Here’s a fun and different to way to use paracord. The basic of it is that you make a wire design and fill it with molten paracord. I was happy with how well it shined up. If your going after a completely smooth finish use polymer clay instead.
Safety First: Molten anything can cause severe burns. Anytime you use a flame make sure you’re in a well ventilated area and that you’ve taken fire safety precautions. As always, be careful and work within your experience.
Safety First: Molten anything can cause severe burns. Anytime you use a flame make sure you’re in a well ventilated area and that you’ve taken fire safety precautions. As always, be careful and work within your experience.
Remove these ads by
Signing UpStep 1: Cut some rings
I picked up some 16 gage galvanized steel wire from the hardware store, 200’ for about 7 bucks.
Use your desired size socket bit to wrap wire around it. Snip a full circle out of the coil and file the edges so the ends fit together nicely.
For the pendant I’m making do it twice.
Use your desired size socket bit to wrap wire around it. Snip a full circle out of the coil and file the edges so the ends fit together nicely.
For the pendant I’m making do it twice.
Visit Our Store »
Go Pro Today »
You might want to try this, it's messy but fun.
I am going to try to combine your rings template with the fabric Micarta to create something cool, I'll keep you posted.
Been collecting a few small tools, should be able to work on one of your projects pretty soon now!
Im still unsure if there is a difference if I use a Non-lead 95% tin Solder than on with Silver.. If someone knows, it would be nice to know the info..
Anyways, hope to make my first instrutable or video about how I try to do some pendants..
Thanks Mrballeng!
The above web site is about toxic zinc exposure from Galvanized steel!
You should also note that most solders people would use for this type of work melt below 840 degrees centigrade, zinc boils at 900. Besides, soldering should be done in well ventilated location so fumes can't accumulate.
I'm not saying to throw all caution to the wind, but look at all sides of a debate. Only then can one make an informed decision.
Too much of anything can be dangerous, but the only toxic chemicals you should make all efforts to avoid are dihydrogen monoxide, hydroxic acid, hydroxylic acid, and hydrogen hydroxide. Don't get me started on how hazardous those things can be! The worst part is we are surrounded by them...
P.S. Great job Mrballeng!
what you say is true, but if anyone decided they are going to constantly use metals for jewelry making other than gold or silver because they are cheap then you shoukld at least be aware of some of the dangers involved in doing so. Also if you decide you can make and sell a lot of cheap jewelry to make extra money or a living then you should make sure of ALL the dangers involved.
People DO develop sensitivities to copper, brass and zinc and if someone that you sold this jewelry comes to you demanding to know whay they had to spend a lot of money at the ER to treat an unknow sensitivity to zince what are you going to do if they demand that you pay for the expence???
TO be knowledgable and understand about these issue is a good thing for more than just one reason. I have several books on jewelry making and the Better books go over some of these issues. But none of the jewelry books I have deal or talk about making jewelry from galvinized wire or its possible safty issues.
Galvinized metal is iron/steel that has a coating of zinc metal on top to keep it from rusting.
Heating ANY Galvinized metal WILL Create Toxic FUMES that can KILL YOU!!!
See the below web site citation!!!
http://www.arador.com/articles/galv.html
Or just do a search using the words " heating galvinized metal/steel"
You are better off using copper/brass or any plain steel that is NOT coated with Zinc or any other protective metal!!!!
Zinc oxide makes a good sun screen but the fumes from heating Galvinized Metal will and has Kill Others!!!!
And enven inhailing fine zinc particle via filing down the rings exposes you to the zinc. Also if you or anyone decided to use zinc coated wire to make a lot of objects / jewelry to wear thant means a lot of flame soldering/ filing not to mention wearing your own creations. Just like people have skin sensitivity to copper and brass they can also develop a skin sensitivity to wearing items make or coated with zinc...
And say you sold of give this to someone and they end upn developing a bad case of skin sensitivity what will you do then..? What if They decide they want recomensation SP? for the time and expence it cost them to go to the Dr or say the EM Room at the local hospital???
