Kasenit No. 1 - Case Hardening Powder in the UK ?

[houstonceng]

Hi all

Does anyone know of a source of genuine KASENIT No. 1 case hardening powder in the UK ?

I've "googled" and found some in the USA + the odd alleged "look-alike" products - such as "Shirley Aldred & Co Ltd Case Hardening Powder" (As sold by Chronos). Trouble is that some of these products appear to be purew Carbon and, therefore may not work as well as KASENIT in "open-hearth".

KASENIT No. 1 contains Potassium Cyanide and Sodium Cyanide as well as Carbon (according to a H&S Web-site), which might mean that it's been banned from sale in the UK.

[Arnak]

Hi,

There is a supposedly Eco friendly version here :-
www.knighton-tools.co.uk/acatalog/Case_Hardening_Compound.html

And Kasenite listed here :-

www.ekp.supplies.btinternet.co.uk/ordering.htm

And a different compound at www.chronos.ltd.uk

Hope that helps.

Arnak

[houstonceng]

Thanks

Saw the first on googling. Was going to check by 'phone if the second was genuine KASENIT. The third is definitely "Shirley Aldred's".

Trouble is that googling KASENIT brings up many sites and products (like the first one), which aren't KASENIT at all. They may, however, be near enough - but I won't know until I try it.

Unless, that is, someone else on this forum has already done so

[abby]

I may be wrong but I don't think Kasenit contains any cyanide , certainly does not say so on my tin, it does contain potassium ferri-cyanide which is about a 1000 times less poisonous!

[houstonceng]

Thanks Abby

I took another look at the USA web-site with the analysis on. It does contain, Potassium Ferro-cyanide, Sodium Ferro-cyanide and Carbon Black. It also said something about Pot Ferri-cyanide.

Not being a Chemist, (I'm a Chartered Electrical Engineer) I saw "cyanide" and looked at the rest of the analysis on Hazards and saw that the fumes were poisonous.

All I know is that when COSHH rules came in at work, we had to ditch our can of KASENIT because there were no ingredients shown on the tin nor any other "Hazard" information and, at the time, the assessor deemed it safer to ditch it than go through the procedure of identifying it.

[the_viffer]

I've got the thick end of 1 kg if you want some Andy. You know how to find me.

[waggy]

Is it me but have we gone over to the overcautious side on our site?

Surely "Kasenit" must be treated as any other compuond in our workshops, ie, plenty of ventilation! Silver soldering releases all sorts of undesireables yet we do it almost every day! (As a group, that is.)

If in doubt, work outside and wear a mask. Perhaps our good friend "The-Viffer" could pass comment?

Regards,

Waggy.

[the_viffer]

Thanks Waggy. As abby pointed out kasenit contains potassium ferrocyanide. It is the stuff that makes engineers' blue (ie the stuff that you use when scraping not the marking out stuff) blue. I would think it is way down on the list of toxic substances and just because the name includes the word cyanide means little. I can expound on why if anyone is keen. I think waggy is right and you are best not inhaling the fumes of anything save Glen Ord on purpose but my personal opinion (and don't come running when it goes belly up) is that the risk of burns and poking your eye out is greater than the chemical risk.

[ron]

Arnak
The stuff I got recently from EKP looks to be generic, not genuine 'Kasenite', it seems to work OK though.
Ron