The dangers of Hardox

[Mouldy]

Hi all,

I have recently been working with sheets of 4mm hardox 400 and presumed the fumes given of during welding and grinding were about as dangerous as normal mild steel.

But recently I found out the hard way that it can be dangerous to humans, Ive had burns up my arms witch I presumed were from the light given of by the welder but then went rather dazed after welding which I couldn€™t explain. Also I€™ve heard of cases were Peoples skin dries out and they get a fever.

Just thought I should post something to tell people that this wanted material is dangerous to work with, and that you should take as many precautions as possible when working with it (common sense I know but it sometimes gets forgotten) Is there a dangerous chemical in Hardox that we should be aware of? I hope this stops someone becoming ill.

Dave

[maddox]

The dangers of Hardox

Not to my knowledge.Hardox is a low alloyed kind of steel getting most of the strength by mechanical means. Not chemical compounds or especialy toxic metals.
Maybe the coating on the hardox?

Did you also welded any zinc coated steel? As zinc fumes are known to cause flu like symptomes.

My college at work gets the same sympomes. Skin rash, easely burned, even fever just by welding with a part of his skin exposed. me on the other side, I do most of the small welding whout gloves. Only ali makes me cringe and grab every protection you can imagine.

[Mouldy]

The dangers of Hardox

No zinc plating. Brand new plain box section

I dont have sensitive skin, I also very rarely use gloves and arm protection and I havnt been damaged by normall mig welding of mild steels before. This will mean sandblasting the coating of before use I suppose.

Has anyone else had these problems when welding hardox?...

[typhoon_driver]

The dangers of Hardox

Well i have had some interesting smells and runny noses from grinding hardox.

I am sure it is the coating on the surface that gives it its side affects.

[grafix]

The dangers of Hardox

I have cut and welded huge amounts of this material with no ill effects to me. That doesnt mean to say that others wont be affected. All hot metal work carries risks and the correct type of clothing and protection should always be used. There is no one responsible for your safety except yourself. Be warned !


Mike

[grafix]

The dangers of Hardox

http://healthychristianliving.com/more%20on%20uv.htmhttp://healthychristianliving.com/more%20on%20uv.htm

Take a look at that.

Mike

[anukhet]

The dangers of Hardox

I know that you would never lead anyone astray but I hope that advice is serious and correct because their advice on other health issues borders on the ludicrous and is heavily into advertising its own health products and beliefs - it is an American christian fundamentalist website after all.

[maddox]

The dangers of Hardox

Mike, the main difference between You, Gary, Dave and me is age. It seems the more mature persons get less trouble.
Karoline, could you help me welding hardox?

[grafix]

The dangers of Hardox

Karoline, I do think that you missed the point of the link. I referenced that site because it showed a link to Ultra Violet radiation and the symptoms that others have been having. Obviously people who weld should wear substantial protective clothing when welding. Gauntlets and thick over garments as well as a full head helmet that protects the throat and neck should be worn. Ultra Violet rays pass through many types of cloths so protective clothing has to be chosen carefully.

With reference to that site. Maybe I should look a little better at what the site is before I link it. But it also shows that there are also benefits to UV rays as well.

Mike.

[tunna]

The dangers of Hardox

Prolonged exposure to UV produced by welding can
cause premature ageing of the Iris /Cornea of the eye,not only from direct arc impact but also reflected impact, this effect/danger, diminishes with distance from the arc,

[Mouldy]

The dangers of Hardox

So the welding gives of UV rays dangerous to humans, witch I knew, But how come people are having effects when only welding Hardox and not other materials? I have safely welded Mild steel, Stainless steel and Aluminium before without causing physical damage to myself.

Does anybody know what the chemicals used to protect the surface of Hardox are? I can only presume its the surface treatment of the material as apart from that isn€™t Hardox just another form of mild steel but made slightly denser due to the pressure applied when making it?

[maddox]

The dangers of Hardox

The alloying elements have a lot to do with the mechanical strength.You cant get normal mild steel as strong just by applying the same treatment. Its all in the grain and crystaline structure.

The surface coating. Looking at the color I gues its a modern leadfree variation on the good old anti rust paint. Whats exactly in that paint, no idea. But its never a good idea to breath fumes of burning paint.

[anukhet]

The dangers of Hardox

Mario, to be honest Ive never welded anything in me life and would only probably do it if I were wearing the equivalent of a full asbestos bodysuit with absolutely no way of seeing out OR I would do as I usually do......dont go within a mile of it
But as far as welding hardox (or anything for that matter) is concerned....
The effect the fumes from the coating and the hardox itself will vary from person to person irrespective of whether they are protecting themselves or not. What do you do when you finish welding? You take the protection away to admire your handywork of course thus exposing yourself to any residual fumes. This can only have a detrimental affect on skin, lungs etc.

....and as far as the aging properties of UV light, the reason why Mike doesnt suffer any ill effects is that its too damn late for him

[maddox]

The dangers of Hardox

Karoline, Im to young to escape the dangers of the aging effect..

[grant_ploughbot]

The dangers of Hardox

Well, when welding hardox or any material for that matter, whether it says on the website or not, its a well known fact that goos ventilation is needed, espeshiaclly in surface hardened materials such as hardox. I have nitrite coated mild steel, and welding that gives similar effects, such as head aches. But, as for burning, a full set of overalls should be worn. I know you wore your T-shirt Dave lol, which, with the high setting of the welder that you were running on will cause burns much easier.
Thats the highest setting you have run the welder at before, and that is why the burns are worse than ever before. I set the welder, and i turned it up from what i used last and got minor tanning on my arms, so thats that problem.