Fire in the hole

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Has anyone ever caught their self on fire with grinding sparks???  I was cutting a piece of 1/4" plate with a cutting wheel in my 4 1/2" grinder, and felt my gut get kinda warm.    Looked down and low and behold, my denim wrangler work shirt was going up in blazes.     It funny now, but has anyone else ever had this happen?Miller BobcatHarris cutting outfitMiller spectrum 625 plasmaVariety of shopmade tools
Reply:Yep, teaches you to watch your sparks better Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Last week I was cutting a piece of plate about chest high on the back of a flatbed truck and a piece of slag went into the pocket of my waist height overalls. I had a paper towel and some ear plugs in that pocket. I felt my leg getting warm and thought it must be the heater blowing on it until I turned the other way and it kept getting hotter. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a smoldering towel and melted ear plugs. That pocket is now useless with a hole burnt through it.Cain's Mechanical LLC Southwick, MAwww.cainsmechanical.comRig:-2006 Chevy 2500 utility body-Lincoln Ranger 10-Miller Spectrum -Tons of hand and power toolsAWS D1.2 Structural Steel Certification
Reply:Most of my shirts have a big hole on the right side, about belt high.  Makes for nice ventilation in hot weather.
Reply:As  stated watch your sparks make sure the shield is set properly. Yes I have started cloths ect on fire. Clothes with frayed holes really start easy.Be careful
Reply:Right through a new Carhartt coat a few years ago. I smelled bacon cooking, looked down and there it was.Arcon Workhorse 300MSPowcon 400SMTPowcon SM400 x 2Powcon SM3001968 SA200 Redface1978 SA250 DieselMiller Super 32P FeederPre 1927 American 14" High Duty LatheK&T Milwaukee 2H Horizontal MillBryan
Reply:Leather work gloves with a nylon type dorsal side so the fingers were stretchy. Melted right through the glove onto my poor finger.
Reply:The fuzz on chamois shirts explode and then go out in a flash. Just a warm....fuzzy feeling...
Reply:I bought the harbor freight leather welding set. Cheap gloves, rod pouch, [not bad] and leather apron. First time I used a apron and the thing serves me well. It saved many shirts not to mention the wire wheel bristles. It was worth the  $10.00 a while ago.
Reply:any frayed cotton goes up in a hurry. shirts, pants,. . . . . underwear toobosses stuff:trailblazer 325maxstar 200my stuff:sa 200fronius transpocket 180100 amp Lincoln w/f97 f350 DITKevin
Reply:After a few years you will begin to recognize what part of you is burning by the smell. Then you can decide how urgent the need to stop welding is.Miller MM252Miller Bobcat 225NTMiller DialArc HF / DIY Cooler2 Victor O/A TorchsetsMilwaukee 8" Metal SawMilwaukee Dry Cut "Chop" Saw 5 Ton Wallace Gantry Various Grinders, Benders, etc.
Reply:I don't feel so bad now.Miller BobcatHarris cutting outfitMiller spectrum 625 plasmaVariety of shopmade tools
Reply:And here I thought I was the only one burning up my clothes. I feel so much better now!!!ChrisAuction Addict
Reply:so many times i can't even count. now my shirts all have pocket flaps and no flannel. all my carhart coats and vest have silver dollar sized holes in the lower pockets plus i burned my calf so badly it took a year to heal. when i started welding i was still living at home and remember my father wanting to know what those holes in all his tee shirts were from. i guess it's part of the game.Last edited by docwelder; 01-21-2014 at 05:15 AM.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:I'm aware of possible fires every time I have to repair farm equipment. I'm either dealing with hay dust, oil soaked hay dust, or manure gases. I try to keep things clean, but that damn dust finds its way into every nook on equipment. I have a few welding blankets I use to catch sparks. For the manure gas, I try to wait for a breeze or get a fan. Haven't had an accident yet, but the charred remains of a tractor my uncle burned years ago is a good reminder to be careful. It caught fire long after he walked away, most likely a slow smolder of oil and dust that went wild. The old tractor was a small one with a gas engine, so it burnt beyond repair.Lincoln Precision Tig 185Lincoln Power Mig 256Hypertherm PM 45Everlast 140STSmith O/A
Reply:Was doing some cutting at work and was too lazy to put my sleeves on, you know the thought process (I'll cut this out real quick) caught my long john sleeve on fire. I now have a couple nice burn spots on my arm from the hot nylon sticking to my arm.Sent from my Nexus 7 using TapatalkWill   Supports Autism Awareness                            My ToysBobCat 225 PLusMillermatic 130Miller Spectrum 300 CutmateEverlast Power Tig 185 Micro April is Autism Month .
Reply:I became a fan of the leather apron many years ago...ever since a cup wire brush on my grinder grabbed my sweatshirt at my chest and twisted everything up causing a fairly painful abrasion...and all within a split second. The apron has also prevented countless burn holes. Ever notice how burn-ups..more than not...usually occur in the midst of running the perfect bead? POVERTY...is the Mother of InventionMillermatic 211Millermatic 140Miller Thunderbolt XLArcOne 100STS inverter w/TIGThermal Dynamics 38XL Victor Oxy/AcetyleneJancy Slugger Holemaker IIJet 5x6 BandsawNever enough time & sleep.
