Hi,
Lately i've been melting brass. i do outside so it's very well ventalated. I also wear a resperator, so i feel i'm pretty safe from zinc poisoning. The problem is, last night, my parents started asking me about if the neighbors could get sick. I live in a city so the neares neighbors fence is 10 feet away and the nearest house is a good 20 feet. I told them that the zinc oxide would disperse to much before it got to theire house, even if there was a wind in their direction. Well, what do you guys think? I'm no expert.

Thanks,
KJ

First , don't overheat the brass , zinc fumes are definitely toxic. If the neighbors's windows are closed I wouldn't think there would be a problem. Of course it depends on how much you do . It would also be a good idea to do it at the times when neighbors are not home. Do a bit of research on the toxicity.

I do small melts at a time, mostly just enough for one guard and a couple rings. Usually i don't even see blue zinc funes when i'm melting, so i'm inclined to think that i don't produce much zinc oxide. I have done research, NIOSH says that 5mg/cubic meter is the amount for a 10 hour work day. The problem with this stat is that i don't measure the zinc fumes so i don't have any idea how much i'm producing.

Thanks,
KJ

Kyle- I can't help with the zinc question, but have you tried making aluminum bronze?
It is very easy and you don't have to worry about poisoning the neighbors. I used about 10% Al
and 90% copper but you can use any ratio you want- I don't know the results of adding
more Al. Anyway, it comes out a nice brass color. I remember you had trouble finding borax (for flux) but you can use powdered charcoal instead. I like Al bronze better than brass, and it's cheap and easy for me to make. Good luck and if you try the Al bronze,
post your results!

I have made al bronze, but i use brass and aluminum because my little foundry can't quite get hot enough to melt cu. I really like the results that i got with brass and al, its just like brass, but alot harder and doesn't tarnish!

Thanks,
KJ