A chemist told me rust does not spread. The top of my refrigerator gives me some doubt. It’s covered in these spots. The center of every spot is a small break in the paint, but the rust all around those spots is on top of the paint.

  • marcos@lemmy.world
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    6 days ago

    Yes, rust spreads.

    Rust mechanically destroys the protection the surrounding metal has against rust. Once the protection is gone, the actual rusting is quite fast.

    That is, if you have a surface like the one on your photo. If you have a single material, then no, rust doesn’t spread.