# Forum Home Renovation Metalwork & Welding  Old chrome refrigerator grates ok to use for spit grill surface?

## DBR

Hi,Father in law has a traditional home made spit- made from a recycled 44 gallon drum...  All is well but the spit rods are galvanised / zinc coated and the grill is two different refrigerator chrome (shiny) shelves.....I've been told that galvanised is no good for spits but not overly unsafe which is just as well cos father in law won't ever change his ways or use stainless....   but I'm not sure about chrome fridge racks? Thought someone may know... Father in law thinks it's common practice for a home made spit snd whilst I think they're ok I don't know...

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## PhilT2

Are those refrigerator shelves chrome or polished stainless?

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## DBR

> Are those refrigerator shelves chrome or polished stainless?

  They are definitely chrome.. Blistered and rusted... I figure that they are ok to use as a lot of barbeque grates that you buy in the shops are chrome coated?

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## PlatypusGardens

Once all the old chrome has burnt off it should be ok......no?   :Unsure:

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## PlatypusGardens

Not sure about the galvanised spit rod though

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## Marc

Considering the cooking temperature is rather low or you would incinerate your meat, the galvanising on the spit may be ok. The chromed grill unless you plan to heat it up to 1900C is also OK. Of course stainless is the better choice. How about a trip to barbeques galore and buy a spit and a grill?

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## DBR

> Considering the cooking temperature is rather low or you would incinerate your meat, the galvanising on the spit may be ok. The chromed grill unless you plan to heat it up to 1900C is also OK. Of course stainless is the better choice. How about a trip to barbeques galore and buy a spit and a grill?

  
Thanks for the response guys,,,,,,, 
Problem is it is no my spit.. And very difficult for my family to attend family occasions and not eat from it. Father in law is very strong minded.  
Please correct me if i am wrong but the chrome situation is fine-- the chrome grill has the occasional rust and flaking part but other than that it is ok.. Surely chrome is ok, i went to bunnings the other day to look at the grills out of curiosity and it seems that cast iron, chrome, or stainless steel are the normal options anyways.. I can't see why the chrome on a fridge shelf would be overly different   
In terms of the rods they are rusted to buggery with shiny bits of galvanised areas here and there I have been told they are only zinc and although not ideal for a cooking surface apparently they won't do alot of harm if cooked over.   
so the plan is that (we have another event at their place in a fortnight): 
I have three stainless steel 12mm thick rods- so ill take them to the event- and recommend them.
In terms of the chrome grill I'm yet to find evidence that they would be harmful to eat from- even if a piece of chrome was physically broken off and eaten- so i am not too concerned...  
The issue is with the fatherinlaw he is a big fan of improvisation, so he's the sort of bloke that if you turn around and blink he will go grab some gal wire from the shed to tie the hog on the barbecue or some treated offcuts to get the charcoals going- thats the sort of bloke he is. Furthermore, if i try make recommendations he will lose it "because he knows better". "you know nothing boy".. 
I said to my wife; simple- we just eat everything else at the barbecue except meat from the spit, but thats very difficult. so you could say that this is actually a point of worry between now and the event- so i have to work out how to make it safe for my kids between now and then.  
I figure that if i replace the rods with stainless then that problem is solved..  the chrome grates even though they are from a fridge are surely safe to use- i don't think chrome melts with charcoal temperature and apparently consuming hex chromium isn't adversely harmful especially if its only a small amount 6 times a year... The drum has been used a dozen times so anything that wasn't washed out of it has gone up to god by now and he has a thick layer of sand filling the base of the drum- i suppose so that the charcoals sit higher up.          After that ill just keep an eye on the fuels he uses- make sure its charcoals only- unlike previous barbecues - (CCA pine and offcuts- seriously- which should be burnt up by now and hope wouldnt overly contaminate further cooking) and of course proper wire for securing the hog.. 
You could say I'm being over the top, or not, sometimes i don't even know If it was only me i simply wouldnt eat from it, but its my whole family- and my opinion is worth zero..  Im tempted to just buy him a whole new proper spit but like i said you can't trust him with anything. What would you do?   :Smilie:

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## PlatypusGardens

Haha funny read. 
Sounds like the ol bugger is gonna keep doing his thing no matter what.
Probably best to leave him to it.  :Wink:  
As for one chromed piece of steel being the same as the next, I wouldn't count on it.
Same with stainless, there's lots of different grades. 
All in all I think it will be fine and just leave ol mate to do his thing.
Whether you eat it or not will be up to you I guess

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## PlatypusGardens

:2thumbsup:

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## DBR

Cheers thanks , appreciate the response… What would you do????          I think stainless is ok,,- i bought the rods from a reputable dealer and its high grade as magnets don't stick to it………… From what i gather chrome is pretty much chromate so no biggie either…   
Regardless, we eat from the barbecue only 6 times a year so surely no matter what he cooks with it wouldnt be enough to send us into future illness. EAch time we eat we walk away fine…. I guess it would be no more risky than welding various metals- which i do at work...

