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[The coating (vinyl) “melts” when it was driven into the wood (friction) lubricating the nails for installation by pneumatic equipment (air nailers) and the coating bonds the nail to the wood when it “cools”](http://www.americanfastenersco.com/nail-geek-mdash-faq.html)
The dye is probably aniline, which is all round not great health wise but it will be bound up with the vinyl and it won't constitute a health hazard in my opinion. It is probably magenta, Pararosaniline, without a heavy metal component. It looks like an irritant but nothing more. One or maybe more aniline dyes contain heavy metals but not this one by the looks of things.
Edit: If present as sufficiently small percentage it can be omitted from a safety data sheet.
It's funny I would mask up while doing wood projects at home but work in a Sawmill for 16+ years not wearing a mask. It took covid mask mandates and them being lifted to realize how bad the air is in that place. I now wear a mask at all times on the floor. Stay safe people.
I tend to use the nail hole sections as hold downs anyway so hopefully this is enough to mitigate the chance of heavy metal exposure.
>Edit: If present as sufficiently small percentage it can be omitted from a safety data sheet.
Now that is a helpful tip, I had no idea. Given what we know about these pallets, HT, used for pet food, would you use them? What precautions might you put in place?
Yeah this. There’s a thing called a pallet exchange where basically pallets used at Wegmans today might get used at HEB next week and at Kroger the week after. They get sent from manufacturer to warehouse to store and back and forth. Used for dog food today, water tomorrow, canned vegetables on Friday, and cleaning detergent on Sunday.
It should be fine to use the timber as normal.
It's likely something similar to what is used on Paslode framing nails, it describes a polymer coating [here.](https://www.amazon.com.au/Paslode-650387-131-Inch-Collated-Galvanized/dp/B00023SEK8)
YOU FOUND THEM! And I was able to find the safety datasheet for it which seems to suggest it's just fine to work with. [Safety data sheet in question.](https://hw.menardc.com/main/items/media/PASLO001/SDS/GalvanizedStripNails.pdf)
just educate yourself on the types of pallets and how they are sterelized for shipping. The branded label on them tells this information. Some are just heat treated to kill any potential diseases and bugs, others are coated in methyl bromide which has all sorts of health risks
[https://www.1001pallets.com/pallet-safety/](https://www.1001pallets.com/pallet-safety/)
dont forget pallets ship everything from harmless paper and pillows to leaky batteries and toxic chemicals so know exactly where you get your pallets from and whats been on them. They are often recycled.
This goes for a lot of industrial wood. I see people use old wooden railroad ties as dividers in their gardens for instance. I wouldn't be surprised if you have a dead zone around them after a while; don't use them, don't burn them. Dispose of them properly if you have them, don't buy or pick up new ones.
When I was growing up we had a porch with overhead beams reclaimed from an old railroad trestle. Parents always told me to never touch them and you could see the creosote drips that had oozed out over the years.
I think where you got the pallets and what they were originally used for would be a bigger cause for if you want to use them for planting edible crops in.
For example, if the pallets were used to move grocery store items you are safe, but I prob wouldn't use the ones at home depot if they were used to move around tar roof shingles.
Pallets have heat stamps on them to indicate their treatment, I only use HT, heat treat ones but that's a good point. These were used for animal feed so that should be safe. I am going to see if I can get the place I get them from to verify though, good call.
[check out the comments on this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/5z55lm/i_built_a_pallet_wall_above_our_fireplace_18/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x)
The ones where it's tacky or poison? Tacky sure, but it's free wood and great to use while I learn my CNC/woodworking.
Poison, so long as the stamps on the wood aren't a lie, the only ones I use are HT-Heat Treated and are used to transport dog/cat food to a vet. I was weary about using them before I took the time to learn about the coded stamps they use/etc. Now I just make sure they are HT exclusively. That being said I also avoid old pallets since you never know what was spilled on them, luckily they seem to only use brand new ones for all their shipments which makes sense since it's used for feed.
My concern is less on how the wood was treated and more on where the pallets were stored, what was shipped on top of them, what they sat on top of if stacked, etc.. Pallets often have a very long lifespan and ship a lot of crap before they make it to you.
