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  #1  
Old 06-15-2006, 09:52 PM
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Depleated uranium

May have some depleated uranium rods coming from Iraq.They are the armor pierceing rods from Rpg's.Anyone have any idea what kind of blade these will make.Also can it be forged?


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Old 06-15-2006, 10:23 PM
Lane Ritter Lane Ritter is offline
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I was around some depleted uranium for a few years in the military. "They" said it was safe. After about 4 years, we had our van checked with a geiger counter... The bench where we placed the depleted uranium umm items, made the geiger counter go crazy... And for the previous years we had been handleing this stuff with our bare hands. "They" decided we needed to wear rubber gloves and face masks after that.

I also heard that some idiot slid one of the du items across a concrete floor, like a frisby but on the ground. It threw off sparks. I'm glad I wasn't there to see that.

Depleted uranium may infact be safe... "they" keep telling us it is.

Lane

Last edited by Lane Ritter; 06-16-2006 at 02:59 AM.
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Old 06-15-2006, 11:10 PM
AcridSaint AcridSaint is offline
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You don't want to grind depleted uranium, the dust is most likely going to do very bad things to you. "They" can say whatever "they" want, but look at the statistics of cancer rates and birth defects in Iraq after the first gulf war. It is crazy. Handling it in solid form might be ok (and I really want to stress might), but if you manage to inhale even one particle you're not in for a very good time. This stuff has a half life of something like a billion years, it's never going to stop irradiating your body if it gets inside.

Take a look at a documentary called "Metal of Dishonor" by a woman named Sue Harris, I happened to watch her film and meet at a college thing a few years ago. I couldn't believe that my buddies are getting sent over there to work with this stuff without any real protection. Not to mention what happens to people who are in or near areas where the dust is blowing around, I met a few volunteer nurses that were over there, it's really bad news.

Now, after all that has been said, it will probably make a super hard knife, but if you go thin with it I would think it would be prone to chipping.


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  #4  
Old 06-15-2006, 11:27 PM
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Depleted uranium is a controversy in the fact concerning armor peircing bullets and artillery rounds. A U- 238 or depleted uranium fuel rods from a power plant, (i.e. very dense, and really cool material to make a bullet from) will become more radioactive when heated, Even though the material has been depleted through a nuclear reaction. I'm not sure that I would want to heat treat a piece of uranium, (quite frankly, I don't even know that you can) and feel that I am safe doing so. There's all kinds of really cool steels to make you're blade from....... I would probably go that rout. Good luck, and if I see a mushroom cloud in the distance, I will know it was you making a really bitchen knife!!!

Rock on, Jeremy


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Old 06-15-2006, 11:44 PM
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First: If it is still emitting radioactivity at a rate beyond that of normal metal, then it is not (by deffinition) depleted.

Second: Rubber gloves and a mask? Don't kid yourself. Uranium emitts gamma rays, and they go through steel! Only heavy lead shielding will do the trick.

I suspect that the technical deffinition of 'depleted' describes an isotope that has gone through the process of radioactive decay to the point that it no longer suitable for its original purpose. However, it may still be dangerous.

As for radiacmeters (Gieger counters), they will go nuts if you hold them next to some television sets and certainly if you held them next to the tritium sights on your guns. Don't let the clicking sound scare you. You need to know the details of the substances that its measuring to know the real risks.

I'm no metalurgist, but I do know a thing or two about radiation dangers. That was my job in the Army.

For the record, I think all forms of uranium are controled substances which are illegal to own. If it came from a Soviet made RPG round, I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Those rounds are supposed to be shielded to keep the users safe. They weren't really concerned about the target, so if you have a spent sabot..., well, it's your butt.


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Old 06-16-2006, 12:02 AM
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After seeing a doumentary of an Iraqi that escaped during the first gulf war who went back to visit with a geiger counter, I would not touch that stuff with a ten foot pole. Every tank and personell carrier made the G counter go crazy. All the local kids played on and in them.Some scientists think that depleted uranium bullets are the cause of Gulf War Syndrome. Talk about WMD's. If that is the case we are going to have alot of sick boys on our hands for the next generation or two. I would not have it in my house with my wife kids and neighbors.


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Old 06-16-2006, 02:28 AM
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Andrew Garrett Andrew Garrett is offline
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I just did some lengthy reading about depleted uranium, and I learned some interesting facts. I'll keep this short and try to stay focused on its use as a blade.

NEVER USE THIS FOR A KNIFE!

DU is pyrophoric. That means that when it is powdered or cut into thin sheets it will spontaniously ignite at temperatures far below room temperate. This is exactly why they use it for ammunition. It is an INCINDIARY round as much as an armor piercing round. The DU is twice as dense as lead and is cast as a spike with point geometry that allows it to fragment into a powder from the tip, back. It remains sharp while doing this, Thus, it continues to penetrate the armor of the target while the 'powdered' fragments ingite and burn at the same time. The tank rounds (as an example) get so hot doing this that they explode inside the target, consuming the crew in fire.

