What is the risk of breathing metal filings?

Bill DeShivs said:
I have a Resp-O-Rator. It's uncomfortable to use and saliva is a problem.
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Bill, Keep your mouth shut. I don't mean that as an insult.

Really Pretend you are snorkeling in some lagoon with your mouth closed around the mouth piece.

Our mouths naturally drool when have them open.

Keep the mouth piece bit gently in your teeth and the saliva problem will be reduced greatly..

As far as breathing. I look at it as a Hatha Yoga excersize. In through the mouth, out through the nose. Repeat.
 
Do you guys always use a respirator when in your shop, even when not grinding? I normally do when grinding but if I am doing something else and the dust hasn't been "stirred up" I don't... Would this be an issue you think? I also grind wet so that's a plus however there are coolant particles in the air that I have to be worried about then lol
 
This thread is making me paranoid of the 20 or so knives I made, bent over the bench grinder taking all that steel away without a mask... Don't worry, I have a belt grinder now which is the obvious worry here...
Anyways, I always use one of those paper masks with the elastics around your head when grinding now. I still feel that's not enough, sometimes I do things like wet it a little to catch more that would have got through, or even tape it securely around my mouth and nose. Perhaps I should get a real respirator...

I mean, thinking of it dust and thin "mists" eally linger. I think of when I sweep the floor with the morning light coming in, or when I have a cigarette. You can see that those fine particles, or smoke fog ends up hanging in the air for a long time, and very heavily. I never really considered this in regards to metal/wood shavings until now, stupid.

However, the amount of tobacco I smoke probably has me screwed anyways, I should be more careful but I doubt it will save me at this point lol.
 
I wouldn't worry too much unless you hock crunchy loogys and pick black boogers haha. Been there. Sometimes all you got is a nine grinder and balls.
 
500$ now for a good dust collection system will seem REALLY cheap when you're dealing with medical bills and health problems years down the road...

Save your lungs, you only get one pair

nodust.jpg
 
razor-edge-knives said:
Do you guys always use a respirator when in your shop, even when not grinding? I normally do when grinding but if I am doing something else and the dust hasn't been "stirred up" I don't... Would this be an issue you think? I also grind wet so that's a plus however there are coolant particles in the air that I have to be worried about then lol
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If I haven't ground anything that day and its time to do some handle/Epoxy work, I don't wear it. If I have ground in the shop that morning I do. Its long term exposure you want to avoid.
 
Justin.Mercier said:
500$ now for a good dust collection system will seem REALLY cheap when you're dealing with medical bills and health problems years down the road...

Save your lungs, you only get one pair

nodust.jpg
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Nice set up!! Silly question but, what kind of surface grinder is that?
 
At the risk of offending, I think we, as knifemakers, make the mistake of asking other knifemakers for information, when we should be asking specialists. This holds true for a lot of things, but ESPECIALLY health and safety. If you're the type of person that thinks warnings are for kids, move on - you can't be helped, anyway. However, if you're truly concerned about your health, and the repercussions of the materials we use and how they impact your safety and the environment you work in, I urge you to speak to someone in the industry.

Nathan touched on this. The steel particles are almost the least of your worries (not that any of this shit is trivial!). It's not just grinding! Yes, abrasives are designed to fracture, and when they do they create teeny tiny ABRASIVE particles, with sharp edges, that hang around a long time. Yes, G10, carbon fiber, micarta all off-gas genuinely nasty shit, but even epoxy off-gases. Even wood dust is bad for you, and some of the exotic woods downright dangerous. And what about all the solvents we use? And how many of you do this in a basement with tiny little windows? And where do you think this shit settles when you leave and it gets a chance to drop from the air?

Protect yourself. Call 3M, or a local industrial safety distributor. See if they can help you. Yes, other knifemakers can be great assets and resources, but unfortunately we all tend to talk out of our asses when it comes to stuff like this. Talk to a pro! I'll bet Ed Caffery wishes he had...
 
Another thing to consider is that most knife grinding involves alloys of steel. Not just plain old iron like your body uses in blood cells (not that iron dust in the lungs is a good thing), but also chromium, vanadium, nickel, molybdenum, etc. For example, alloys containing chromium can produce chromium 6 (carcinogen) as a fume when heated (think welding, forging, and even friction when grinding before heat treatment), nickel is both a carcinogen and a sensitizer. Small enough particles of grinding dust can go straight from your lungs to the blood stream, slightly larger particles can stay in your lungs forever. Your lungs do have some defense systems for "big" particles the size of pollen, but much of the particle laden mucus that the cilia clear from the lungs ends up going down your throat into your stomach where the acids break the metals into forms that are easily absorbed in the intestines. Much better not to breathe the dust in the first place. Any respirator you use should be rated at least N95, N99 or HEPA would be better.
 
Gendry said:
This thread is making me paranoid of the 20 or so knives I made, bent over the bench grinder taking all that steel away without a mask... Don't worry, I have a belt grinder now which is the obvious worry here...
Anyways, I always use one of those paper masks with the elastics around your head when grinding now. I still feel that's not enough, sometimes I do things like wet it a little to catch more that would have got through, or even tape it securely around my mouth and nose. Perhaps I should get a real respirator...

I mean, thinking of it dust and thin "mists" eally linger. I think of when I sweep the floor with the morning light coming in, or when I have a cigarette. You can see that those fine particles, or smoke fog ends up hanging in the air for a long time, and very heavily. I never really considered this in regards to metal/wood shavings until now, stupid.

However, the amount of tobacco I smoke probably has me screwed anyways, I should be more careful but I doubt it will save me at this point lol.
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Paper masks are good for keeping chickens out of your nose.
 
Yeah paper nuisance masks don't do anything to stop the small particles that are the main concern
 
Interesting thread and some good info. I'm brand new to this and just started 2 projects a few days ago. Never even thought of the dust issue until after day two when I had a bunch of grey boogies. Didn't even occurred to me because I was grinding outside and then using a file inside. Guess I'm a dummy, but this dummy is going out in search of a respirator tomorrow.
 
You can get a basic half face mask at any hardware store. You might have to play around with different models to find one that works for you. I wear glasses and finally found a full face mask that seals up well and works for me. Also remember to store your cartridges in an airtight bag when not in use. You don't want them collecting dust 'off the clock'.

Wearing a respirator in a hot shop sucks, but it beats the alternative by a long shot.
 
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