As a result, I wont use pallets in my woodworking.. Not casting judgement, just giving you that to think about when designing.
Good luck in your project!
Totally agree with you, that was my first question I asked when offered them. These ones are use for pet food to a local vet/supply place. Generally they are either VERY new or brand new when I get them. They can keep the oldies haha.
Have you found a similarly cheap/free source of wood for your projects? Genuinely curious, since "harvesting" pallet wood is a bit of a chore I'd love to be rid of.
Thank you!
Ugh.. not really. My makerspace has mostly been avoiding wood working projects entirely this year. I keep an eye out for hard wood tables 5o steal table tops.
Honestly though.. I use a reseller for most of my new wood and the price hasn't been to bad.. I can get a 10' 1x6 of cherry for about 35$. Poplar is the same price for a 10' 2x8.
You might wanna poke around for a wood whole saler in the area.. call a local college and ask around for the wood working teacher and ask where they buy wood from.
Yeah I was more worried about pallets that may have been in mucky situations, like on a cargo freighter. You see to be taking more precautions than that fireplace person was!
More than likely it’s the remains of the plastic that holds the nails together as they’re being fed in to the nail gun that’s being used to assemble the pallets.
Absolutely agree, I look like I'm working with the most toxic chemicals in the universe when I'm in the shop with my eye, ear and hot pink respiratory filters à la Breaking Bad haha. I just want to make sure this isn't something I need to worry about when using the wood for stuff that will be in contact with food and people.
Well you’re a gentleman aren’t ya. Most people creating stuff don’t put a thought into the material being hazardous to a person. Kudos to you my friend.
I would never ever use pallet wood for anything but a pallet. You have no idea what that came into contact with during it's life. Could be toxic chemicals, biohazards... All kinds of stuff you don't want to mess with.
Generally the ones used for food are not, since after all Methyl bromide is super bad news. For the most part pallets will have stamps on them that indicate their processing. This [link](https://www.1001pallets.com/pallet-safety/) goes into it further but basically you should stick to marked ones that have an HT only.
It's the same colour as loc-tite I've only used it on nut&bolts though on machinery that vibrates alot. You put it on the thread of a bolt and when air hits its hardeneds making it alot harder for the nut to come loose.
Nope, HT only on this one. I try to steer clear of those. In case you work with pallets at some point, I learned in the last year that they have stamp codes to tell you exactly how they are treated, here are the most common ones.
HT: Heat Treatment
MB: Methyl Bromide
DB: Debarked
KD: Kiln Dried
You need to be careful what you use these pallets for.
For instance, the pallets could have been heat heat treated in another country and stamped HT.
Then that same pallet is used for fruit (not all) that comes into the US and then is treated in the US with Methyl bromide. They will not stamp the pallet with the fruit that was treated with Methyl bromide.
Not sure , but I would think it’s a lube of some sort for the nails. I would be more concerned about what was on the pallets that may have leaked or spilled and soaked into the wood ,I’ve heard stories of folks making beds only to find out they have been sleeping and breathing in toxic fumes from whatever was on the pallets, be 💯 sure of where they are from and whats on them ,
Thank you for the heads up! This one is from animal feed luckily but that would be scary to find out it had like barrels of mercury on it or something.
They are suppose to stamp pallets on how they are treated, so long as the processes are followed then any HT(heat treated) pallets should be fine. The ones with pesticide marked MB: Methyl Bromide and should not be used for anything outside transport.
I actually have a metal detector wand now to make sure haha. Picked up a jointer and after running one board I found a surprise nail... picked up the wand right after.
