Stainless grinding risks

T

Technohedge

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Sep 9, 2018
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Anyone have any special precautions (further to the obvious face mask) for grinding stainless due to the hex chromium risk?

I have a half face mask with P100 filters on and a dust extraction unit consisting of a shop vac that sucks from around the grinding belt with a spark bong underneath. The vac currently vents into the garage which is usually closed while working due to the noise issue.

I have had filter bags on the shop vac but they get soggy when used with the bong and i have never noticed any dust in the bag anyway after a grinding session.
 
I'm amazed by questions like this to be honest. Do you smoke, use vaps, smokeless tobacco, eat processed food, eat steroid induced meat from the grocery store, drink beer or alcohol! Yes you need to safe but where do you draw the line?
 
LCoop said:
I'm amazed by questions like this to be honest. Do you smoke, use vaps, smokeless tobacco, eat processed food, eat steroid induced meat from the grocery store, drink beer or alcohol! Yes you need to safe but where do you draw the line?
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Agreed, however the majority of the risks you mentioned are familiar to many, and as such people believe the have enough information to understand the risks (weather or not their understanding is accurate or not).

There isnt a lot of day to day visibility on specialist areas such as this (nobody at work discusses how much dust we inhale on a weekly basis) therefore searching on expert forums such as this is where to get the answers.

I guess what I should have written is 'what is the risk of.....' but then i may not get info on the physical setups my peers may be using
 
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I don't have a lot of experience grinding knife blades but I'm going to point out that you should have some kind of dust control going on in ANY operation that can create airborne dust. It doesn't matter a heck of a lot what the material is; you just really don't need it in your lungs.

Wood dust, for instance, is used for various purposes in the food industry. Eating it won't hurt you. Breathing it damn sure will.
 
Technohedge said:
Anyone have any special precautions (further to the obvious face mask) for grinding stainless due to the hex chromium risk?

I have a half face mask with P100 filters on and a dust extraction unit consisting of a shop vac that sucks from around the grinding belt with a spark bong underneath. The vac currently vents into the garage which is usually closed while working due to the noise issue.

I have had filter bags on the shop vac but they get soggy when used with the bong and i have never noticed any dust in the bag anyway after a grinding session.
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After the water bong, put a dust cyclone(dust deputy) to catch all the water before it makes it into the shop vac. My understanding (at least with the HEPA filter is that is doesn't work as good once it gets wet.
 
According to a seminar that I took grinding stainless should end up as tri-chrome not hex. Welding with mig or tig does not produce hex chrome it requires the chemical element from flux to change it to hex-chrome. Tri-chrome isn't cancer causing but it is still possible to get to much particulate.
 
LCoop said:
I'm amazed by questions like this to be honest. Do you smoke, use vaps, smokeless tobacco, eat processed food, eat steroid induced meat from the grocery store, drink beer or alcohol! Yes you need to safe but where do you draw the line?
Click to expand...

Don't smoke, vape, or use any nicotine. Don't drink any alcohol. No marijuana or any other drug for that matter.

I draw the line at inhailing substances that my body can't process, rid its self of, and generally cause respiratory distress, illness, black lung, or cancer!!


I used to work at a plant with lots of exposure sources. Cobalt, silicone carbide dust, powered diamond dust, aerosolized 68 weight hydrollic oil ( when a pressure line for the massive cubic press sprung a leak at 10,000 psi it was everywhere!!

Lots of no good substances. I tried to keep masked up whenever necessary. Others shrugged and refused to use masks (we all had them professionally fitted).

Better to be safe, and ask the questions, than have cancer, black lung, or unidentified lung conditions.

Shoot, after seeing knife makers develope severe reactions to wood dust, I try to mask up while power sanding wood now!!


Sounds like OP got an answer to his question, though.
 
Bigfattyt said:
Don't smoke, vape, or use any nicotine. Don't drink any alcohol. No marijuana or any other drug for that matter.

I draw the line at inhailing substances that my body can't process, rid its self of, and generally cause respiratory distress, illness, black lung, or cancer!!


I used to work at a plant with lots of exposure sources. Cobalt, silicone carbide dust, powered diamond dust, aerosolized 68 weight hydrollic oil ( when a pressure line for the massive cubic press sprung a leak at 10,000 psi it was everywhere!!

Lots of no good substances. I tried to keep masked up whenever necessary. Others shrugged and refused to use masks (we all had them professionally fitted).

Better to be safe, and ask the questions, than have cancer, black lung, or unidentified lung conditions.

Shoot, after seeing knife makers develope severe reactions to wood dust, I try to mask up while power sanding wood now!!


Sounds like OP got an answer to his question, though.
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I read about Sheffield makers one day and about how the average blade grinder had a life expectancy of 35. I wear a mask everytime anything hits the grinder.
 
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