Reply:I do a lot of overhead welding on exhaust and ALL the shirts that I where have the burn holes in them, I can't count the number of times that sparks and molten metal BB's go down the sleeve of my shirt and in the pocket and next thing you know you are thinking "man it sure is smoky in here and  I'm on fire". Started wearing a welding shirt recently, sure helps with that now. A while back I was welding a muffler on a car and a HOT BB went over my helmet down my shirt into my pants and stopped and just sizzled in the crack of my butt sorta felt like someone put a cigarette out right there, man that one hurt, I was jumping round like a Chinese fire drill.  Oh yeah if you have done any amount of welding and grinding you have been on fire more times than you can count. It's usually the ones that are gonna just take a minute to do that seem to get you.Quality work is never Cheap, and Cheap work is never Quality!!If it's broke, and you're not, we can fix it!!  Lincoln Idealarc sp200Century 230amp ac/dcSmith O/A TorchesHuth Hyd. Pipe Benderother misc "cool" tools
Reply:That's why I LOVE my leather apron. Now I just need to get a GOOD pair of gloves, I keep lighting them up.Miller 252Miller Bobcat 225Lincoln MigPak 1801959 Hyster forkliftHarris OA torch
Reply:Yes,  Cleaning up 3/4" plate using a BurrKing belt sander/grinder.  Same deal, except I was wearing a workshirt made from a cotton twill cloth.  I found them sold as mechanic's shirts on Amazon.  Seemed like a good deal at the time.  Found out that the textured surface of that kind of cloth is perfect for catching and holding sparks.  Now I only buy leather, commercial 'green' cotton welding jackets, or mountaincloth workshirts.Benson's Mobile Welding - Dayton, OH metro area - AWS Certified Welding Inspector
Reply:several times, I've been lit up by other guys grinding. Heck I was setting up the flame cutter one day (single head straight line plate cutter) and the fuel gas got shut off at the bulk tank so all I got was oxy coming out of the tip and a guy grinding across the shop happened to land a few sparks on my pants with that oxy stream hitting them. Didn't notice till i started getting a little warm.
Reply:Originally Posted by blawlessRight through a new Carhartt coat a few years ago. I smelled bacon cooking, looked down and there it was.
Reply:a few times, same deal...quick cut with a cutting disk, i won't bother covering up....flames most of my work clothes have holes mid to right on my stomach, now i just throw on a cheap leather apron and no more fires since
Reply:Just a few times, the first & worst time with synthetic fibers. The shirt melted & stuck to my belly. Now, its natural fibers, only.
Reply:Originally Posted by 92dlxmanany frayed cotton goes up in a hurry. shirts, pants,. . . . . underwear tooYep,just the other day in fact. I wondered why it was getting so smokey until I looked down at my hoodie and saw flames.I knew buying all my clothes at the thrift store would pay off eventually...
Reply:Its kind of exciting when those flannel shirts flash. Gets warm awfully fast. Couple of drips of gas on your jeans gets enlightening alsoMiller 180,Esab 300I TIG Lincoln Stick [1950's} Victor Torches, Dewalt chop saw, Enco 9x48 Mill,  48x60 home shop with Gantry crane and Pit.
Reply:Twice in one evening at class, frayed jean cuffs, instructor commented I'd never forget the smell of burning denim! I was grinding in the shop the other day and about 15 minutes after finishing up I noticed some steel wool on a bench about 20 feet away glowing like the sun! Threw the whole mess out the door and let it burn out, I never knew that clean steel wool was so flammable, I always follow the 30 minute rule of not leaving the shop after any welding, burning or grinding!
Reply:Originally Posted by CharleyLAfter a few years you will begin to recognize what part of you is burning by the smell. Then you can decide how urgent the need to stop welding is.
Reply:If you don't have a few holes.........yur not working fast enough!
Reply:Done it lots, used to have some of those cheap quilted flannel shirts that looked like a tux with tails because the front was burned up to about the 2nd or 3rd button.  Those cheap shirts had synthetic quilting, burnt pretty goodExperience is something you get right after you need it
Reply:Originally Posted by spanicoTwice in one evening at class, frayed jean cuffs, instructor commented I'd never forget the smell of burning denim! I was grinding in the shop the other day and about 15 minutes after finishing up I noticed some steel wool on a bench about 20 feet away glowing like the sun! Threw the whole mess out the door and let it burn out, I never knew that clean steel wool was so flammable, I always follow the 30 minute rule of not leaving the shop after any welding, burning or grinding!
Reply:Standard uniform after a couple weeks on one of our pile crews...POVERTY...is the Mother of InventionMillermatic 211Millermatic 140Miller Thunderbolt XLArcOne 100STS inverter w/TIGThermal Dynamics 38XL Victor Oxy/AcetyleneJancy Slugger Holemaker IIJet 5x6 BandsawNever enough time & sleep.