+58

Everything we touch in public is probably going to be made out of copper and brass in the next few years because it self-disinfects. The near future is going to look kind of steampunk. amirite?

89%Yeah You Are11%No Way
shai-es avatar Money & Economics
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The voters have decided that shai-e is right! Vote on the post to say if you agree or disagree.

I'm for a future that looks like the Imperium from warhammer 40k.

Naw copper is really expensive and oxidizes quickly and reacts with electricity a lot and is just not as good as stainless steel for most surfaces.

But God damn if I don't love a gorgeous patina.

Velstroms avatar Velstrom Yeah You Are +10Reply

Not likely since copper is expensive and brass tarnishes quickly - high maintenance.

I want this XD

Not bad, copper and brass look nice, they are warm and colorful.

Anonymous +10Reply

no, nothing will change.

krisjimsampsons avatar krisjimsampson Yeah You Are +9Reply

Everything is chrome in the future!!

I think OP's concept is correct. Whether or not it will be copper or some man-made material is the question.

I'm super cool with this!

So unless someone gets right on inventing hypoallergenic copper, the world is about to get a lot less accessible.

@UncleStuv Does it?

Yeah- look it up. It's pretty cool actually. Basically, the electrons in copper are way more fluid that those in other metals, which ionizes and destroys the viral RNA. Or something like that.

@KilljoyX How?

I don't fully understand it. If you look up "copper coronavirus" the first article explains it better than I could

I'm hyped.

Anonymous +8Reply

Whoa.. like the Dwemer in Marrowind.

No coppers to expensive to be used like that

Anonymous +8Reply

Gosh I hope so

We've had antimicrobial plastics for years now so likely more of that too.

Anonymous +8Reply

Very unlikely. Brass is twice as expensive as steel, and a much softer metal.

@teknogreek Very unlikely. Brass is twice as expensive as steel, and a much softer metal.

Would it be possible to instead coat things in brass most of it would be then made of a cheaper metal but the surface would still disinfect itself

@teknogreek Very unlikely. Brass is twice as expensive as steel, and a much softer metal.

Up until recent design trends, brass was very common in door knobs, railing, etc

@Openeyes Why is brass so expensive?

Brass is made from copper and zinc.
Copper is expensive as it's a damn fine conductor. It gets stolen anywhere it's not nailed down... Or even if it is nailed down, it still gets stolen

@yaboiginga to the extent that some even climb utility poles to steal the cooper wires.-

Sometimes I wish someone would steal the buried copper phone line from the 70's that my internet goes through just so frontier will be forced to replace it and I can have decent internet finally

@yaboiginga to the extent that some even climb utility poles to steal the cooper wires.-

I've always wondered -- how in the world does someone fence obviously stolen copper wire? Who buys it? Is it melted down then sold? Or just stripped of the shielding?

Anonymous +2Reply
@I've always wondered -- how in the world does someone fence obviously stolen copper wire? Who buys it? Is it melted...

I live in Tulsa and some professionals literally stole the copper wire out of the streetlights on a highway, disguised as an electrical crew working on them. They stole probably 5-10 miles worth of streetlight wiring.

@I've always wondered -- how in the world does someone fence obviously stolen copper wire? Who buys it? Is it melted...

there are lots of sources for cooper so it's really hard to check the origin of it, you can melt it, you can probably handle it to some recycling plant through the backdoor too, there's probably people on craigslist with the equipment willing to buy and melt it themselves.-

not necessarily the one stealing is the one dealing with it as long as you don't ask question to the seller, you are okay, tools, bycicles, etc are stolen and sold all the time and are much more identifiable than just wire.-

Good luck trying to prove that that wire is your (stolen) wire.-

Anonymous +7Reply
@there are lots of sources for cooper so it's really hard to check the origin of it, you can melt it, you can...

My dad works in construction and I spent a summer stripping wire and selling it to reputable recycling places. I've literally never been asked the source of my wire when selling it.

peetey5920s avatar peetey5920 Yeah You Are +13Reply
@I've always wondered -- how in the world does someone fence obviously stolen copper wire? Who buys it? Is it melted...

I would strip copper wire and scrap it at my local scrapyard when I was homeless. Good money if you give ID and wait 3 days at a legitimate place, half the price no questions asked on the spot at a not so legitimate one.

@I've always wondered -- how in the world does someone fence obviously stolen copper wire? Who buys it? Is it melted...

It depends on how professional the thieves are. Often they just put it in a pile and set it on fire letting the insulation burn away. Then they bring it to a dodgy dealer who melts and resells it.

@Thanks; makes sense. Never considered burning away the insulation.

If you ever see a massive green flame in a field people are doing just that.

Some scrap dealers while buy copper of just about anybody.

@I've always wondered -- how in the world does someone fence obviously stolen copper wire? Who buys it? Is it melted...

I'm not sure about other countries but in the UK we have scrap yards. You generally require ID but it's quick and easy cash.

@teknogreek Very unlikely. Brass is twice as expensive as steel, and a much softer metal.

So you just line steel with a microscopically thin layer of it. This ain't rocket science.

Anonymous +5Reply
@So you just line steel with a microscopically thin layer of it. This ain't rocket science.

