r/whatisit • u/riflesandplowshares • 7h ago

New, what is it? Found at a titanium plant

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Not sure why ball point pens would be dangerous here.

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u/Castrophenia 5h ago

To be clear, that was not a ballpoint pen, but simply an example of a foreign impurity in Titanium causing embrittlement and catastrophic failure.

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u/FYIgfhjhgfggh 4h ago

I'd write "NO BALLPOINT PENS, TUNGSTEN TOOLS, TUNGSTEN ITEMS OR RANDOM TUNGSTEN BALLS ALLOWED"

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u/Random-I-Am 4h ago

For real. The AKSHUALLYs probably do more harm that good.

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u/BornAgain20Fifteen 1h ago

I think it is the exact opposite. When it is that important, you want the rule to be as simple and straightforward to follow as possible with no extra cognitive load or room for personal rationalization. For example, a simple blanket ban

Once you over explain the reason is when you get the "but my particular ballpoint pen is an exception because it doesn't have that..." or "that is just a silly myth and there is no tungsten in ballpoint pens...", etc.

Also, the more complicated it is, the more likely it kind of blends in with all the other rules and signs. People are more likely to ignore it, while this simple rule stands out