Galvanized Steel

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russwills
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Galvanized Steel

Post by russwills »

Hello, all. I've been experimenting with using hand-made ceramic molds supported by stainless steel mesh (and some other things involving stainless steel in the kiln). I know that galvanized steel in the kiln is frowned upon, since it can kill people and all. So here are my questions:

1) How do I tell the difference between stainless steel and galvanized steel?

2) Will galvanized steel damage my kiln at 1700F? (Or 1375F?)

Thank you all!!!
-Russ
http://www.russwills.com
jolly
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Re: Galvanized Steel

Post by jolly »

use a cheap magnet, won't stick to Stainless Steel
There is more to life than increasing its speed.-Mahatma Gandhi
Greg Rawls
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Re: Galvanized Steel

Post by Greg Rawls »

Heating galvanized steel in your kiln wont kill you, but there is a possibility of getting sick. The zinc will fume off which can cause a sickness called Metal Fume Fever which presents with generally non-specific complaints including influenza-like symptoms, fever, shaking chills, headache, and malaise.
Greg
The Hobbyist
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Re: Galvanized Steel

Post by The Hobbyist »

Go to your local hardware and look at a piece of metal pipe. You should find black pipe and galvanized. Black pipe is just what it's called...black and usually oily/greasy to reduce rusting for a while. The galvanized will be silvery colored and not smooth. It is a dullish silver, not bright and shiny nor smooth.

Galvanized steel is just zinc coated steel along the same lines as iridized glass which is just glass coated with a tin (?) based chemical coating. I believe they are both done hot.

Stainless steel is almost always smooth and nearly always shiny, that's often the point behind it. Like automotive trim. Not all stainless is nonmagnetic. Cheaper grades will stick to a magnet so it is a good test but not foolproof.

Jim "The Hobbyist"
"With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil—that takes religion. " Steven Weinberg
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