Lead warning on BRASS! [Archive]

Charlie Sometimes

11-12-2010, 10:42 PM

Bought a compressed air blow gun today at Harbor Freight.
Just happened to look at the yellow tag stuck to the side of it.

It reads- "The brass components of this product contain lead, a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects (or other reproductive harm). (California Helath & Safety code 25249.5, et seq.) Of course it was made in China- they put lead in everything, I think.

I guess this is the next step after the removing WW, and lead in bullets- stopping the manufacture of brass?

I know brass is copper and tin; bronze is copper and zinc. I guess small residual amounts of lead may be present in some blends?

Old Coot

11-12-2010, 10:56 PM

Charlie, they probably have to put that warning on there because there are certainly minuter trace amounts of lead in the tin used to make the brass, not to mention the copper. This is incase you should succomb to famin like most of those highly evolved and properly thinking red Maoists in China and eat the brass fittings. It also allows them to sell the product in the PRC from which I escaped ten years ago, and am never going back to. This is required because that great humanitarian of the people Nancy Pelosi has required it.

2wheelDuke

11-12-2010, 10:56 PM

I noticed that too. It seems that everything coming out of China contains lead. There was just an article in the newspaper here saying that they tested the re-usable shopping bags they've been pushing for a while now. Turns out some of them contain high levels of lead.

Bullshop

11-12-2010, 11:57 PM

I think when the craze serves its purpose it will subside. It has amazed me how far they can take a lie, even to the point that the ones that know the lie begin to believe. Every one of the criers uses the evil substance every day.

jr81452

11-13-2010, 12:30 AM

I know brass is copper and tin; bronze is copper and zinc

You have that backwards man. Brass is Cu Zn :)

NoZombies

11-13-2010, 01:18 AM

Yup, brass is copper and zinc. bronze has tin.

I believe some free machining brass has lead added to improve it's cutting qualities... might be wrong, it's been a long time since I looked at the chart. That said, I cant imagine them using free machining brass for making such a thing.

frkelly74

11-13-2010, 07:45 AM

I have seen the warning on faucet sets made of brass. They want you to use the plastic kind with the high levels of esters in them instead.

DevilDog83

11-13-2010, 08:05 AM

I want a tee shirt that says "Warning... The wearer of this shirt contains high levels of lead in his blood and is known to be harmful to the Peoples State of California politics"

acemedic13

11-13-2010, 08:33 AM

I want a tee shirt that says "Warning... The wearer of this shirt contains high levels of lead in his blood and is known to be harmful to the Peoples State of California politics"

When those are made I want one!!

Bill*

11-13-2010, 08:53 AM

I bought a 1/2'' socket (chromed steel) at a NAPA dealer this summer to replace one I lost from my set. It had the same warning sticker on its packaging. Unbelievable.

Charlie Sometimes

11-13-2010, 10:12 AM

Well, I did reverse the ingredients of brass and bronze- sorry. :oops:
I've been known to make a typing flub up periodically.
Maybe it is caused by ester build up, surely it ain't the lead! :lol:
Wonder if they have tests for that yet? :roll:

Charlie Sometimes

11-13-2010, 10:17 AM

Well, I got to thinking. :roll:

With all the scrap materials (copper, etc.) they have been buying from us, maybe they have been melting our old copper plumbing down (would have lead solder in it), adding zinc WW, and making brass cartridges for their army. Left overs go into the junk they sell us (to increase our trade deficit).

Charlie Sometimes

11-13-2010, 10:25 AM

I want a tee shirt that says "Warning... The wearer of this shirt contains high levels of lead in his blood and is known to be harmful to the Peoples State of California politics"

Maybe this- "The wearer of this shirt carries weapons that may contain lead, and when used appropriately in defense of Life and Liberty, will produce an effect which leaves you not caring one bit if you are on the wrong end."

:bigsmyl2:

deltaenterprizes

11-13-2010, 10:30 AM

Lead is added to steel also to improve it's

machinability

arjacobson

11-13-2010, 10:45 AM

Lead is added to steel also to improve it's

machinability

Yep-12L14 if I remember right. Faucet brass also has a bit of lead for machining if I remember correctly

dicko

11-13-2010, 01:54 PM

I know brass is copper and tin; bronze is copper and zinc. I guess small residual amounts of lead may be present in some blends?

No, brass is copper and zinc. Don't know about bronze as I don't use it. Tensile strength of brass increases as percentage of zinc increases, up to 30%. Thereafter it decreases. That's why cartridge brass is 30%, and 70/30 brass is known as cartridge brass.