Imagine trying to forge a knife from this stuff! If it could be done, the edge would be so thin that it caught fire.

In short, depleted uranium is nothing more that nuclear waste. It comes from either the enrichment process, which produces ten times more waste (depleted) uranium than usable enriched uranium fuel. Or, it comes from spent nuclear fuel rods. This is the more dangerous type where radioactivity is concerned.

The greatest danger associated with DU is toxicity. DU corrodes quickly in water or air. The 'salts' which result are poisonous and can cause a variety of heath problems including liver damage, cancer, and birth defects.

Any use of depleted uranium is licenced by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The military applications continue to create controvery due to emerging health problems in areas where the ammunition has been used. The US Navy has already abandoned DU ammunition in its Phalynx systems in favor of Tungsten which is even denser and has no health hazards associated with it. Originaly, the military went with DU instead of Tungsten because it was cheaper (since we had tons of the stuff laying around in nuclear waste storage facilities). Way to go Uncle Sam!

All that being said, depleted uranium has found its way into the civilian market as well. It has been used to provide that 'flourecent glow' to false teeth. No kiddin'! It is also used as balast in such things as counter-balances, sail boat keels, and commercial aircraft. The appeal is the heavy wieght in such a small space. Many aircraft builders have stopped using DU due to health concerns.

Bottom line: In my humble opinion, if you bring nuclear waste into your home as a war trophy, souvenier, or interesting novelty item, you are doing a disservice to yourself, your family, and your unsuspecting neighbors.


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Last edited by Andrew Garrett; 06-16-2006 at 02:44 AM.
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Old 06-16-2006, 06:10 AM
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AUBE AUBE is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Andrew Garrett

DU is pyrophoric. That means that when it is powdered or cut into thin sheets it will spontaniously ignite at temperatures far below room temperate. This is exactly why they use it for ammunition. It is an INCINDIARY round as much as an armor piercing round. The DU is twice as dense as lead and is cast as a spike with point geometry that allows it to fragment into a powder from the tip, back. It remains sharp while doing this, Thus, it continues to penetrate the armor of the target while the 'powdered' fragments ingite and burn at the same time. The tank rounds (as an example) get so hot doing this that they explode inside the target, consuming the crew in fire.
yeah making it into a blade would be a bad idea..even if there wasnt the risk of radiation poisoning. look up "spall" with uranium to read more about what happens with a round. being a pyrophoric is the reason why uranium sparks so much. i read in a book on developing nuclear technology that some of the original nuclear techs used to use small pieces of uranium for their lighter flints before they realized this may be a bad idea. lol
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Old 06-16-2006, 07:34 AM
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Ok Then,thats why I checked here,Think I'll leave that stuff in Iraq.where it'll do the most good.Guess I need to stick to what I know about.It took me too long to build my shop and house to blow them up making a knife.Thanks alot for the info and saveing my life.If its controled I probably couldn't have got it anyway.Example of the Gov protecting the stupid from themselves


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Old 06-16-2006, 07:49 AM
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Don Robinson Don Robinson is offline
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Talking Good on you guys!!

I don't know anything about DU, but I applaud all of you for jumping in and perhaps preventing a bad thing from happening.
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Old 06-16-2006, 11:39 AM
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I didn't know anything about it either,except it was a metal rod that would penitrate tank armor.figured anthing that hard would make a great knife.Now knowing how it works it makes a differance.Thanks guys that could have gotten ugly quick.


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Old 06-16-2006, 02:43 PM
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It isn't just the potential radioactivity; the heavy metal itself is toxic.


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Old 06-16-2006, 07:18 PM
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Im gonna go out on a limb and say.... it SEEMS like a BAD IDEA



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Old 06-16-2006, 08:28 PM
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I have a 12 year background as a commercial Nuclear Health Physics technician.
Without getting technical, here are a few points.

As stated above, uranium, either depleted or not is a heavy metal, and will cause a gambit of health issues in its own right, including damadging the central nervous system, and as mentioned above, it is HIGHLY toxic if ingested.

The term "depleted" may be a misnomer. Depleted as compared to what? To what degree? If it is soviet manufacture, then its anyones guess! The Soviets are not known for their respect for occupational health and environmental foresight.

Although I am not positive on this, but I strongly belive that U-238 is a NRC licensable material. ,With the state of affairs with Homeland Security this could have other complications (smuggleing nuclear materials from a terrorist State)

Also stated above, U-238 is a VERY unstable material, and becomes more so as mass is reduced.

If you have been handeling this stuff, I would recomend that you recive a "Full Body Count" or a scan for radioactive materials. And speak to a Dr. to have a test done for heavy metal contamination.

Not trying to scare you here, but this is some genuine NASTY stuff!!

If you want somthing cool from "In Theater" to use for a knife, have someone get you a piece of barrel, Tank axel, shell fragments, bayonet, or somthing along that line.

God Bless
Mike


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Old 06-16-2006, 09:12 PM
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Ray Rogers Ray Rogers is offline
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Well, dang! I think you guys are saying that my patent on DU suppositories is going to be really difficult to market .....


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