Brass - Dangers ?

S

skinny_dan

Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
193
Hey guys

This afternoon I decided to make some brass bolsters. They turned out alright, though I still have a bit of work to do.

Anyway, are there any special precautions I need to take when working with brass ? It has some lead in it, as well as zinc.

Thanks
 
Brass alloys vary.Brass is a fairly safe metal to work with on the whole.Use the normal safety you use in the shop (you DO use a respirator I trust) with any small particle process.A proper respirator,clean up the dust and filings after you are done,wash hands and face,blow/rinse nose,etc.
Stacy
 
If you melt brass you will get zinc fumes which are toxic.The leaded brass is a free maching type will very small amouts of lead which the respirator should stop......Brasses contain from about 5% to 40% zinc. The color ranges from red of the 5-10% [gilding metal] to the yellow of the 30% [cartridge brass ,the most ductile] and 40%[ yellow brass]. Leaded brass has a lighter yellow color.
 
Do be careful, heavy metal poisoning sucks! the respirator is well worth the investment.
 
Not meaning to be crass (who me?) but a dust mask in a blade shop is about as protective as a cloth condom!
 
Thanks guys, I only have dust masks at the moment. Hopefully they have some good effect.
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:eek: :eek: YIKES!! :eek: :eek:

Not meaning to be crass (who me?) but a dust mask in a blade shop is about as protective as a cloth condom!
Click to expand...

He's right, you know.

Before you do ANY-thing related to knifemaking, you need to have a good respirator. Most of the stuff we work with is toxic in one way or another. All of the possible problems caused by not using a respirator suck really big. Little things like asthma, lung cancer, heavy metal poisoning :eek: and other very nasty and sometimes fatal ailments. There are at least several makers here who have had really bad reactions and diseases that are directly traced back to their knifemaking activities. :(
I don't wanna scare you, but anaphylactic shock can kill you and by the time you realize your having a reaction to something your working on is too late. Prevention is the way to work in this knifemaking endeavour. Treat everything like it can put a hurt on you cuz stuff you wouldn't think can hurt is the stuff that can put you down.

Do yourself and your loved ones afavor and get that safety equipment and use it religiously.

All the best,
Mike U.
 
Aww crap, I thought a face mask would be alright. I'll look into it and just think about what to do next.

I find that helps a lot, just holding a knife in my hands for awhile and looking at it. It helps with visualising what should or could happen next, what to be careful with etc.
 
A half face mask with the PROPER filters for the materials you are grinding is OK.Just remember to fit it right,and to wash the black off the rest of your face.A full,positive pressure, hood is the best protection.
Stacy
 
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