Yoyoronnie Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 Hello, I am an acupuncturist who goes through a good quantity of surgical stainless steel needles, likely 316 or 304? Currently I have to send these needles as biohazard material to a certified waste disposal company. I am looking for ideas on how I could possibly repurpose this material for potential art projects. I understand that SS is difficult to melt, so casting may not be an option. I also understand that any use of this material would have to include sterilization because of the biohazard nature of the waste. My initial thought was that melting the needle would take care of that aspect, but the more I read about SS, melting does not seem like a great option. I would appreciate any idea that you may have. I kind of tripped into this forum, so maybe I am not in the right place. I also have zero experience with metal work, so I do ask for patience. Thank you so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 Welcome to the forum. Look into the Steam Autoclave, Ethylene Oxide "Gas" Sterilization, radiation, and other methods. May want to contact your local hospital and see what they use for sterilization of surgical instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoyoronnie Posted December 18, 2016 Author Share Posted December 18, 2016 Thanks Glenn, I appreciate your response...in regards to sterilization, I really don't want to put the idea out there that I want to sterilize to reuse as needles. I want to actually find a way to repurpose the metal...to change it and use it in same way that would prevent the waste and maybe make some sort of art piece with it. I was hoping for ideas in how I could melt or change this material. Do you think it would even be worth the trouble? I mean right now I have to buy the needle and then pay to dispose of them...looking for a better way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 Look into "canister Damascus" or "Mosaic Damascus" where you can fill the canister with high carbon steel powder and then insert the needles to make a pattern. (Your initials or a simple ideogram for instance). Then it's forge welded into a billet that can then be forged into various things and will show the pattern when etched. Another one would be to chop them up and load them randomly in a cannister with powdered steel for a random pattern. Is this the sort of ideas you are looking for? The big issue is that you will be producing them much faster than they can be re-used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wpearson Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 How many pounds a day, week, month do you dispose of ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 What size, or sizes do you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 I was 2 years short of having my AOM, wont likely finish it, but I never thought about the reuse, steel is 100% recyclable, If you worry about a landfill, see what your disposal service does. I commend you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoyoronnie Posted December 19, 2016 Author Share Posted December 19, 2016 Wow, thank you for all the great responses. Thomas, I really like the idea of the Mosaic Damascus, I think some really interesting things could be done with that! Do you think working with the powdered high carbon steel is something I could work with at a home forge? (After getting some training that is.) To answer wpearson and BiggunDoctor, I go through maybe 5-10 pounds of needles a month, and I use .20x30mm and .18x15mm surgical stainless steel needles almost exclusivley...there are a few cases of needles that have plastic handles, but not many. Steve, thank you and I am not so much concerned about the landfills, because I bellieve the needles are being recycled and the metal used for something. I would just love to do something creative and save the cost of recycling to boot. Thanks again for the great feedback!! To piggy back on my first question--any thoughts on getting some experience/training? I really like the idea of making a home forge/kiln--leaning a new hobby. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 Add your location to your profile. There may be a blacksmithing group near you. Go to the meetings and you can learn more in a day than you can ever imagine. A word of caution, blacksmithing is addictive, and sometimes only a single exposure to the craft is all that is needed to get you hooked. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 32 minutes ago, Yoyoronnie said: Wow, thank you for all the great responses. Thomas, I really like the idea of the Mosaic Damascus, I think some really interesting things could be done with that! Do you think working with the powdered high carbon steel is something I could work with at a home forge? (After getting some training that is.) Yoyoronnie, check out this video of a guy making a canister Damascus knife with stainless steel fishhooks. Also, since you're here, head over to the Introduce Yourself page and make sure to read this first! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 Well as I know dozens of people doing it at their home forges the answer would be yes. A press would be nice but folks are doing them without one. The video mentioned above is very very close to what you want to do I think and done using a pretty simple setup. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoyoronnie Posted December 19, 2016 Author Share Posted December 19, 2016 Thank you Thomas and JHCC, I updated my location--the video you sent was perfect, I am going to watch more of this. You guys have given me some great ideas on how I can move forward--I really appreciate it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 Go forth and make wondrous things is all the thanks I need---just think of a door handle with your clinic's name done in the steel....it doesn't have to become a blade... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smoggy Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Good advice offered above, my mind also turned straight to canister damascus but not completely sure as regards the stainless, I've not done a lot of work with it at all. I have one question for the original postee, if you recycle yourself rather than dispatching it for recycling, is there any paperwork you could get tripped up on? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoyoronnie Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 Smoggy, I would likely have to document how I have recycled the waste--right now, I prepay recycling with my biohaz containers so when they are full I ship them back and they send me a receipt of receiving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Just make sure they know that welding temperature is about 2300°F. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yoyoronnie Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 JHCC, the 2300F is for melting the stainless steel correct? With the Mosaic Damascus, the needles would not necessarily have to be melted, they could hold there shape as a pattern, correct? I think I have given up on the idea of reforming the stainless steel in a home forge, but I seem some great potential with the canister method. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 No, forge welding which is done below melting point as it's a "solid phase welding" process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 2300°F is pretty much the standard reference point for forge-welding temperature. As ThomasPowers has noted elsewhere, welding = temperature + cleanliness + pressure. If you increase one or two of those variables, you can decrease the other(s); hence the emphasis on the cleansing power of welding flux as an aid to lowering welding temperatures. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothBore Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Not nearly so "artsy" a solution, ... but it occurs that the needles might work as "filler" rod, for TIG welding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 1 hour ago, SmoothBore said: Not nearly so "artsy" a solution, ... but it occurs that the needles might work as "filler" rod, for TIG welding. For teeny tiny little welds! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Blow gun darts? Of course the biohazard aspect might cause issues... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 16 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said: Blow gun darts? Of course the biohazard aspect might cause issues... I held off on that comment, which I have wanted to say since I first saw this thread, but the OP was so nice about it I didnt want to scare them away, figured he needed to get to know us better first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BIGGUNDOCTOR Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 As short, and thin as those are I might consider uses like bundling them into a handle for texturing leather projects. If my metric estimating is right they are only around .008" in diameter, and .590"-1.180" long. Some artists may be able to use them as small pins. Use them as media in a tumbler, or sPINner deburrer. A sPINner uses magnetic arms to spin the media pins around the parts. Our pins were 304 stainless. The media is pricey, so you may be able to sell them of they work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted December 21, 2016 Share Posted December 21, 2016 Well he's discussed sterilization of them already; but even if you've done it correctly people still tend to get nervous about it---I bet you that someone will bring it up in relation to a cannister damascus blade even though 2300 degF is roughly 3 *times* the temp required to destroy prions! (And they are probably the "hottest" limit item out there. I was always torqued off at places that were serving beef well done due to the mad cow scare. Well done was still several hundred degrees too cold to deal with prions and I like my rare steak!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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