Copper for pens

[Terredax]

I have acquired a rod of beryllium copper, and I'm considering
an attempt at making a pen from it.

Has anyone turned beryllium copper?

It claims to machine well, but there are hazards to machining it.
Any inhalation of dust or fumes from it, can cause chronic beryllium disease, and it's also listed as a carcinogen. It is safe as a solid or products made from it, but the dust is unsafe.

I think it would make a unique pen.

 

[More4dan]

Mask up when sanding. Careful drilling and keep it cool. Drill bits like to thread themselves into bronze and beryllium copper looks to have similar properties. I look forward to seeing pictures when your done. Beryllium copper has the strength of steel that looks like copper.


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[Terredax]

Thanks for the tips, Dan.
I'll be working on this at my neighbors shop, and he has something called a Hobbyair system that feeds fresh air to a full-face mask. It's capable of supporting two masks.

I'll be sure to drill carefully, and use cutting fluid.

 

[JPW062]

Sometime before I was born a famous company called Ping made several models of product out of Berylium Copper. The Ping Eye II BeCu clubs being possibly the best clubs ever made. They are certainly the only clubs made in that era that can still be found in competitive players bags. The most deadly clubs ever made. Literally as it is my understanding the Ping employees responsible for grinding the irons are all dead from related health issues. They were discontinued due to regulation and health issues.

"Of note, the authors of a 2006 study suggested that beryllium inhalation was not the only form of exposure and perhaps skin exposure was also a cause, as they found that a reduction in beryllium inhalation did not result in a reduction in CBD or beryllium sensitization.[4]"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berylliosis

You aren't just going to wear a mask, you are going to have to dust everything when you are done. Your mask is going to need to have a pretty fine filter and it is going to need to not have leaks that allow air to bypass the filter.
I wouldn't mess with it. It is REALLY nasty. I say that having machined lead, Ti, and lots of other alloys that, once in your lungs, never come out.

 

[Terredax]

After a little more research and a lot more thought, I've decided not to make a pen from this material.
The risks over-ride the results. No pen is worth compromising health.

Thanks for the input and making me realize it might have been a mistake.