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## PlatypusGardens

Mmm dunno. 
Suppose you could find more specific info by Googling "safe metals for cooking" or something.   
Or not...   :Unsure:

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## notvery

Its kind of off topic but... i was talking to the father in law(ish) the other day about how to connect up some gal to make a frame for stacking wood. i suggested that if i had a welder i could just weld it up. he, a boiler maker(sic) by trade with a lot of welding experience suggested welding gal was a bad idea unless you have proper masks as the gal is zinc and lead(he wasnt entirely 100% sure but knew there was something dodgy about it when welded...). so if there is lead in the gal coat wouldnt that be a bit of an issue???is this true or is this only for older gal and the formula has changed ????? i assume if there is lead in there then using gal would be a bad idea around significant heat. 
What i would do in your situation would probably cause a massive schism in your family so you dont want my advice.

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## DBR

> Mmm dunno. 
> Suppose you could find more specific info by Googling "safe metals for cooking" or something.   
> Or not...

  Yes, well from what I gather (please correct if I'm wrong... But generally speaking ... stainless=fine and best surface...   Chrome=fine (they sell chrome grills. Cast iron=fine. Aluminium=fine.. Galvanised/ zinc coated- not fine but not overly bad...   Painted- no good but won't kill..   So based on that I guess it's ok if we eat from it here and there although not ideal....  U may disagree... Maybe I worry too much...

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## DBR

Problem with doing that is that the internet is full of worries I think

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## DBR

> Its kind of off topic but... i was talking to the father in law(ish) the other day about how to connect up some gal to make a frame for stacking wood. i suggested that if i had a welder i could just weld it up. he, a boiler maker(sic) by trade with a lot of welding experience suggested welding gal was a bad idea unless you have proper masks as the gal is zinc and lead(he wasnt entirely 100% sure but knew there was something dodgy about it when welded...). so if there is lead in the gal coat wouldnt that be a bit of an issue???is this true or is this only for older gal and the formula has changed ????? i assume if there is lead in there then using gal would be a bad idea around significant heat. 
> What i would do in your situation would probably cause a massive schism in your family so you dont want my advice.

  Interested in what you would do....??        Please tell....              I have t heard of lead being in gal coatings as all references on the net for illness from fume fever only talk about zinc and no long term harm... Of course I guess there may be some metals with it but It can't be common or much..

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## notvery

what i would do is rock up with the SS (no not that type of SS although that might work also) the SS spit rods and the correct type of wire. and suggest that I have concerns about what hes using it and if like me he gives a BEEEP about his grandkids then just to humour me he could he please please use the stuff ive brought for him.. please please pretty please. but if he doesnt want to use them then that is fine and wont be a problem for me but i or his grandkids wont be attending this or any future bbq's. 
then comes the massive fight and screaming possible divorce cos its all your fault and your in the wrong cos your just trying to look after your kids. but im very good at cutting off my nose to spite my face so i would do it anyway. if you werent supposed to burn bridges then dont make them f wood i say! 
Ps im all for putting my kid in dangerous situations and getting him to do stuff that is likely(possible) to break arms or legs etc(his arms and legs not mine of course) but long term contamination of his body with stuff that might stay there for life and build up *** when avoidable*** is not one of the things im really keen on just to save 10 bucks.

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## Micky013

Interesting read. I use to cook on cast iron but since making a new bbq I starting using these chrome-ish grills from an international food shop. They are sold for that purpose, get left outside and don't rust. It's the same material as those fish/meat clamps that you cook with. Seem OK and my father in law has used them forever with no issue.  
As for a spit - everything is stainless and I wouldn't use any less. We even use stainless wire to tie and stitch the animal.   
I would never eat anything cooked on cca. Seriously, there has got to be wrong with someone who does.   
Good luck!! The old boys can be a real PITA.

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## notvery

> I would never eat anything cooked on cca. Seriously, there has got to be wrong with someone who does.

  well if not before there is after

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## PlatypusGardens

> Its kind of off topic but... i was talking to the father in law(ish) the other day about how to connect up some gal to make a frame for stacking wood. i suggested that if i had a welder i could just weld it up. he, a boiler maker(sic) by trade with a lot of welding experience suggested welding gal was a bad idea unless you have proper masks as the gal is zinc and lead(he wasnt entirely 100% sure but knew there was something dodgy about it when welded...). so if there is lead in the gal coat wouldnt that be a bit of an issue???is this true or is this only for older gal and the formula has changed ????? i assume if there is lead in there then using gal would be a bad idea around significant heat. 
> What i would do in your situation would probably cause a massive schism in your family so you dont want my advice.

