Feeling sick after forging

[sleek]

My buddy and i made a disc break forge last night, we burned grill style charcoal. He grabbed a piece of rebar that was rusted and had been laying oitside since before ge bought the place. When he put it in the forge, i hit the forced air to it. The flames got hot and started showing green and yellow. I asked if it was coated with anything and he said it didnt look like it. If it was it was burned off by now. Anyways. Today I feel like I got hit by a train.

What makes fire burn green yellow? The place used ro be a paint factory many years back. Who know what was on that rebar.

[Stoker]

Green is copper and yellow is zinc. Zinc not good. If there was a white dusty substance floating Zinc was present. Get a gallon of milk and start drinking, Old welders trick. You might of had co2 poisoning if not well ventilated.
Leroy

[DC]

You were outside, right?

[sleek]

Today I am feeling better. My buddy wasnt feeling well either. I was feeling generally run down, dry throat, stuffy runny nose and head pressure. Today im much better. Just stuffy runny nose.

[sleek]

You were outside, right?

Ummmmmmm..... no? This factory is ginormous that we were in. About 5 stories tall, 20 yards across, and maybe 125 150 yards long? Id made of tim roofing and siding. We left two large doors open on either side, and the upper area is lined with broken windows. He has a burn barrel in there he uses on the kccasion to warm the area he is working when he is doing something in there in the winter. Never had a problem before... but, it was a still night. No wind so...

I need to attatch a vent hood over it. I like being inside to do this.

[Del the cat]

Glad you're feeling better....
Del

[DC]

Doesn't sound like a ventilation problem and grill charcoal should be safe. That leaves the rebar and if it was rusty there shouldn't be any zinc on it. Puzzle. You weren't drinkin' corn likker while you was forgin' were ya

[sleek]

Lol no, no drinkin. Working on projects and drinkin has never been a good combo for me. Once when closing up an engine job, i couldnt find my darned 9/16 socket. I had been drinking and i figured it must have been left in the intake. So I tore it back apart... never found it, and was always scared to hear it clank when I started it up.

[jim l.]

Sounds like carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. That stuff  stays with you for a while (couple three days). Try using lump charcoal and not bricketts. Also soud s lime you may ha e gotten some zinc in tnere despite the rust. Glad your feeling better.

[TRiggs]

You might have gotten sick from the brake dust off the drum you used that stuff is toxic.

[sleek]

You know, i didnt clean it at all. Just used it.

[Bryce]

You might have gotten sick from the brake dust off the drum you used that stuff is toxic.

Yup that ceramic dust is nasty

[DC]

That might explain all the colours too.

[Yorec]

Another common issue with these kind of forges is if you used galvanized fitting to link things together... Just made it, right?
If it’s a part of the forge - that galvanization, when it cooks off, can prove pretty nasty too. Simple fix is take it outside where there’s no question of the air being free and breezy and fire it up good n hot for a while - stay clear of it while the galvanization burns off.  Then it should be ok.


Good luck - fun stuff ahead!