Lung damage

scdub said:
Not too worried about metal dust, but now I’m wondering how good it is to inhale .25 micron diamond dust when dry stropping. Maybe a little oil is a good idea??
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I use a little bit of mineral oil with dry powder compound for this reason. I've even used a little dab of mineral oil-based hand lotion (Eucerin brand, for example) for the same purpose - after rubbing the dry compound into the leather, I rubbed a little bit of the hand lotion into the strop over that. That was all I needed, to keep the dry compound 'stuck' to the leather. I was using green (chromium oxide) compound, and was concerned about that getting airborne. Chromium is a known serious risk for inhalation and can cause some serious issues (cancer, etc.) in the lungs.

You actually need very little oil to make this work well. No need to apply very much - it's better for the strop if it's not overdone. Maybe a 1/4" diameter dab on the fingertip, rubbed into a strop, is plenty.

Kind of interesting to me, the ONE time I've noticed a possibility of airborne swarf was when I was stropping. I could SMELL the iron being scrubbed from the blade (1095 carbon steel). I'm sure, in terms of quantity, it likely wasn't enough to be worried about - my nose and sinuses are pretty hyper-sensitive and overreactive to such things. But that was just enough to make me pay attention and give it some thought.
 
RugerNurse said:
Someone in a YouTube video stated small bits of metal can become airborne with sharpening knives dry, is this true? I can understand wearing a mask while grinding metal to shape the blade but haven’t thought about just using a Spyderco sharp maker or some dry stone.
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What you want to live forever?

You could also die from:
Covid, Aids, Fentanyl laced candy, Old Person backing out of driveway or Insulting Will Smith's wife too.
 
John_B said:
What you want to live forever?

You could also die from:
Covid, Aids, Fentanyl laced candy, Old Person backing out of driveway or Insulting Will Smith's wife too.
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I know there are many thing to die from haha. I was just curious if this was true, I imagine some small amounts of metal come off when sharpening but not enough to cause damage.
 
I have a laser particle counter that I use for wood working and I've used it while sharpening both manually and powered applications. Manual IMO there is no concern, on powered applications I would wear a respirator if possible and I do, also good idea to make sure the mask and filters are correct for your particular application. 3M is great and they offer free advice in regards to this.
 
John_B said:
Old Person backing out of driveway
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I was always scared of old persons until I became one, now they’re not so scary.

And for the record, Will Smith if you’re reading this, I have no interest in insulting your wife.

Parker
 
John_B said:
Old Person backing out of driveway
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Old age and treachery will always beat youth and exuberance.

********

I worked as a machinist for most of my "career", grinding metal by with a belt sander rather often.
At 66, I haven't found it to cause me any lvnsdnv clkx,nvsklj.
 
In all seriousness, there were systems to suck air away from the grind and I wore a mask for any longer jobs, but I still got some exposure without long term effects. I'm more worried about the years I did smoke.
 
There is an inexpensive brand of silicone carbide stones that Ankerson always used, very cheap and very effective. The name escapes me at the moment. I got some, and did a dry stroke, and was shocked at the "dust" raised from that stone. I got some water, and always used them wet from then on....
 
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