Many metals contain some lead. It is often small traces of no significance. Where lead is deliberately added to a metal alloy it is usually to make machining easier. The most obvious example is free cutting steel, in which the addition of about 1% lead allows twice the cutting speed with a better finish and no loss of strength. I use it for most of my lathe work. It is much easier on the lathe. I can't think why it would be added to brass alloy, but I don't know much about brass except what I have said.

markinalpine

11-13-2010, 02:30 PM

I'm sure the warning is to shield the importers and stores from being sued by some overzealous "environmental" group and typical paracitic lawyers, if the "brass" product is tested and found to contain 0.00000001% lead.

Baron von Trollwhack

11-13-2010, 02:33 PM

What a step up for the reds. They don't tell us about the insecticide in the frozen wontons and Japanese dumplings, or the lead paint used in little kids alphabet blocks, but do tag the brass.

LOOKS LIKE THEY DISCOVERED CYA ! BvT

dominicfortune00

11-15-2010, 11:29 PM

Well, I got to thinking. :roll:

With all the scrap materials (copper, etc.) they have been buying from us, maybe they have been melting our old copper plumbing down (would have lead solder in it), adding zinc WW, and making brass cartridges for their army.

Don't know about any brass cartridges, all the Chinese ammo I've seen has steel cartridge cases; usually with a bright copper wash.

Freightman

11-17-2010, 04:21 PM

[QUOTE=Charlie Sometimes;1055086]

It reads- "The brass components of this product contain lead, a chemical known to the state of California to cause birth defects (or other reproductive harm). (California Helath & Safety code 25249.5, et seq.) Of course it was made in China- they put lead in everything, I think.
Why worry it states California, didn,t mention Texas or any sane state. So we are safe.
Anyhow the generation that grew up with leaded gasoline, lead paint, ect. put a man on the moon, raised the US to the greatest nation on earth, now the lead free freaks are trying to tear it down. I ask who are the mentally challenged?

40cal

11-17-2010, 05:30 PM

Simple solution:

All public sector administrators in California, starting with the Dept of Health and Safety, will be tested for lead contamination. Those administrators testing positive will be flagged, and reassigned to HAZMAT response teams. Darwins process of Natural Selection should take it from there. :smile:

buck1

11-17-2010, 06:25 PM

Most of my brass contains lead. (BOOLITS) LOL!
And yes they can be harmfull or fatel to those breaking it to my house.

9.3X62AL

11-17-2010, 09:59 PM

Anyhow the generation that grew up with leaded gasoline, lead paint, ect. put a man on the moon, raised the US to the greatest nation on earth, now the lead free freaks are trying to tear it down. I ask who are the mentally challenged?

True that!

johnly

11-17-2010, 10:35 PM

Free machining brass A36000 (aka 360 brass) contains ~4% brass by weight. Cast brass, like that used in faucets can use lead-free brass Eco-Brass.

John

skeet1

11-17-2010, 10:49 PM

I guess your safe from the lead as long as you don't use the blow gun in California.

Skeet1

Charlie Sometimes

11-18-2010, 08:00 PM

I'm not worried.
I'm no where near CA, and even if it falls into the ocean, I'm still not even close. :lol:
I'd hazard to guess that we might have more to worry about from the "back wash" caused by that slide.

I agree with buck1- my brass contains lead, and is gar-on-teed to be hazardous to your health if you are on the wrong end of the despenser! :grin:

canyon-ghost

11-18-2010, 08:21 PM

"Warning... The wearer of this shirt contains high levels of lead in his blood and is known to be harmful to the Peoples State of California politics"

I'll take a Large! Would make a great tee shirt.

Ron

2wheelDuke

11-19-2010, 01:47 AM

Charlie Sometimes

11-19-2010, 09:37 AM

Okay, maybe it is for jackets on their bullets, or wiring inside their tanks, etc.
Wherever it is going, it is going to come back to haunt us VERY soon. :sad:

old turtle

11-19-2010, 09:47 AM

Do not confuse them with the fact that lead is a natural element which is found with almost all metal ores and in the soil all over the world. It's natural so how can it hurt us, using their logic for other things. It is all about control over us surfs who are too stupid to know better. Why just the other day I breathed in a 1/2 pound chunk which was floating in the air. I think I will spend the next 5 min. wrapping my head in duct tape to keep it from exploding.