[TheForge] Forging Brass - illegal?

[Roy Wilson]

On Thu, 3 Jan 2002 13:06:05 -0500, Miller, Ray (GEAE) wrote:

>Doesn't it have something to do with the leaded bronze.
>Ray Miller

	"brass" and "bronze" are catch-alls for a bazillion
different non-ferrous alloys.  Aside from lead, there's a bunch of
them you really don't want to get to smoking heat if you're not
wearing a GOOD respirator.  I think the "illegal" part was either a
misunderstanding or someone has been reading OSHA specs.

	You don't want to breathe the dust of any of them either. 
Hell, ANY kind of dust, for that matter.

	Completely different topic:  Had a crew over yesterday and
we pulled out all that 1840's era 5" bell & nipple waste pipe. 
Instead of oakum and pitch, they were sealed with hog bristle and
pine tar.  Sometime later, someone leaded on top of that (and did a
hell of a neat job - wicked it *up* the nipple as well as packed
into the bell).  58' was the total run, I salvaged about 40' of it
(mostly the stuff that was vertically installed).

	Put a guy on each floor after we got all the horizontals
busted out (that pine pitch with lead is TOUGH), and put the LP
weed burner in the bottom of the pipe and let it rip.  Took about
ten minutes to drop *every* join.  I'd like to take credit for the
idea, but it was the neighbor's kid who thought it up.

	Sheesh.  Even more off-topic.  Now I know I'm getting old. 
The neighbor's "kid" is in his thirties and did three tours in the
Navy.  C'est le guerre!<G>



Roy Wilson
General Operations Director
Wilson Eclectics