   
Yes welding Gal is yuck yuck.
No matter how much you grind it back it still smokes and fizzes and carries on.
Gal pipe is the worst as you can't clean the inside and a white film forms, which then kinda turns to ash.   

> Yes, well from what I gather (please correct if I'm wrong... But generally speaking ... stainless=fine and best surface...   Chrome=fine (they sell chrome grills. Cast iron=fine. Aluminium=fine.. Galvanised/ zinc coated- not fine but not overly bad...   Painted- no good but won't kill..   So based on that I guess it's ok if we eat from it here and there although not ideal....  U may disagree... Maybe I worry too much...

  Yes but chrome plate ain't chrome plate.
A purpose made bbq grille sold in the shop is plated with chrome designed to withstand heat.
A fridge rack or bicycle handlebars is most likely not   

> Problem with doing that is that the internet is full of worries I think

  Yep.
Thorough reasearch is required.
Look up 15-20 different sources and see what the majority thinks......  
Or stop worrying. 
I'm not sure I'm helping at all   :Rofl:

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## PlatypusGardens

Hmmm 
Guess he went for a bbq or something then.....  :Unsure:

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## Random Username

"...in summary, if a manufacturer is using decorative or hard chrome  plating for its products, from the product point of view there is no  need to be concerned about hexavalent chrome exposure in the product’s  lifetime." 
From: Factory Equipment News -  Are chrome plated goods safe? | FEN

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## Marc

Decorative and hard chrome are two different things. Hard chrome is used to increase resistance to abrasion and rust, for example the inside of shot gun barrels.<br>Grills will always be decorative chrome. Even when the chromium salt can be different depending on purpose, origin and method employed for chroming, the end result is always metallic chromium so not much to worry about even when it is clearly not ideal since the wretched thing rusts where there is a crack and peels off.<br><br>I take a wild guess and say the father in law is south american ... Uruguay/Argentina? ... or ... eastern europe ...  :Smilie: <br><br>

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## JB1

We use it and it seems fine. 
It's not so shiny anymore due to the heat and scrubbing go clean it. 
I figure it's OK, it doesn't rust. 
 Having said that, everything will kill you slowly, but due to modern medicine we're living 20 years more than our grandparents did. 
I wouldn't worry about it anymore than the fumes from cars, I.E. there's nothing you can do about it.

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## DBR

> Decorative and hard chrome are two different things. Hard chrome is used to increase resistance to abrasion and rust, for example the inside of shot gun barrels.<br>Grills will always be decorative chrome. Even when the chromium salt can be different depending on purpose, origin and method employed for chroming, the end result is always metallic chromium so not much to worry about even when it is clearly not ideal since the wretched thing rusts where there is a crack and peels off.<br><br>I take a wild guess and say the father in law is south american ... Uruguay/Argentina? ... or ... eastern europe ... <br><br>

  
Ha, cheers Marc, he is greek Loves to improvise.. Whilst i could buy him a whole new spit, he's the sort of bloke that would then go into the shed and grab some gal coated wire to tie the hog onto the spit.. he just "doesnt get it".. 
Its simple,, we either just won't eat from the spit at the next function, or i will sit down and try reason with him I don't really care if he wants to use gal coated stuff for himself when we aren't there, but when i show up with the kids it just can't happen However if i show up and he's cooking with gal we just don't eat from it.. 
In terms of chrome refrigerator racks, the ones that he uses are rusted to all buggery--- however yes i have also done some research and for some reason chrome plated stuff doesnt appear to be overtly harmful if ingested- only when inhaled through welding etc.. Perhaps thats due to the body not absorbing the chrome. Sure as anything if we eat off the chrome grills we would be eating some chrome as it is blistered and rusting like you wouldnt believe..     However, I'm sure there would be alot of webbers out there with chrome grills that are rusting like mad and people still safely eat of them--- i also assume that chrome be it on a motorcycle filter cover, fridge rack or barbecue grate is pretty much the same thing- chrome.- made the same way..

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## DBR

> We use it and it seems fine. 
> It's not so shiny anymore due to the heat and scrubbing go clean it. 
> I figure it's OK, it doesn't rust. 
>  Having said that, everything will kill you slowly, but due to modern medicine we're living 20 years more than our grandparents did. 
> I wouldn't worry about it anymore than the fumes from cars, I.E. there's nothing you can do about it.

  Thanks JB1- well this stuff is rusted and blistering like crazy… however i figure that eating from it 4 or 5 times a year wouldnt be overly harmful.. I would dare say that chrome is chrome- and there would be plenty of old webbers with rusty grills that people safely eat from… Or maybe i just keep telling myself that!??

