Protection while grinding?

BladeGoblin

BladeGoblin

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When a maker is grinding his blades, hollow, flat, etc. Should he always wear a respirator or at least a mask?

I thought that when removing any amount of steel from a blade some type of (lung) protection is a must, but in talking with a few makers I'm finding it isn't always common practice.

I put this in the custom section because I want an educated opinion/response.

Thanks in advance.
 
BladeGoblin said:
When a maker is grinding his blades, hollow, flat, etc. Should he always wear a respirator or at least a mask?

I thought that when removing any amount of steel from a blade some type of (lung) protection is a must, but in talking with a few makers I'm finding it isn't always common practice.

I put this in the custom section because I want an educated opinion/response.

Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...

He should, but most do not, me included. Sure I have a respirator, and a face shield too, but I don't wear them most of the time. I have a scar on my right cheekbone where the guard of a knife went down to the bone, and ricocheted 10 feet into a carboard box. At least the knife didn't get hurt real bad!:D

Nick Wheeler's Mom calls us "a bunch of dumbasses". This was after I told her about crazy gluing the wound shut. Crazy glue has saved many a knifemaker a trip to the hospital.

See, Anthony, knifemaking is hazardous in so many ways that most makers don't think about the long term affects. Maybe they should, and I know some makers that work in shops that are like operating theaters, but they are few and far between. Most, like my buddy Geno Denning, are having a cigarette while grinding!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I do not remember the knifemaker`s name, but in a blade issue from a long time ago, he had gone in for a regular exam. The doctor found a spot on his lung, that he couldn`t identify. I`m not sure, but I would imagine that things were tried to try and dissolve the particle. They finally elected to do surgery, which was successfull. The particle the found turned out to be Abalone. I don`t think much was known about abalone then, however a great deal is known about it now. Abalone fumes are very dangerous to breath. Needless to say rhe maker started wearing a mask pronto. Sorry this is so long, it`s just you only have one set of lungs, and they don`t grow on trees. I see many people, and including me are using masks now during tasks we took for granted at one time, such as mowing grass and painting.
 
With so many steels containing Vanadium being popular at the moment I hope makers will be careful.

Vanadium poisoning sounds horrible.
 
Without any doubt you should be wearing a resperator whenever ou grind ANYTHING. Of course, many makers do not.
 
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