I have taken some jewelry making courses, and the teacher did go over some of this... Long term exposure to certain heavy metals is Not a good thing! Most how to jewelry books go over making itens out of gold, silver and there is a reason for this there is little if No toxicity cause by these metals. Certainly jewelry made of copper, brass and modern lead free peweter are alson talked about by older books and some the the better newer books do talk about toxicity and sensitivity issues...!
No one ever talk serriously in the classes I took, or in the books I own about making jewery from galvinized wire. Certainly makeing jewelry from galvinized wire/ metal is an attractive and cheap alturnative to silver, copper and brass but people should at least be aware of the possible dangers of using, open flame soldering and wearing such jewelry.
To be warned and to be aware of dangers is a Good thing, and that is my purpose
Cheers.
amazeing results can be made with the simplest of tools. a pocket knife smooths plastic pretty well if you can cut the whole surface.
Health Hazards Associated with Heat Treating Galvanized Steel
by Marcus Grymme
Editor's Note: This topic comes up quite a lot in the discussion forums, most poignantly in May 2005 when a noted member of the blacksmithing community died from complications arising from zinc fume exposure. While the available hard data below is helpful, it cannot be considered complete when it comes to addressing every possible situation. Err on the side of safety.
I found some information that everyone who works with galvanized steel might find useful. I talked to the overseer of several Indiana foundries, and he told me that the only danger that he knew of that was associated with zinc was something he called the "zinc shakes". I did some research on this, and found the following:
The toxic gas created when you heat galvanized steel (as the zinc burns away) is zinc oxide, and the effects of it, while unpleasant, are not fatal or cumulative. It causes a syndrome known as the zinc shakes or Metal Fume Fever. The information I could get about this compares it to the flu, and says that it both goes away in 2 days, and at the same time renders the exposed individual immune to the same efects for 1-2 days afterwards (leading to another name for this, Monday Morning Fever, as foundry workers who had the weekend off and were not exposed for two days would be susceptible again the following Monday to these effects).
One medical document I found differentiates between the metal fume fever found in metal workers and a more serious form of the same syndrome (which can be fatal) that is caused by breathing "military smoke", and warns military physicians to be aware of the differences. It does not specifically detail the differences between the two forms, or tell what "military smoke" is, or what it contains, that causes the more serious form.
Another medical document details a study done on welders of galvanized steel (much more relevant to our work, in my opinion), and notes an increase in white bloodcell count in the mucus of the lungs after exposure (assuming I translated the medical-ese correctly), but no TNF (tumor necrosis factor) or significant levels of interleukin-1.
Several "worker's safety" type documents consider metal fumes more serious, but they don't differentiate between zinc fumes and other metal fumes (chromium, lead, magnesium, etc.), so it's hard to get a good idea as to how serious the threat from heat-treating galvanized steel might be. All of the documents I found seemed to indicate that the real danger was from over-exposure rather than trace exposure, and recommended adequate ventilation to prevent problems (as opposed to respirators, filters, self-contained breathing units, and the other types of protection you'd expect would be required if these fumes were extremely dangerous).
The most serious problems anyone specifically stated were that long-term exposure to zinc dust can lead to occupational dermatitis, and zinc dust (not vapor) "may contain small amounts of materials known to the State of California to cause cancer and reproductive harm".
If anyone has more documentation of serious problems associated with this, please let me know. If this is all that we have to worry about, though, it's a lot safer than it seemed, before, to heat-treat or case-harden galvanized steel.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE ARADOR ARMOUR LIBRARY
Webmaster: Eric Slyter
Assistant Forum Moderators: Mike Brock, Kara Frost-Slyter, Glen Kyle, Ron McWilliams, W. Reid Ripley, Christian H. Tobler, Dave Womble
Forum Archive: Marcus Grymme
No part of this site nor it's content may be reproduced without permission from The Arador Armour Library.
Please see our Legal Disclaimer.
Copyright 1995-2003 by The Arador Armour Library