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## DBR

Cheers,,, from what i gather hexivalent chrome is not overly harmful if ingested as the body converts it to a less harmful form in the stomach…. These old racks are rusted and blistering as all hell which is just as well…… I guess if chrome was incredibly dangerous it wouldnt be used to coat cooking utensils and the like… I figure that th chrome on refrigerator racks would be not much different to the chrome on cooking utensils/ barbecues etc..

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## DBR

Cheers Micky,,, i figure that if chrome was dangerous to use with a spit they simply wouldnt sell it for grills on bunnings barbecues.. From what i gather chrome is chrome and whilst breathing it in is harmful ingesting it apparently isn't…. Ive read that the body doesnt absorb it in metallic form= it goes in one end and out the other and the body converts it in the stomach to a non harmful form…. Which is just as well cos this chrome grills are rusting like crazy and blistering……………           In regards to the rods he was using i recently purchased three stainless ones from our local stainless steel supplier--- i took in the current galvanised ones and explained i wanted the same size --- i told them the reason and the boys there said not to worry as its simply ZINC - which is the same stuff you put on sunscreen- they said not ideal but it won't kill… When i mentioned that there could be lead in them they said if there is any it wold be close to zero- apparently when welding galvanised metal the concern is from inhaling zinc fumes and not anything else…- apparently it makes you get "metal fume fever" which is a short term condition - once passed the person returns to full health…. no mention of lead being an issue thank goodness...

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## DBR

> what i would do is rock up with the SS (no not that type of SS although that might work also) the SS spit rods and the correct type of wire. and suggest that I have concerns about what hes using it and if like me he gives a BEEEP about his grandkids then just to humour me he could he please please use the stuff ive brought for him.. please please pretty please. but if he doesnt want to use them then that is fine and wont be a problem for me but i or his grandkids wont be attending this or any future bbq's. 
> then comes the massive fight and screaming possible divorce cos its all your fault and your in the wrong cos your just trying to look after your kids. but im very good at cutting off my nose to spite my face so i would do it anyway. if you werent supposed to burn bridges then dont make them f wood i say! 
> Ps im all for putting my kid in dangerous situations and getting him to do stuff that is likely(possible) to break arms or legs etc(his arms and legs not mine of course) but long term contamination of his body with stuff that might stay there for life and build up *** when avoidable*** is not one of the things im really keen on just to save 10 bucks.

  
Thanks Notvery….   Im going to simply turn up with new spit rods- stainless steel ones… After doing some research i have found that chrome surfaces aren't overly dangerous to eat from and if a small amount of chrome is ingested its not too bad…. Apparently even zinc/ galvanised if ingested is not overly bad but can result in too much zinc in the body- I've done some research and spoken to different people and they said lead is not the concern with gal surfaces- it is the inhalation of zinc when welding that is the problem… - nonetheless i will change the rods and have a chat to him…..    problem is that whilst i may fix one thing- he will then use gal wire to tie the hog- because he's that sort of person……... 
I think best that we avoid eating from the spit….. However if we do after researching it i think we will be ok- which is just as well because they often look after our little one…… Whilst they do care- they are very fixed i their ways as a cultural thing…… Talking to them is like talking to a brick wall.. Best to avoid eating from it and if we do not too worry…. i was told recently that its everyday exposure that would cause heavy metal poisoning not a one off… hope my docs right.. 
Perhaps i am over worried-- i figure if you go to any third world country they would use all sorts of things for cooking with……… - surely cooking over gal or chrome is reasonably common- and i haven't heard of anybody getting sick from it..

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## PlatypusGardens

> Perhaps i am over worried

  Perhaps 
Not that there's anything wrong with that

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## joynz

Why not get your wife to raise it with him as it's her father?

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## Marc

With all due respect, this seems to be more of a family matter than a health matter. There is so much stuff you happily eat off the shelf without knowing, that a piece of galvanised wire holding meat on a spit that gets to 200C max, is a non issue. Think about it each time you drink or eat from a can coated with slow release poison, consume veggies that are imported without pesticide regulation, use clothes dyed in india or bangladesh with dioxins etc etc etc.

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## PlatypusGardens

My favorite is when people are standing by a fire, cigarette in hand and say "OMG, are you burning treated pine?!?!?!"   :Rofl:

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## Marc

Ha ha, ok ... the health concern when it comes to kids is a valid one, but I believe that the "danger" even for the little ones is clearly non existing in this case. A lemon soft drink in an aluminium can that is given to kids all the times or a pasta sauce made with tomato from a can, can and should be avoided. To find a molecule of zinc released from a galvanised wire on the pig in question would be hard to find even by the imaginary team of CSI.

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## PlatypusGardens

> the imaginary team of CSI.

   :Shock:   
Wait.....what? 
It's not real?   :Confused:

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## Marc

Well, the ease with which they find stuff would be the subject of dreams for most police forces if it was real.

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