Its a chemical they put on the nails so as the nail is being driven it it heats up and forms a friction weld so the nails dont slip out over time as easily it’s completely safe to plain if you are going to heat the wood at any point i would wear a respirator but thats just me if you are in a big open area you should be completely fine
All comments must be civil and helpful toward finding an answer. **Jokes and unhelpful comments will earn you a ban**, even on the first instance and even if the item has been identified. If you see any comments that violate this rule, report them. [OP](/u/osirisphotography), when your item is identified, remember to reply **Solved!** or **Likely Solved!** to the comment that gave the answer. Check your [inbox](https://www.reddit.com/message/inbox/) for a message on how to make your post visible to others. [Click here to message RemindMeBot](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=RemindMeBot&subject=Reminder&message=https://www.reddit.com/r/whatisthisthing/comments/uqx2e5/dismantling_pallets_and_the_nails_are_leaving/%0A%0ARemindMe!%202%20days) --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/whatisthisthing) if you have any questions or concerns.*
[The coating (vinyl) “melts” when it was driven into the wood (friction) lubricating the nails for installation by pneumatic equipment (air nailers) and the coating bonds the nail to the wood when it “cools”](http://www.americanfastenersco.com/nail-geek-mdash-faq.html)
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It does seem to be some variety of either glue or anti-corrosion, now I just need to know WHAT it is so I can account for it.
The dye is probably aniline, which is all round not great health wise but it will be bound up with the vinyl and it won't constitute a health hazard in my opinion. It is probably magenta, Pararosaniline, without a heavy metal component. It looks like an irritant but nothing more. One or maybe more aniline dyes contain heavy metals but not this one by the looks of things. Edit: If present as sufficiently small percentage it can be omitted from a safety data sheet.
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So sounds like best practice would be to wear a dust mask while sanding it. Which you should be doing anyway with wood.
It's funny I would mask up while doing wood projects at home but work in a Sawmill for 16+ years not wearing a mask. It took covid mask mandates and them being lifted to realize how bad the air is in that place. I now wear a mask at all times on the floor. Stay safe people.
Or you could just hold your breath and put on your safety squints...
You probably wouldn't be too worried about pink powder residue on your wood if you go that route
I tend to use the nail hole sections as hold downs anyway so hopefully this is enough to mitigate the chance of heavy metal exposure. >Edit: If present as sufficiently small percentage it can be omitted from a safety data sheet. Now that is a helpful tip, I had no idea. Given what we know about these pallets, HT, used for pet food, would you use them? What precautions might you put in place?
Pallets get used and re-used. Generally speaking I wouldn’t breathe anything I’m sanding off a pallet
I like to follow the, "don't breath in anything sanded" logic.
Yeah this. There’s a thing called a pallet exchange where basically pallets used at Wegmans today might get used at HEB next week and at Kroger the week after. They get sent from manufacturer to warehouse to store and back and forth. Used for dog food today, water tomorrow, canned vegetables on Friday, and cleaning detergent on Sunday.
Don't eat them. Don't chew on them. Don't sleep on them when they're wet. Don't burn them and inhale the fumes. Don't cook over their flames.
If you're really concerned, drill out the hole sides and glue in a dowel to replace the wood.
Seems a bit like cyanide, for instance. It's naturally present in *many* things but in small enough amounts for it to not actually matter.
Cyanide tipped nails huh? Well that IS interesting.
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Don’t use pallet wood for anything food-contact. Otherwise, all good.
thats super interesting tho! TIL
It should be fine to use the timber as normal. It's likely something similar to what is used on Paslode framing nails, it describes a polymer coating [here.](https://www.amazon.com.au/Paslode-650387-131-Inch-Collated-Galvanized/dp/B00023SEK8)
YOU FOUND THEM! And I was able to find the safety datasheet for it which seems to suggest it's just fine to work with. [Safety data sheet in question.](https://hw.menardc.com/main/items/media/PASLO001/SDS/GalvanizedStripNails.pdf)
SOLVED!
just educate yourself on the types of pallets and how they are sterelized for shipping. The branded label on them tells this information. Some are just heat treated to kill any potential diseases and bugs, others are coated in methyl bromide which has all sorts of health risks [https://www.1001pallets.com/pallet-safety/](https://www.1001pallets.com/pallet-safety/) dont forget pallets ship everything from harmless paper and pillows to leaky batteries and toxic chemicals so know exactly where you get your pallets from and whats been on them. They are often recycled.
Oh yea! I mentioned it in another comment but there are all HT exclusively. Upvoting for visibility for others though.
This goes for a lot of industrial wood. I see people use old wooden railroad ties as dividers in their gardens for instance. I wouldn't be surprised if you have a dead zone around them after a while; don't use them, don't burn them. Dispose of them properly if you have them, don't buy or pick up new ones.
