good! I was worried it might stain the fabric or something lol
I am no expert but maybe you can try cleaning with vinegar
Vinegar would probably work, but an emery strawberry is the usual tool for cleaning needles. The sand inside scrubs off debris, and it also helps keep the needle sharp. I give needles that seem dirty a wipe with a tissue in case of chunks, then stab the strawberry until the needle looks shiny. I’ve been told to avoid exposing needles to water, because it can lead to rust. (Not that I actually do, lol, I wet the end of my thread all the time. But I try not to clean them with water or water-based products unless it’s fallen in the cat box or something, and I need to sanitize it with alcohol).
I tried vinegar and fine steel wool and it just made the black part shinier lol
Happens all the time with mine. Some brands oxidize faster than others, I think it's the nickel content that does it. It doesn't stain but the oxide layer causes more friction so the needle doesn't glide as easily. I usually change them when they get to this point, never bothered cleaning them. Now that I think of it, it's kind of wasteful.
It looks like it's been heated.
It's their acidic grease hands
I think this might be the first meta comment I've seen since coming to lemmy
Nope, just regular use!
Actually never seen this happen with any of mine and now I'm really curious to find out whether the suggestion to clean it off works. Please report back! For science!
Cleaning with vinegar and steel wool didn't really do anything. The needle still works fine, but as someone below mentioned it's now has more of a matte texture to it. I'll probably keep using it unless something else happens to it lol
Did you try an emery strawberry? It scrubs in a different way from steel wool, and is designed to deal with this situation. It’s possible the residue you have isn’t removable for some reason, of course, but I think it’s worth trying the Official Tool(tm) before giving up. :3
I'll have to pick one up the next time I go to the craft store
Oh, didn’t you get one with your pincushion? …er—if you have a pincushion, I suppose I just assume anyone who does any kind of sewing would, at some point, have gotten the cheap “tomato and strawberry” pincushion and emery strawberry set. Usually neither is very good, but it’s actually kind of hard to find an emery strawberry sold by itself.
Ok so after replying I decided to go look at my sewing kit and the tomato pin cushion DOES have a little strawberry on it! I had thought that was just a little pom-pom to make the pin cushion look festive but now I realize it's full of little beads like you described! I guess you learn something new every day! I've been sewing since I was in highschool in the 90s and never realized the little strawberry had a special purpose lol
Oh, awesome! Forget the first line of my other comment, lol. I suppose a lot of people don’t use them. I don’t remember when I found out what they were for, but they do make a difference for me, both with needles and with pins.
It definitely smoothed out the needle a little more but it's still black lol
I think it's probably fine though. I have like 8 more cross stitch needles I haven't used at all yet and this one seems to be working fine
I have a pin cushion but no strawberry lol
That's what I get for buying the cheapo sewing kit
Oh, that sucks. I always desire the cheap kits that come in little cases, because they look so cute… until I actually open them, lol. There’s always something wrong with them.
I've seen people suggest that it's to do with your own body chemistry but I dont know if there's any science to back it up. At any rate, they recommended gold plated needles to help prevent the problem.