Case Hardening

Tom

Tom

Just the job Thanks a lot!

Kevin

Great! Have been looking for it for years...;-) Tnx, Dirk

Wait a bit!

I spoke to the guy at the shop. He admitted it wasn't your actual Kasenit! I did, however order a pack. As soon as I get it i've got a few bits to try and I'll let you know how they turn out.

Kevin

It isn't the same composition. I found it far harder to get the gunge to stick on the red hot steel. Original Kasenit would stick nicely if you got the metal cherry red, dipped it in the tin, then, having withdrawn, continued heating until you has a glutenous fluid coating all over. The new stuff tend to blow away - works ok though if you tin bake it

AWEM

You won't get the original formula any more (unless someone has a stash somewhere) as it contained cyanide amongst other materials. Good old H&S strikes again ;-)

Regards, Tony

The rule of thumb Tony is that 'if it works - ban it' !

AWEM

Try

Cyanide? or potassium hexacyanoferrate, which is about as dangerous as sodium bicarb.

Mark Rand RTFM

......unless you boil it with dilute sulphuric acid (or similar strong acid), when it generates HCN (I used to do it in the garden). Could happen if you drop it hot in acid pickle.

Do you know for sure that is what is in Kasenit, or is it speculation? Is it hexacyanoferrate (II) or (III) (ferrocyanide or ferricyanide in old money)? The latter is readily available (or was last time I looked) from photographic material suppliers.

David

As Tom's MSDS shows, its actually sodium ferrocyanide, so hexacyanoferrate (II). AKA E535 anti-caking agent as used in Icing sugar sometimes :-)

I think that I've got a tin of some hardening compound that I picked up at a show a couple of years back that has this, plus a carbonate IIRC. I haven't used it yet, so don't know if it's any good.

Mark Rand RTFM

Thanks Tom; a useful source. This is *not* the "ferri" used by photographers to make Farmer's reducer.

Potassium ferrocyanide is available from Silverprint (though several times the price of ferricyanide). The data sheet Tom found shows it to be the sodium salt, not the potassium one. Should still work, maybe a little less active than the sodium salt.

(No guarantees though, don't blame me if it goes wrong).

David

I did indeed order the stuff on the 7th August by phone. It never arrived and they said they would phone me back when I queried them. I had to phone them again and I'm now told they have no record of my order. I wonder if they'll debit my card?

Piss poor service from this company!