Copper Beryllium

DavidZ

DavidZ

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Oct 30, 2004
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I just bought a knife with a Copper Beryllium frame. It has a nice patina, but I was wondering how it would look with a nice polish. Anyone out there have any experience with this material? Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
DAve.
 
As I recall, Beryllium dust is toxic. Wear gloves and don't use power tools when you polish. It is attractive. As I recall it does form some patina, but the patina is electrically conductive. They use beryllium copper for battery terminal springs.
 
Beryllium copper is usually around 2% beryllium so the dust probably wont pose that much of a hazard but be careful none the less. Its a neat alloy they also make tools out of it for use in locations where sparks must be avoided. On a side not beryllium has the best strength to weight ratio of any metal even better than titanium. Unfortunately pure beryllium is exceedingly expensive.
 
I have a set of Ping Eye2 BeCu irons. I love the petina, but on tournement day, I shine them up by soaking them over night in a pail of cola, then hitting em with a little brasso. Of course, there are a alternatives to the cola, but it works.

The Be content of the Pings is around 7%, and there was a class action suit against ping by the people who made the clubs back in the day (they are illegal to make now). The craftsmen won their suit. Ping also has an obligatory warning about handling the clubs on their web site. But that's all hype. I think there's more danger from my 1972 glow in the dark GI Joe watch.
 
Beryllium is very dangerous when inhaled. Contact with skin is not a real problem. However, if you have an open sore and beryllium gets into it, it can cause skin ulsers. Beryllium can also cause dermatitis. The most important thing is to make sure you don't breath inany at all.
 
One of the swordforum members knew someone who died of beryllium poisoning, it's very serious .As far as I know there is no treatment or cure when you get the dust in your lungs !!! Even grinding beryllium copper with it's small amount of beryllium is dangerous.
 
I'll move this thread to Shop Talk for you. I'll tell you myself, though, beryllium copper is seriously dangerous. This is not one of those things where you have an increased chance of developing cancer thirty years from now, you just die, now.
 
I think everyone agrees,beryllium is really bad for you.As a chemist back in the 70's,I had a set of beryllium tools to use in the explosive atmosphere section of my building.In was told that they cost about a years salary( they came in a brass tool box).I also packed powdered asbestos and Portland cement on steam pipe joints bare handed.We didn't worry about the asbestos back then,but we were told to avoid even abrading the beryllium tools on rough surfaces.DON'T GRIND OR POLISH BERYLLIUM!
 
Thank you all for the information. I had read that casting, machining, grinding. and welding this material was hazardous, but I did not think that a little flitz and a paper towel would be a problem. What advantage does this material have in industry? Any? Why make a handle out of this stuff??
Thanks,
Dave.
 
don't know about using it on knives, but one use for it offshore is for hammer heads in high gas situations. And no I don't mean the gally has been feeding us too many beans. :p
 
Be/Cu has high strength and with tools it has long been used because it will not make sparks .It is also used for electrical contacts since it has high conductivity.Beryllium itself is light weight and good thermal conductivity so is used for aircraft landing gear , brakes etc.
 
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