Brass Toxicity?

felix24

felix24

Joined
Sep 5, 2011
Messages
64
Hey guys,

Someone commissioned a carving knife (for food, not wood) from me recently and asked for a brass bolster on it. I was just wondering if anyone knows whether it is safe to have brass on a knife that will come into contact with food on a regular basis. I don't think it has any poisonous qualities like lead, but I'd like to know for sure. I googled it and got mixed results. Some people say it's fine, others say it's not fine. Any experts on the matter here?

Thanks :)

-Felix.
 
I've been using a Buck 110 to dress deer and cut food for over 40 years and I'm still here.I think people nowadays are far more likely to die from worrying to death than from environmental factors.
 
I'm not an expert, but I do know that *some* craftsmen have minor allergic reactions to copper, brass and bronze dust. Copper can be a minor irritant when it comes into contact with more sensitive membranes like your sinuses and eyes.
 
Bronze that contains lead is the only one I know about that could cause a problem and that is more pronounced if your grinding it.
 
I think one should worry more about places for food entrapment around the brass that can generate poisionous bacteria. I don't think brass in itself is toxic.
Jim
 
skyhorse said:
I've been using a Buck 110 to dress deer and cut food for over 40 years and I'm still here.I think people nowadays are far more likely to die from worrying to death than from environmental factors.
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Well, I've been smoking like a chimney and drinking like a fish for more than 40 years, and I'm still here. Wouldn't recommend it to anyone else, though.:D
 
Seems to me that the only ones worried about brass and copper poisoning are people that want to sell you tin-lined cookware. Even then, their only warning is about the verdigris, which you shouldn't have if you took care of the brass.

If you are really worried, then use pewter or some other inert metal.
 
I'm not an expert but Irish by ancestry. We only worry about running low on whiskey and women! LOL,you should not worry Felix.:D:thumbup:
 
Most brass that you come across contains lead. The most common brass you'll come across is 360, and it is leaded. I wash my hands after handing it the shop. It is not an NSF61 compliant material, and is not allowed for food contact in a commercial kitchen and food processing plant. I believe it is 260 brass that is suitable for food contact. It is common in plumbing fittings etc.

It won't kill you, but I'd suggest you don't use leaded brass.
 
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Copper has anti-bacterial properties !
Copper in small amounts is an essential nutrient but in large amounts is toxic.Copper pots are tinned because acid foods will dissolve some copper .Aluminum will be dissolved by acid foods also ! Copper bowls are best for beating egg whites as minute amounts of copper are dissolved which makes the whites fluffier !Cream of tarter will do the same thing.
There were some modern brewers and distillers that went all stainless steel and found that the 'wort won't work' ,that is the yeast wouldn't perform. They finally learned that the yeast required copper in their diet so added a piece of copper pipe !!
I wouldn't use leaded brass.
 
CWL said:
Seems to me that the only ones worried about brass and copper poisoning are people that want to sell you tin-lined cookware. Even then, their only warning is about the verdigris, which you shouldn't have if you took care of the brass.

If you are really worried, then use pewter or some other inert metal.
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In most cases, pewter is a lead & tin mix
I wouldn't call that inert.
 
I'm in the same boat as Samael and skyhorse.The toxic properties of brass are the least of my concerns.If my liver or kidneys give out,it won't be because of the brass on the bolsters of my various Buck 110s.
 
Thanks for all the comments guys. The stuff I have in stock at the moment is brass ms58. Which appears to have about 2-3% lead in it if my googling was successful. I'll have to talk it over with the customer, but I'd say I'll use something else just to be on the safe side. I wouldn't be worried about it normally, but it's just cause this knife will be used specifically for food.

Thanks for all the help :D
 
Maybe someone could add to this as I'm uncertain of detail.
My Dad worked at the Raleigh toy & bicycle factory in Nottingham in the 50s.
He says there were guys who worked a crucible of molten bronze for brazing components together ( the word brazing is related to brass).
The guys would be inhaling fumes & steam coming off the crucible and they'd get what was termed the bronze shakes.
He said they were always really green around the gills and sick looking as well.
Would any of you know more of this ?
Also pewter is widely used here to make drinking tankards-the kind of thing you get for your 21st with your name engraved or
footy grand final win . You then drink beer out of it until such times as you fall over.
cheers.
 
Yup. You can get "welders flu" from welding galvanized. It comes from the zinc, not the lead. The cure is to drink milk...
 
If you are casting your bolsters you can use simple bronze (copper/tin) Rio Grande Jewelry sells the alloy under the trade name "Ancient Bronze" it has no lead and no zinc

-Page
 
I have to agree with skyhorse the entrapment of food in the gaps is the main problem, I wouldn't worry about the "brass poisoning" unless your client is in California, seems like everything out there is known to cause cancer lol
Sterling
 
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