Abstract: The iron oxide paint pigment precursor used in a process for producing such paint pigment is found in scarfer spittings, a steel mill waste product. The cores are characterized by a chemical composition comprised of between about 0.04 and 0.10 weight percent carbon, about 0.06 and 0.25 weight percent manganese, about 0.015 and 0.025 weight percent phosphorus, less than about 0.05 weight percent silicon, less than 0.01 weight percent sulfur, about 94 and 98 weight percent iron and the remainder oxygen and incidental impurities and a particle size within the range of 5 mm to 0.125 mm.

Abstract: A method for preparing a steel mill waste material comprised of inner metallic cores encased in outer shells of iron oxides for use as size-graded metallic abrasives and the product so produced are described.The waste material is screened to simultaneously separate it from all the foreign matter collected therewith and also to separate it into a fraction containing particles larger than about 6.35 mm and a fraction containing particles smaller than about 6.35 mm. The fraction containing the particles larger is recycled in the steel mill. The fraction containing the smaller particles is charged into a grinding mill containing appropriate grinding media. The smaller fraction remains in the mill for a time so that the outer shells are broken into small pieces substantially all of which are removed from the surfaces of the inner cores. The pieces of the shells and the metallic cores are separated from each other by screening. The metallic cores are graded into a plurality of sizes by screening.

Abstract: A non-toxic abrasive material used to manually blast clean the surface of ferrous metals prior to painting comprised of generally spherical particles containing 85% iron, the remainder being substantially oxygen and minor amounts of elements usually found in carbon and alloy steels, and having a metallic core containing 30% to 50% of the iron as metallic iron surrounded by a shell containing the remaining 50% to 70% of the iron as iron oxides. The abrasive material is characterized by having a specific gravity of 5 to 6 and a bulk density of 180 pounds per cubic foot (2.88 grams per cubic centimeter). It is preferred to use particles within the size range of -6,+100 mesh for manual blast cleaning purposes, however particles which are -100 mesh size can be used in special applications.