Bumpy Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Ok so I heated this piece of whatever this metal is and started beating on it... amazingly therapeutic. Anyway, it never got cherry orange, but it did soften a lot. I don't have a "forge" so I I just hooked a pipe up to a propane bottle with a high pressure regulator and turned it wide open. Did the piece not get hot enough bec I don't have the heat OR am I using the wrong metal OR both??? The metal has D1255 on the side... don't know if that means anything? Also the metal was a strap (bought at Home Depot) to basically splice two pieces of wood together... not sure if that helps identify it. This is a kick in the pants... I like it a lot! And I know it will be way more fun when I know more about what I'm doing lol. I appreciate any help you all can offer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anachronist58 Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Was this piece of metal colored black, or silver, when you bought it? Very important question. Robert Taylor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Eh, looks like it may be aluminum. If that is the case it won't turn cherry, it will get even shinier (think Mercury) befor turning into a pool. I use a poker to see if aluminum is at forging temp (drag it across and if it starts to feel tacky) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tommytaptap Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Where I live, wood straps like that are normally galvanised mild steel not aluminium- which doesn't have sufficient tensile strength for any sort of structural support. If it is galvanised steel it is inherently dangerous to use it in the way you have. It gives off poisonous vapours when heated and should be avoided at all costs. My suggestion would be, if you're not feeling unwell-see your doctor anyway and tell them what has happened. Also, re visit the store you bought it from and check for certain with possibly the manager/owner as to what exactly the metal is. Do not use it if it is galvanised-its fine left alone as it is. Try to do a bit of research on that subject and you will see the dangers. I'm sure more experienced people on here will give you further advice too. If you have no experience at all in this sort of working with metals you would do well to ask before you do and you will be helped along the right, safe path. Good luck and I hope you are okay with what I have said. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Triple T, if you blow up the picture you can see what appears to be a raised number, no indication of the white wisps of oxidized zink and the edge hammer marks. All lead me to think aluminum. I could be wrong, and being what looks like a Simpson framing tie I still question my interpretation of the evidence. Further, aluminum at 1/2 the strength and weight of steel has penty of strength of the section in twice as thick. Aluminum structures depend on being able to use engineered shapes in larger sections to have sufficient strength at lower weights. Not unlike wood I comparison to steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Would not a magnet determine whether the piece is aluminum or steel. Soaking in vinegar should remove the zinc form the galvanized surface. Several sessions in fresh vinegar should react with the zinc to convert it to soluble zinc acetate. SLAG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anachronist58 Posted January 28, 2017 Share Posted January 28, 2017 Mr. Bumpy, may I encourage you to follow this link for your safety: http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/159-zinc-galvanized-and-coatings/ And this as well: http://www.iforgeiron.com/forum/28-safety-discussions/ You, being a mathematician, understand the importance of adherence to rigorous constraints, lest your work come to naught. Same goes for safety. Read up, and welcome to the Craft. Robert Taylor Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Bumpy my man. Might I recommend you do a little reading here before you spend more time and money? I have a couple concerns with what you relate so far. First you don't know what you're heating other than it's metal. What you describe is a "Simpson Strong Tie" used to reinforce wood joints say joist hangers, railing post anchors, beam connections, etc. and they are almost universally galvanized. Galvanizing or zinc plating when burned is something you shouldn't be breathing. My second red flag concern is your "forge." Connecting a piece of pipe to a propane bottle could legitimately be used to describe home built burners but I don't think what you're doing is particularly safe in several ways. I believe you dodged the bullet this time though, your burner didn't get the steel hot enough to burn zinc so you didn't get to enjoy the "blue flu." The burner probably did put out significant amounts of Carbon Monoxide, CO but I'm hoping you did this outdoors. If you'll pull up a comfy chair, secure a beverage and snacks you can engage in hours and hours of good reading. Naw, you don't need to read IFI start to finish, spring is coming. You NEED to select the "gas forge" section and do a little reading. I think you'll be interested in "Bean Can Forges". A bean can forge is about as easy as it gets for a usable propane forge. It consists of a large tin can some ceramic fiber refractory and a butane soldering torch. Bernzomatic is probably the most recognizable brand out there. You'll need tin snips and maybe a pop rivet set but that's about it for construction tools. A bean can forge will produce enough heat to get you a little worthwhile anvil time. I've known guys making knives on the 8th floor balcony of their condo with a bean can forge. Ah, I get going and I don't get a dime from promoting bean can forges! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 LAMA is the www.ABANA.org is the web site for ABANA. Go there, click on Affiliates, then click on Affiliates List, then go down the list to the Louisiana group. You will find contact information there. Contact them, attend some meetings, join. You will learn a lot there and maybe find someone lives close to you and maybe a mentor. Let me know if I can help you. Wayne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bumpy Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 Thanks for all the great info... it was silver when I bought it. I really think its galvanized. I stood wayyyy across the yard and drank milk after lol. I will def ask next time milk is good for you but wont help with zinc poisoning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewayforge Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Hi, bumpy. I recommend reading here: I Forge Iron might be the safest bet on finding accurate information on blacksmithing and other metal-related themes on the internet. They debunk a lot of myths in every post, such as drinking milk after metal fume inhalation. Glad to have you here, and hopefully you can get set up in no time to be forging hot steel like so many! Best tool on the internet is IFI- best tool we have is an open mind. After 5 years of reading this website, I'm learning still, and hopefully progressing little by little. So, stick around, have an open ear and have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bumpy Posted January 29, 2017 Author Share Posted January 29, 2017 Small world. The president of Louisiana Metalsmiths Assoc lives on my street. I'm gonna go drive this dude crazy right now! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted January 29, 2017 Share Posted January 29, 2017 Milk chelation is a myth so drinking it after exposure to zinc smoke is just fattening. However one thing milk does do is cause mucus production, even makes your nose run though not noticeably. It does however in your mouth and lungs and secreting mucus in your lungs will act as a barrier to a lot of . . . stuff you inhale. Drinking milk HELPS a LITTLE if you start before and and continue during exposing yourself to zinc smoke. This is NOT chelation it's the same process as a runny nose flushing dust out of your sinuses. Forget it as a safety measure just stay out of the smoke, heck ALL smoke. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewayforge Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 18 hours ago, Bumpy said: Small world. The president of Louisiana Metalsmiths Assoc lives on my street. I'm gonna go drive this dude crazy right now! That's excellent! Highly recommend become a part of any group, and learning from people in person. Sounds like you're going to do well, just take it slow and steady, and don't rush the learning to get to the 'exciting' parts- that's like skipping to the last 30 minutes of an action movie- You'll see explosions, sure, but you'll miss any plot that happened in the movie. Learning the basics is the gateway to having the ability to do any process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 2 hours ago, Ridgewayforge said: that's like skipping to the last 30 minutes of an action movie- You'll see explosions, sure, but you'll miss any plot that happened in the movie. Action movies have plots? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SLAG Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 With some action movies, you're more likely to find a plot in a cemetery. Just sayin. SLAG. Put the galvanized metal in a bath of vinegar. Give it time and the vinegar (acetic acid), should turn the zinc coating into zinc acetate which dissolves zinc in the vinegar solution. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridgewayforge Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 1 hour ago, JHCC said: Action movies have plots? They must have, since they have gaping plot holes, mostly. The plot is usually about blowing things up... which usually happens in the last 30 minutes anyways........ oh shoot, there goes my analogy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHCC Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 23 minutes ago, SLAG said: With some action movies, you're more likely to find a plot in a cemetery. "Forging Galvanized II: The Revenge" Tagline: "If the fumes don't kill you, the curmudgeons will!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted January 30, 2017 Share Posted January 30, 2017 Come on now; I personally have known only 1 person whose breathing of galvanized fumes lead to his death when compounded with previous physical issues, (COPD). I also know another guy who bankrupted himself from the, pretty brief, hospital stay with no insurance. And a slew of old welders whose graphic descriptions of their various run-ins with the issue are rather intense and profane. Me I went through and cleaned it out of my scrap pile; I'm too cheap to use even free metal if it possibly comes attached to a possible 5-6 digit medical bill! I tell these "cautionary tales" to my students as I feel that real world examples stick better than "possibles". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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