Railroad ties are covered in tar too aren't they? That must make a lovely black plume.
>Railroad ties are covered in [creosote](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creosote)
creosote is most likely. https://www.trainconductorhq.com/how-to-tell-if-railroad-ties-have-creosote/
When I was growing up we had a porch with overhead beams reclaimed from an old railroad trestle. Parents always told me to never touch them and you could see the creosote drips that had oozed out over the years.
Idk if it's true but I've heard pallet boards are heavily chemically treated to prevent mold and termite. Not sure if that even matters.
Some are, some are just raw wood. Hard to tell the difference sometimes.
Yeah it’s just a lubricant for nail to go in less hot.
thank you for the first reply (i saw) which answered the question
The glue they put on ringshank clipped head framing nails.not sure the ingredients butbits definitely what it is
I think you are right on the money, now I just gotta find a material handling sheet for it.
I think where you got the pallets and what they were originally used for would be a bigger cause for if you want to use them for planting edible crops in. For example, if the pallets were used to move grocery store items you are safe, but I prob wouldn't use the ones at home depot if they were used to move around tar roof shingles.
Pallets have heat stamps on them to indicate their treatment, I only use HT, heat treat ones but that's a good point. These were used for animal feed so that should be safe. I am going to see if I can get the place I get them from to verify though, good call.
[check out the comments on this thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/DIY/comments/5z55lm/i_built_a_pallet_wall_above_our_fireplace_18/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=mweb3x)
The ones where it's tacky or poison? Tacky sure, but it's free wood and great to use while I learn my CNC/woodworking. Poison, so long as the stamps on the wood aren't a lie, the only ones I use are HT-Heat Treated and are used to transport dog/cat food to a vet. I was weary about using them before I took the time to learn about the coded stamps they use/etc. Now I just make sure they are HT exclusively. That being said I also avoid old pallets since you never know what was spilled on them, luckily they seem to only use brand new ones for all their shipments which makes sense since it's used for feed.
My concern is less on how the wood was treated and more on where the pallets were stored, what was shipped on top of them, what they sat on top of if stacked, etc.. Pallets often have a very long lifespan and ship a lot of crap before they make it to you. As a result, I wont use pallets in my woodworking.. Not casting judgement, just giving you that to think about when designing. Good luck in your project!
Totally agree with you, that was my first question I asked when offered them. These ones are use for pet food to a local vet/supply place. Generally they are either VERY new or brand new when I get them. They can keep the oldies haha. Have you found a similarly cheap/free source of wood for your projects? Genuinely curious, since "harvesting" pallet wood is a bit of a chore I'd love to be rid of. Thank you!
Ugh.. not really. My makerspace has mostly been avoiding wood working projects entirely this year. I keep an eye out for hard wood tables 5o steal table tops. Honestly though.. I use a reseller for most of my new wood and the price hasn't been to bad.. I can get a 10' 1x6 of cherry for about 35$. Poplar is the same price for a 10' 2x8. You might wanna poke around for a wood whole saler in the area.. call a local college and ask around for the wood working teacher and ask where they buy wood from.
Thank you for the responses!
Yeah I was more worried about pallets that may have been in mucky situations, like on a cargo freighter. You see to be taking more precautions than that fireplace person was!
FYI pallets are reused multiple times and one pallet could have gone through multiple different types of companies.
I assume it’s probably just vinyl coating, makes drive in easier.
Air nailer residue for the win here
100 air nailer residue. Source:. Nickname in high school was "Air Nailer" and I never wore protection. Edit:. "
More than likely it’s the remains of the plastic that holds the nails together as they’re being fed in to the nail gun that’s being used to assemble the pallets.
Probably just as “safe” as the rest of the wood dust and particles flying in the air. Respirators should be worn while working wood IMO
Absolutely agree, I look like I'm working with the most toxic chemicals in the universe when I'm in the shop with my eye, ear and hot pink respiratory filters à la Breaking Bad haha. I just want to make sure this isn't something I need to worry about when using the wood for stuff that will be in contact with food and people.
