USANewbie Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 Would it be a bad idea to anneal with crushed insulating firebrick from an old kiln? Also, is firebrick bad to breath in like ceramic wool is? I'm worried about firebrick degrading in the forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 If it is not air, it is bad to breathe and introduce into your lungs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USANewbie Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 Thanks Glenn. Yes i knew it was kind of a stupid question. I need to get a respirator or mask, I was grinding paint and metal today, as well as cutting with the chop saw and breathed in a lot of abrasive dust and paint. Not good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swedefiddle Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 Good Morning Newby, To anneal, you need something that will allow the heat to dissipate over a LONG TIME. A simple solution is to use Garden Lime (available at any Hardware store or Garden Center. Dump a bag in a container and put your piece to Anneal into the Garden Lime, take it out after about 12 hours and it will still be warm. K.I.S.S. Garden Lime also works as a welding flux and it won't hurt your Forge. Lime is a flux for making Steel!! Don't go for the difficult solutions. Keep It Simple Silly (or Silly Simple)LOL. Neil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USANewbie Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 Thanks for the advice. The reason i wondered about firebrick is because i have a bunch of broken ones i was going the throw away, i thought maybe they would work for annealing because they insulate so well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 2 hours ago, USANewbie said: I need to get a respirator or mask, I was grinding paint and metal today, as well as cutting with the chop saw and breathed in a lot of abrasive dust and paint. The respirator or mask is only one level of protection. Get a box type window fan and blow air across your body shoulder to shoulder to remove the abrasive dust, paint and debris. Do a little research and find out what is in the cuttings, abrasive dust, paint and debris. If it is lead paint, galvanized, or other coatings, the best option is do not cut or grind as it puts particles into the air. The particles then settle on everything and are made airborne again with the slightest air movement, such as walking past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George N. M. Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 Another annealing medium is vermiculite which you can buy at a garden supply store as a soil additive. Vermiculite is a kind of mica which has water in its crystal structure. When heated the water "pops" to steam and the mica plates expand to a very low density material. It is sort of like a fireworks snake which grows as it burns. Also, it is chemically stable which means it won't do bad things if it gets wet and it is fireproof. "By hammer and hand all arts do stand." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USANewbie Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 I plan on getting a Plasma cutter and bandsaw and do away with the chop saw, but i still have the grinder to worry about. The fan sounds like a good idea, as well as the safety data sheet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USANewbie Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 1 hour ago, George N. M. said: Another annealing medium is vermiculite. Thanks George Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 Plasma cutters use compressed air to clean out the kerf. This produces a LOT of bad air and the kerf is now fine particles of metal and debris. Plasma cut outside during the winter and look at the snow when your finished. It is gray and over a large area. The plasma cutter vaporizes any coating that was on the metal adding to the contamination. You must do research to find the hazards involved in what you are doing, and how to avoid them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USANewbie Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 I didn't realize that. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted October 17, 2021 Share Posted October 17, 2021 Look at the specs for the plasma cutter you are considering. It will require x amount of cubic feet of air at XX psi. You have to reduce the psi to zero pressure to get the true amount of ambient air required. Purchase a fire extinguisher before you get the plasma cutter. The shower of sparks from the plasma cutter is an ignition point for anything combustible in the area. The lawn mower, and the spare gas can for the mower, are containers of gasoline. They should NOT be anywhere near sources of sparks from the plasma, ox/ac, chop saw, forge, etc. If you have to ask how far away is safe, it is not far enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
USANewbie Posted October 17, 2021 Author Share Posted October 17, 2021 Thanks again Glenn. I was going to purchase a cheap plasma table and put a steel drum underneath it to catch most of the sparks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.