I have this huge bolt that fell out of a railroad bridge and today I decided to pound it into a blade. During the first heat, it got this weird yellow pollen looking crust on the outside. I didn't think it was galvanized because it was all rusty and i've never seen anything else used in the rail industry be galvanized. Is that what galvanized looks like when you heat it?

Sounds very much like zinc, be careful.

Sounds like galvy to me too. Just because it has rust on it doesn't mean it wasn't gavanized, it's just rust resistant, not proof.

Frosty

it that bad for you

Make sure you don't breath the smoke/fumes. It will make you sick.

I would play it safe and leave that piece alone.

Yes, that was galvy. and YES it is VERY bad. Gives you Metal Fume Fever, accumalative and each time you get a dose it just adds to it. (in your lungs) Your body cannot get rid of it and YES you can DIE from it! There are ways to cut/weld/forge the stuff but there are much better materials out there that don't have the hazards so why use the galvy??!

One way to rid it from the zink is to put it in muratic acid until it quits bubbling, rinse good and then do whatever you want with it. But now you have introduced a new hazard...muratic acid. What are you going to do with the stuff when you are through using it? Like I said...get material with out a galvanized coating, saves time, $$, and YOU!

it that bad for you

Please, please, please go the safety section and read the posted sticky's on this.

Edited May 21, 200917 yr by steve sells

Is Zinc the only thing that will leave dusty yellow deposits?

Is Zinc the only thing that will leave dusty yellow deposits?

No!! Please read steve's safety bulletin!!

Think naste posion Heavy Metal Cadnium Yellow , Zinc White if you are into painting.

Think cummulative toxicitly.

Were you using coal? Under some conditions I've seen sulfur form similar to what you describe if the coal had a high sulfur content.

ron

sulfur leaving a crust on steel IN the fire ?

What I experienced was a small vent of yellowish smoke, that left a yellow dusty deposit on the steel outside of the fire. First instinct said sulphur.

As soon as I saw this I shut off the air and walked away - I have read lots of scary things about metal fume fever. Fortunately my 'forge' is outside.

I wonder if it could have been 1 of three things:

Contaminated fuel (charcoal) - either a bit of coal sneaked in, or organic material in the charcoal? - It happened when I had put a few lumps of charcoal on that had been sitting at the bottom of the garden pond for a year - long story, but wondered if the algae etc could have a sulphur content?

Sulphur content in the steel???

Or a bit of galv jumped in - I now check all the wood I use to start a fire for wire staples.

Check Wood For Galv Staples, Pins or Nails! - (for those just brousing )


I just bagged the whole contents of the forge, and disposed of it. I have since built a new forge and switched to coke with no problems.

Edited May 21, 200917 yr by Bob JS
spelling

hey strantor, just so you know. it was your video on you tube bowie and kukri that finally pushed me to start bladesmithing, was thinking about it for a while, always loved knives but needed a kick. thanks eternally greatful......

I've burnt PAINTof a piece, leaving a yellow powdery residue.

(EDIT: sorry, there were about five posts jumped in before mine. Yellow residu on the work could be from paint; yellow smoke is from zinc.

Edited May 21, 200917 yr by GOATMAN

sulfur leaving a crust on steel IN the fire ?

Not so much in the fire as at the edge. From what I understand, if the fire is reducing so there is no oxygen to combined with the sulfur, it is gaseous in the middle of the fire due to the heat and as it leaves the fire it condenses on whatever is cool enough.

ron

I didn't know that, cool, and thanks.

On 5/20/2009 at 7:11 PM, Thomas Dean said:

Yes, that was galvy. and YES it is VERY bad. Gives you Metal Fume Fever, accumalative and each time you get a dose it just adds to it. (in your lungs) Your body cannot get rid of it and YES you can DIE from it! 

 

Thanks for the advice, I was about to start forging a piece of leaf spring and I saw that yellow oxide layer and knew I should stop immediately.