Enamelware

Care is necessary in the use of the expression ‘flaking or chipping’ as the cause of damage to enamelware. ‘Flaking’ is recognised as being due to some peculiarity in the enamel or the metal by which small portions of the enamel do not adhere to the metal, so that on cooling they flake off. Loss of value, if arising out of such a cause, would not ordinarily be recoverable under the terms of the insurance cover. Such damage is usually discovered before goods are packed and is not normally found at destination. Care should therefore be exercised in the examination of the article to determine whether the cause of damage be due to ‘flaking’ (faulty manufacture) or chiopping due to shock, rough handling or other cause.

Vitreous or porcelain enamelled cast iron baths
Shipped nested in crates with corrugated or mottled cardboard manufactured by the sulphite process between.
If exposed to moisture, the sulphite is released and has a bleaching effect on the colour pigment in the porcelain, leaving a pattern which cannot be eradicated. The pattern disappears when the bath is wet but reappears as it dries.
Scratching and chipping are sometimes found to be greater when each unit is individually cased. On occasion, improvement in the outturn condition has been observed when larger cases are used containing a greater number of units.