Have you ever seen a statue everyone touches? The outermost layer just jets erased. Layering is still a solution, but microscopically thin? A layer of about 1-2 cm should be sufficient.

@shai-e Have you ever seen a statue everyone touches? The outermost layer just jets erased. Layering is still a solution...

2 cm is almost an inch, which is excessive. You would only need a coating of a few Millimeters. The copper coating on pennies is way less than 1 mm.

The outer layer isn't "erased" lmao. Brass tarnishes, people touch the tarnished surface repeatedly, the tarnish (oxide layer) is slowly worn off.

freq432s avatar freq432 Yeah You Are +10Reply
@Thatoneduderyan and with that, there goes your plating too.-

Pennies get handled and worn and ground against other coins constantly. I have yet to see one with significant wear.

@Achilles982 Pennies get handled and worn and ground against other coins constantly. I have yet to see one with significant wear.

That's because banks will send them to US mint for destruction before they reach that point. Same with dollar bills and other coins.

Anonymous +4Reply
@So you just line steel with a microscopically thin layer of it. This ain't rocket science.

No it's called "metallurgy" and your proposal isn't as easy as you might expect.

Copper plating stuff is not that difficult, but it oxidizes rapidly and quickly becomes green or even black and then it just rubs off.

Velstroms avatar Velstrom Yeah You Are +7Reply
@Velstrom No it's called "metallurgy" and your proposal isn't as easy as you might expect. Copper plating stuff is not that...

I'll have you know that I'm an 11th level metallurgist in all of my fantasies, so yes this would be in fact easier than I imagine.

Anonymous +7Reply

Is that why in Cubic Castles there is a steampunk set at the moment?

Self disinfecting surfaces, yes. Copper and brass probably not. Titanium dioxide added to plastic or other materials works well for instance, but it needs UV. Some stainless steel works as well. There are other options.

Anonymous +7Reply

Not in NYC my friends. The bums and the punks will steal it all right after it's installed...

There's also the possibility of everything being covered in titanium dioxide. It disinfectants itself in the presence of light, and it's already widely used as a pigment (it makes paint white.)

Anonymous +7Reply

It is the way.

Everything will be stolen sooner or later.

Well this would be unfortunate. I happen to be allergic to copper.

Artepros avatar Artepro Yeah You Are +7Reply

Can't wait for copper toilet seats in public toilets.

Anonymous +6Reply
@Can't wait for copper toilet seats in public toilets.

And those seats would be stolen in 24 hours or less.

Anonymous +6Reply
@Can't wait for copper toilet seats in public toilets.

There won't be toilet seats where we're going.

@Apellllll There won't be toilet seats where we're going.

After the great Toilet paper famine of 2020, society has switched to a alternative method of cleaning our bums.

I give you..the three sea shells.

@Can't wait for copper toilet seats in public toilets.

My butt just puckered thinking about sitting on a cold copper toilet.

Hell yeah, I love steampunk

This is one reason hospitals in the UK have seen a huge rise in bugs. They replaced the door handles to plastic and the floors from linoleum.

Maindrian-Paces avatar Maindrian-Pace Yeah You Are +6Reply

You know, I was wondering about this. What other kinds of surfaces are self-disinfecting?

Wouldn't mind it

I want a full Cooper phone now.

Signal and dents and discoloration be damned.

Anonymous +6Reply

This is what I want now. More than anything.

Anonymous +6Reply

The world would smell like coins, since copper reacts with the fat you have on your skin

@Nilofargx At last, I now have an excuse for eating bacon everyday

You didn't before? What kind of sad world do you live in?

This user has been banned.
@2892656

And people who just don't like bacon

Aapahayworths avatar Aapahayworth Yeah You Are +11Reply
@2892656

But bacon is life; bacon is love.

Anonymous +9Reply
Anonymous +3Reply
@2892656

As a member of PETA(People for the Eating of Tasty Animals) I think bacon should be mandatory in at least 2 of your 3 square meals a day.

@shai-e The world would smell like coins, since copper reacts with the fat you have on your skin

Oh, so that's how it "disinfects". I guess I shouldn't have laughed at those dudes hoarding old pennies a decade ago.

Anonymous +8Reply

Probably not though

Clearly you have no idea how much copper costs and that it is an already stretched resource.

Anonymous +5Reply

Awe, you're assuming anyone will do anything. How sweet.

Brilliant!

That is the healthiest way to prepare punk

We're not that smart

Anonymous +5Reply

No coppers to expensive for that

Anonymous +5Reply

The hospital I worked at had brass door knobs and push plates. It was built in 1890.

I hope you're right!

Anonymous +4Reply

You haven't looked at the price of copper lately, have you? That stuff's too valuable for building wires and circuit boards out of to waste on doorknobs.

Anonymous +4Reply

It is probably cheaper to keep buildings things as we do now, just clean them more

Anonymous +3Reply

Try nanoparticles instead.

Even the humans themselves...wait...oh no...

SCP-217 HAS BREACHED CONTAINMENT

I'd love that to happen!

You're assuming people are going to learn from this. I find that highly likely.

How does copper and brass disinfect?

Anonymous +2Reply

in the future everything is chrome

No it won't. WAY too expensive. Places won't pay for it.

"probably", sureee

I like brass

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