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Old 09-09-2013, 01:50 PM
Sandro Sandro is offline
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Default Shaping Bag Filler

Not sure if this is the best place for this question, or the "Basic Tools" forum, but since my question is more related to safety than function, here I am.

I want to know what to fill my shaping bags with. Sand makes silica dust. Lead shot presumably makes lead dust. Mild steel rusts. Stainless steel is really expensive.

Help!
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Old 09-09-2013, 02:42 PM
DRosenau DRosenau is offline
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I've used "chilled steel shot" for years. You can get it at any gun store. It hasn't rusted yet.
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Old 09-09-2013, 03:26 PM
Sandro Sandro is offline
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What size of shot do you use?
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Old 09-09-2013, 06:21 PM
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Kerry Pinkerton Kerry Pinkerton is offline
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I've used plain old sand for years. When it starts puffing dust at the bag opening, I dump it in the yard and spend another 3 bucks for more sand.

Everything in my shop is hazardous to my health....
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Old 09-09-2013, 06:51 PM
weldtoride weldtoride is offline
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Ditto the sand. I use "play sand".

If I'm wrong and it turns out to be really hazardous, billions of folks the world around are in gonna be in trouble along with me: anybody who's ever spent time playing in a sandbox or on a beach.... Or plain living where the wind blows sand, like Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, S. California, etc, etc.

Personally however, I would categorically avoid silica sand for a beater's bag, which is the bright white sand sold for pool filters, investment casting, and ash tray filler. The bags even come with a warning about the dust. When I filled my pool filter, I always wore a mask, it's dusty stuff when dry. And, like the label says, it's primarily silica, the stuff of silicosis. Play sand may have some silica in it, but I gotta think it has granite, limestone, basalt, etc, as well and is not pure silica.
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Old 09-09-2013, 07:15 PM
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I've been using #8 lead shot in bags made of Kevlar bus seat material... I don't know if it "puffs" lead dust, but I've never seen any when using the bag, and never seen any residue where the bag gets used.... I guess if the lead or silica dust doesn't get you, it will be the hammer flattening your thumbnail...
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Old 09-09-2013, 07:55 PM
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I use sand, lead and steel shot in my bags. The only bag that I have seen any dusting from is the one filled with sand. As Kerry said, I dump it and refill it when it dusts. Everything in my shop is also dangerous and can hurt you.

If you are that concerned about the safety problems of what you fill a bag with maybe this is not the craft you want to learn. Welding and grinding will produce more problems from a health standpoint.

Knitting and basket weaving are safer.
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Old 09-09-2013, 07:55 PM
Peter Tommasini Peter Tommasini is offline
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Hi I have been uding corse wash river sand for many years in all my bags about 20 of them (small, large ,and medium) and had no problems with it
Peter
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Old 09-17-2013, 10:07 AM
Sandro Sandro is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Hartson View Post
If you are that concerned about the safety problems of what you fill a bag with maybe this is not the craft you want to learn. Welding and grinding will produce more problems from a health standpoint.
Yes, I'm also a welder and a machinist, as well as an EMT and a mechanic. None of which implies "Hey, because foo is dangerous, you shouldn't bother to think about the possible concerns of bar."

I'm well aware that all these things have risk, but that doesn't mean that if you're going to do them, you should just ignore the possibility of risk when you have some chance to mitigate it. "Oh, well, riding motorcycles is dangerous already, so why bother to wear any protective gear?"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Hartson View Post
Knitting and basket weaving are safer.
Knitting is primarily dangerous to the pocketbook (wool, especially fancy wool, can be very expensive) but if you're mocking the dangers of basket weaving, you've clearly never gotten a bamboo splinter under a fingernail.

------

I was under the impression that play sand was primarily silica, but perhaps I was mistaken about that. If that, or even lead shot, don't seem to be a problem, I'll just go with that. Thanks for the answers.
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Old 09-17-2013, 10:37 AM
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I use playground sand. Free! I have a 6" sand bag for my Bammbamm that works great!
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Last edited by HEATNBEAT; 09-17-2013 at 10:39 AM.
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