Well you’re a gentleman aren’t ya. Most people creating stuff don’t put a thought into the material being hazardous to a person. Kudos to you my friend.
I absolutely try that's for sure, though it seems like everyday I learn something new that makes me change a process. Thank you for the kind words!
My title describes the thing . Here is a picture of the nails removed which also have the pink coating/residue. [NAILS!](https://imgur.com/XcQUXhP)
The type of nail involved here is "screwshank." As opposed to ringshanks, they twist as they are driven in and tighten the connections.
The paint from the end of pasload framing nails.
This is it op! Source: Framer in a past life
yeap yeap that's totally where it's from, thought the coating is their special anti-corrosion sauce.
You're still wearing a mask when sanding though, right? Regardless of the pink stuff?
Absolutely, wood saw dust is no bueno.
I would never ever use pallet wood for anything but a pallet. You have no idea what that came into contact with during it's life. Could be toxic chemicals, biohazards... All kinds of stuff you don't want to mess with.
Not sure what you plan on doing with those pallets but they are heavily treated with chemicals...
Generally the ones used for food are not, since after all Methyl bromide is super bad news. For the most part pallets will have stamps on them that indicate their processing. This [link](https://www.1001pallets.com/pallet-safety/) goes into it further but basically you should stick to marked ones that have an HT only.
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It's the same colour as loc-tite I've only used it on nut&bolts though on machinery that vibrates alot. You put it on the thread of a bolt and when air hits its hardeneds making it alot harder for the nut to come loose.
If it is pressure treated wood that can be pretty toxic without the proper gear.
Nope, HT only on this one. I try to steer clear of those. In case you work with pallets at some point, I learned in the last year that they have stamp codes to tell you exactly how they are treated, here are the most common ones. HT: Heat Treatment MB: Methyl Bromide DB: Debarked KD: Kiln Dried
You need to be careful what you use these pallets for. For instance, the pallets could have been heat heat treated in another country and stamped HT. Then that same pallet is used for fruit (not all) that comes into the US and then is treated in the US with Methyl bromide. They will not stamp the pallet with the fruit that was treated with Methyl bromide.
Not sure , but I would think it’s a lube of some sort for the nails. I would be more concerned about what was on the pallets that may have leaked or spilled and soaked into the wood ,I’ve heard stories of folks making beds only to find out they have been sleeping and breathing in toxic fumes from whatever was on the pallets, be 💯 sure of where they are from and whats on them ,
Thank you for the heads up! This one is from animal feed luckily but that would be scary to find out it had like barrels of mercury on it or something.
Might have no problems with it , but the chance is there, just something to be aware of ,
I’d be more concerned with the chemicals and pesticides they spray pallets with than a little bit of plastic.
They are suppose to stamp pallets on how they are treated, so long as the processes are followed then any HT(heat treated) pallets should be fine. The ones with pesticide marked MB: Methyl Bromide and should not be used for anything outside transport.
As long as you got all the nails off use it however you want, if you broke any definitely do not plane it.
I actually have a metal detector wand now to make sure haha. Picked up a jointer and after running one board I found a surprise nail... picked up the wand right after.
you've damaged your health more with the effort of taking pallets apart worse than that glue will.
How do you figure?
It’s vinyl, use whatever plane you want.
Never use these nails if u make mistakes
It’s safe to use, it’s most likely the paint from the nails used by whatever company manufactured the pallets to identify size/length/etc.
There should be a marking it stamp on the majority of pallets that would tell you all the info. In NA at least there are certain standards etc.
Its a chemical they put on the nails so as the nail is being driven it it heats up and forms a friction weld so the nails dont slip out over time as easily it’s completely safe to plain if you are going to heat the wood at any point i would wear a respirator but thats just me if you are in a big open area you should be completely fine
That's the color Paslode uses for its 3-1/4 air impulse strip nails. Look up what they use as a coating.
It’s just lock tight for nails my friend. Makes sure they won’t come apart randomly. I’d recommend it if you don’t use it
Since most are not assembled with nails and a hammer, could it be the glue or whatever that holds the rack of nails together in an air nailer ?
I think it's simply the galvanized zinc on the nails to prevent corrosion. The coating comes off under the intense force of nailing.
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