Ever breath silver fume from melting ?

[kadriver]

When I first began working with silver I had an experience that hurt me.

I was used to working around hot metal, brazing, welding, and heating of metal during my career in the Navy.

I never used any breathing protection or suffered any ill effects that I could detect.

After cementing some silver (when I first began refining) I was melting some silver with a torch and melt dish inside my shop.

I did not use any breathing protection and thought I would be fine - it smelled the same as any other molten or hot metal smelled.

The next day I was in bed all day long with flu like symptoms - I remember the fumes from the molten silver rising into my face and nostrils as I breathed.

Today I always use cross ventilation by opening two doors, and I wear a particle respirator with double filters installed.

So far - no more bad reactions to fumes.

kadriver

 

[lazersteve]

It's called metal fume fever and can occur when melting metals in a closed area.

GSP has a story somewhere about a friend who loved to what the silver melt over the furnace porthole and ended up dead. NOt sure of the exact details, but I believe Chris stated he thought it was from the silver vapors. He warned me back then about melting silver with poor ventilation.

Regardless of how much fun working with these metals seems to be, one must never lose sight of the inherint dangers involved with the processes. Besides melting metals, be extra careful of PGMs, nickel solutions, lead solutions, cobalt solutions, cyanide solutoins, silicon and other dust, and many more hazards of the recovery and refining workplace.

Steve

 

[Geo]

we are definitely our own worst enemies. the things we do to ourselves is and should be illegal. i am the cause for my illness and it makes me feel bad advising people to do things that i know will hurt them. the only consolation in this is that im able to pass along as much safety knowledge as i have. if i dont give advise about how to safely do the processes, the person may follow unsafe directions found on the internet.

 

[lazersteve]

Safety should always be your number one concern. Many people research how to recover a precious metal, but never think to research the other hazards they will encounter in the process. This is exactly why I put a post on safety in the Guided Tour... I wonder how many people actually go to the safety link?

Steve

 

[pugle1]

Safety should always be your number one concern. Many people research how to recover a precious metal, but never think to research the other hazards they will encounter in the process. This is exactly why I put a post on safety in the Guided Tour... I wonder how many people actually go to the safety link?

Steve

I'm new to the forum, and new to this hobby. I've been reading, researching and studying all for this very reason. I work in the chemical industry (mainly hydrocarbon solvents and esters / ketones and such) but I've been in my line of work for over 25 years. I'm the kind of person that is always asking questions in order to learn more. Much of the advice and comments read in this thread are common sense and are good to heed. At work I had a bad experience with zinc oxide powder (used mainly as a white paint pigment). After driving down a particularly bumpy road with several pallets of 22kg bags of this stuff in the back of my truck, the trailer was foggy with the dust produced. Breathing that fine dust in sure lead to a strong bout of "welder's fever" ... not pleasant at all. The MSDS said that the symptoms I was exeperiencing were typical .... the same as would be experienced breathing in zinc fume from a hot process.

I agree ..... SAFETY, SAFETY, SAFETY!!! .... short cuts are never a good thing.

My 2 cents worth. Thanks folks for all the great tips and info....