Non Sparking Tools, Ampco, Berylco, Ect

RoninB4 · Feb 8, 2026

leg17 said:
Thanks. BeCu is only about 2-3% Be and 'usually' is not a problem. Worked around BeCu for a large part of my 50 years in the shop. Only problem I heard of was in Argonne lab in Chicago area using pure Be for space parts. Had to get real serious about ventilation of the dust. Hate it for your friend. Thanks for the update.

-I've been to Argonne several times, no surprise they were using it. The contaminated shop I mentioned is in Melrose Park. The "usually" is still a bit iffy IMO (in light of the risk results) and the frequent exposure of metal workers to hazardous materials has been largely a convenient matter of "oh gee we didn't know". That translates to "Somebody wasn't concerned enough to protect those being exposed". I've worked with several banned substances over the decades and am surprised I've not contracted something awful by now. Maybe I should knock on wood.

leg17 · Feb 8, 2026

RoninB4 said:
...... I've worked with several banned substances over the decades and am surprised I've not contracted something awful by now. Maybe I should knock on wood.

Me too. Lots of BeCu over the years. Used to clean mold parts in a big tank of carbon tetrachloride. I'm 80 now. I might have missed it all. But, all in all, the trade was very good to me. Have a good one.

RoninB4 · Feb 9, 2026

leg17 said:
Me too. Lots of BeCu over the years. Used to clean mold parts in a big tank of carbon tetrachloride. I'm 80 now. I might have missed it all. But, all in all, the trade was very good to me. Have a good one.

-Yep, I worked with a dunk tank of tetra-chlor when I ran a large radial drill press in the mid 70's, that was nasty stuff. The trade was good to me too but did extract a price. Glad you've lived to tell the tale, nice chatting with you.