| Author |
Message |
Nick Russell (66.82.9.43)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 6:47 pm: | |
We had a VERY close call today. We are installing the final ceiling in our MCI-8, and there was a metal bracket I needed to get off that used to support the parcel racks. We had left it in place, thinking we would use it for cabinet support, but our design changed and we wanted to get rid of it. So I was using a grinder to cut it away, and my wife put some sheets down over chairs and such to protect them. One of the sheets caught fire and we had flames shooting up the wall. We grabbed the sheet and threw it outside and put it out. Singed the mini blinds, which we were going to replace anyway, and we both got some nasty blisters on our hands. Could have been worse. |
JimStacy (12.78.45.217)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 7:53 pm: | |
Nick,
Hope you and Terry are ok. We had a Sunbrella (Zip Dee)chair flame up this year. We don't usually expect fabric to ignite so easily.
We had a bowhunter make a homemaid "Gillie" suit and lit his pipe while wearing it. He died from the third degree burns. Scary.
Jim Stacy |
timnvt (165.121.146.83)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 9:16 pm: | |
I've learned that in my welding shop the disk grinder is the most dangerous piece of equipment for starting fires. I've been grinding away and found my clothing to be in flames from the sparks. Those sparks fly 20 feet or so and light a rag. I never use the grinder without knowing while I'm using it exactly where the sparks are flying and if posible to insure they are directed at a nonflamable surface.
Glad you and yours are ok.
Tim. |
bruceknee (12.76.101.69)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 11:10 pm: | |
If you decide to go in a different direction, there are 30,000 btu proheat units available for $300 at nimco.
Bruce |
bruceknee (12.76.101.69)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, December 19, 2003 - 11:11 pm: | |
whoops, posted in the wrong spot |
gary Stadler (68.7.217.217)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 12:06 am: | |
hee hee... I was disc-grinding a pipe for my turbo and when i finished I noticed my buddy dancing in the weeds. Wondering why, I took off my dark shaded safety goggles to see that he was actually dancing on the fire I'd just started, trying to put it out. I immediately joined the dance and the result was positive... Thank god he was there, or my entire home would definitely be toast, because the weeds I'd just caught on fire were under the giant eucalypus grove that surrounds my entire home. Lesson learned... almost the hard way, thank heavens NOT!!!!
..Needless to say, ANY grinding now takes place in the gravel driveway or it doesn't take place at all..... |
FAST FRED (65.150.247.70)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 5:17 am: | |
Folks with any type of foam insulation should read this caution again,
"I've learned that in my welding shop the disk grinder is the most dangerous piece of equipment for starting fires. "
If you some how start a foam fire in a wall or behind a wall , it may be VERY hard to extinguish!
FAST FRED |
travelmci (166.145.119.6)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 6:55 am: | |
Nick,
Glad to hear you and Terry are okay and your conversion plans not set back. It is amazing how quickly a fire can get out of control. Count your blessings. FWIW, now may be a good time to check all your fire ext.
Peter |
Jack Conrad (Jackconrad) (206.251.199.194)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 8:24 am: | |
Nick,
I am glad that you and Terry only suffered minor injuries and no major damage to your coach. Until someone witnesses it, it is hard to imagine how fast a fire spreads.
Because of catching my pant leg on fire from a grinder, I ALWAYS keep a fire extingusher near by as well as a garden hose with a spray nozzle.
Guess, I better sit down and re-write my Fire Safety seminar for our rally. Jack |
Eagle 10 (216.204.104.1)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 8:53 am: | |
A young boy at the local high school recently was set on fire by another student at a Halloween assembly in front of the whole student body. The student took his lighter and set his costume on fire as a (joke). He was engulfed in flames and within 20 seconds was burned badly. He almost died and has been in a hospital burn center in Boston for the past three months. |
Stephen Fessenden (Sffess) (65.154.177.164)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 12:46 pm: | |
You can buy welding blankets from Harbor Freight Tools or other sources fairly cheaply. They look like burlap. I never thought of using one when I use the grinder. Wool will not burn, only smolder, so old wool blankets and wool shirts are execellent fire retardant covers. A fiend who is a forker ship welder recommends wetting your clothes before welding. Easy advice for Florida, but not so good for the North country this time of year. Modern fire retardant labels cannot be relied on. Better to test the fabric yourself. When testing foam for aircraft soundproofing, foam that carried the proper credentials for aircraft use burned with a toxic black smoke. Test everything. |
Stephen Fessenden (Sffess) (65.154.177.164)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, December 20, 2003 - 12:48 pm: | |
That was "friend" and "former". |
mark (66.43.13.22)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, December 21, 2003 - 8:52 pm: | |
...A "forker ship welder"?
sounds like a real "fiend" to me, too!!
Ha Ha he he!
mark |
Terry Mac (67.233.187.154)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, December 23, 2003 - 10:04 pm: | |
I have a question if foam is that flammable what do you recommend for insulation uder the floor. My wife hates cold floors when we are up north in the winter. |
FAST FRED (65.154.176.192)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, December 24, 2003 - 5:28 am: | |
We have found good rug to work well, best is two layers ,wool (tag sale ) under and bathroom carpeting on top.Doesn't unravel when trimmed.
Thy mud & slush brought in can simply be washed out in any large sized laundromat from the bathroom carpeting.In bad conditions it may need washing 3 or 4 times a winter.
Worked for us, (now we head south of lake O'in FL).
FAST FRED |