Paddy Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 :confused:Hello, I've just got a piece of freebie brass 3/8 rod, about 12" from a supplier, its listed in a guide as CDA Alloy 360 free cutting. I looked up the MSDS and it noted a whole list of carcinogens, including beryllium - sounds not good. Do I chuck it, and go for something else like bronze?. Or forge on! I just want to have a play at some other types of metal ornamentally. I use on aluminum 6061 - T6 for shoemaking, and have been told the 2024-T4is good also. Cheers, paddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNewman Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Beryllium is bad news. VERY toxic. I was through a foundry a few months ago that casts a lot of Beryllium copper they have to have to clear everone not wearing a respirator out of the area when casting the berylium and especially cutting and grinding it. I think it may have been powered respirators. The plant manager told me that the grinding was far more dangerous than the melting, but I don't think I would take the risk for the sake of a few dollars worth of bronze. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Return it and get your money back. Beryillium is BAD news, you've read the MSDS and you have to ask? Take it back, if they give you any crap tell them you'll be telling EVERYBODY you meet they sell TOXIC materials without care. Failing getting your money back store it, toss it, just don't give it away or forget and use it. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iron Falcon 72 Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 I think he said it was a freebie. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Posted June 12, 2009 Author Share Posted June 12, 2009 Cheers Guys, It was as i'd thought once I saw the minute quantities and carcinogen warning - thats that. No way i'm using that, the girlfriend would kill me for toxifying the cat!. Thanks, paddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arftist Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 You can't forge 360 anyway, it is 38 percent zinc and 3 percent lead. IF there is any beryllium at all, it would be an accidental trace amount that they probably have to list for liability reasons. If not, me and every other machinist that work brass are all goners, because 360 is easily the most commonly machined brass. Now actual Beryllium Copper, that is another story altogether. Stay far away from that stuff. If you want to forge brass, get naval brass or silicon bronze. Either forges well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBrann Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 What is it about beryllium copper that is is so neccesary? What gets made with or from it? Its not like thorium in TIG rods? Had no idea beryllium was that toxic, will check MSDS to see about such things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Beryllium is alloyed with copper to strengthen it in electrical busses and such where additional strength is necessary. Frosty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 12, 2009 Share Posted June 12, 2009 Also for "spring" applications. It has been used a lot for non-sparking tooling for the oil patch as well. Beryllium scares the bejezus out of me after I read up on it---especially when I talked with a fellow that worked in a commercial brass foundry that told me they were required to junk an entire train car load of brass scrap *and* clean/decontaminate the scrap container it was dumped in if they found *1* piece of Be containing scrap. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JNewman Posted June 13, 2009 Share Posted June 13, 2009 A lot of the castings the foundry I was in are for undersea telecommunications equipment. They told me they had seen some that had been brought back up after two years under the ocean, and they were as shiny as the day they went down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paddy Posted June 13, 2009 Author Share Posted June 13, 2009 Fascinating stuff. Thanks I'll get hold of some naval brass or silicon bronze. I think I read on another thread about where to get some. thanks again all! paddy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 One final note on this subject. At one time sailors carried B-bronze knives because they were corrosion resistant and spark proof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted June 16, 2009 Share Posted June 16, 2009 I've seen diving knives that were Be Bronze no magnetic signature in case you were working on a WWII mine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted July 26, 2009 Share Posted July 26, 2009 We go through a lot of BeCU for machining electrical connectors. It is heat treatable, and is a pretty useful material, and very expensive. Beryllium by itself is very toxic. Normal machining is not considered dangerous, but grinding/sanding is, as Beryllium is an inhalation hazard. 360 brass is another item we use a lot of, and is a really common item found in machine shops as said before.Never heard any warnings on 360 brass like BeCu where every box has a safety warning on it. Copper sometimes has warnings on it for lead content, yet it is used in food plants for cooking vessels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trying-it Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Beryllium Network: Beryllium Dangers to Workers and Their FamiliesComplete Information on Chronic berylliosis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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