I Had A Scare , All Is Well.

admin

I will begin by saying I have been doing this for over 10 years, and went through all the usual safety procedures, Wet the area down, have fire extinguisher ready, lay down a welding blankets, remove as much flammable stuff as I can. But anyway, as soon as I struck an arc and the splatter fell, the machine went up like a match.I got called for a pinhole in the main boom cylinder and a broken door latch. The door latch was no problem. The main boom cylinder is in the belly of the machine, real pain to get to. Everything is soaked with oil and fresh sawdust. As I said earlier I took every precaution and it was still not enough. The second I struck an arc, a stray spark found its way to something flammable, and poof we had a fire. Grabbed the extinguisher and got everything under control, no damage, except for my nerves.  Like I said I have done this hundreds of times without a hitch, but this time something happened. I don't worry and don't get scared, but this job I was both. I called the owner and told him what was up and he just told me not to worry about it and to wait till the machine was down and clean. I stopped by his shop, he gave me a beer and everything is OK now. I am still shaken at how fast the fire took off, but thank the Lord I had my extinguishers out like I always do. The $50 in fire extinguishers I used today saved a $200k machine. Don't be cheap on your safety gear, you never know when you will need it.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Originally Posted by TozziWeldingI will begin by saying I have been doing this for over 10 years, and went through all the usual safety procedures, Wet the area down, have fire extinguisher ready, lay down a welding blankets, remove as much flammable stuff as I can. But anyway, as soon as I struck an arc and the splatter fell, the machine went up like a match.I got called for a pinhole in the main boom cylinder and a broken door latch. The door latch was no problem. The main boom cylinder is in the belly of the machine, real pain to get to. Everything is soaked with oil and fresh sawdust. As I said earlier I took every precaution and it was still not enough. The second I struck an arc, a stray spark found its way to something flammable, and poof we had a fire. Grabbed the extinguisher and got everything under control, no damage, except for my nerves.  Like I said I have done this hundreds of times without a hitch, but this time something happened. I don't worry and don't get scared, but this job I was both. I called the owner and told him what was up and he just told me not to worry about it and to wait till the machine was down and clean. I stopped by his shop, he gave me a beer and everything is OK now. I am still shaken at how fast the fire took off, but thank the Lord I had my extinguishers out like I always do. The $50 in fire extinguishers I used today saved a $200k machine. Don't be cheap on your safety gear, you never know when you will need it.
Reply:Been there done that. I was welding on the front of a machine and had a fire at the back. That's why I try not to weld on machines at the end of the day just in caseMillermatic 252millermatic 175miller 300 Thunderboltlincoln ranger 250smith torcheslots of bfh'sIf it dont fit get a bigger hammer
Reply:I stayed by the machine for 45 mins, after everything was said and done. I might wake up at 3am and do a drive by.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Good to hear everything worked out.If you don't want to stand behind our Troops, feel free to stand in front of them.
Reply:Glad you're OK, Tozzi!! Almost sounds like you found a fuel leak for it to start that fast.                                                   MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:Originally Posted by mla2ofusGlad you're OK, Tozzi!! Almost sounds like you found a fuel leak for it to start that fast.                                                   Mike
Reply:Sawdust and oil are a bad combination. Glad you got it under control and every thing is working out.Millermatic 252XMT 304'sDynasty 280DXHypertherm PowerMax 1250Miller Trailblazer 302 EFIOptima PulserXR feeder and XR Edge gun and more athttp://members.dslextreme.com/users/waynecook/index.htm
Reply:Been there. Very scary! I was welding a cylinder cap on a cardboard baler once. Did it a hundred times, crappy azz welds from the factory, pump spray everything with water, blankets etc. Well same thing this one machine, as soon as the sparks dropped poof! In a walmart stock room!!!! Had the extinguisher right there and got it out, but it was a hard climb off that ladder. I called and told J.V. the cylinder had to be pulled and taken outside, Still nerves me thinking about it. Glad to hear you got it worked out. 100% on the extinguishers! Worth every dollar.You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else. Albert Einstein
Reply:Originally Posted by mla2ofusGlad you're OK, Tozzi!! Almost sounds like you found a fuel leak for it to start that fast.                                                   Mike
Reply:Pays to hav a fire extinguisher handy!
Reply:Glad all's well.Leo
Reply:Good to hear your ok.  Sure you know it only takes one time.I think I have been lucky so far no problems yet.  I do keep a fire extinguisher handy though.  Just in case.I burn wood for my "grill" on the ground in my backyard.  When I put it out, I put my hands on it after soaking it with a hose just to be sure.  Never hurt to be to ready or over prepared.  Sometimes it can save equipment or more importantly a life.
Reply:I'm glad all is well, I'm sure that jump started the ole kicker..I remember when I was about 12 or 13, I was working the summer with my father, We were doing the HVAC, gas, and Plumbing for a lowes store in our area, any long story short, my father was welding on pipe on the ground and my grandfather after he filled up the welding machine, placed the remaing gas cans about 15 feet behind my dad) who was welding, and didn't know), and a spark got in one and boom, they went up.. I was on the opposite end of the building and man that was scary.. I thnk I ran the from one end of the building to other in about 4 seconds..   Needless to say, my grandfather was demoted from filling the machines up after that.. That was a scary day, and lessons learned, lots of them..
Reply:Oh, this is the one! Glad you caught it. Last time I had a fire, I was cutting steel with a gas chop saw. I had on mechanics pants that were, not 100% cotton. <--- literally!!! I didn't notice it right away, I always prefer a fire watch, again, good thing you caught it. Now relax and have another."Where's Stick man????????" - 7A749"SHHHHHH!! I sent him over to snag that MIC-4 while tbone wasn't looking!" - duaneb55"I have bought a few of Tbone's things unlike Stick-Man who helps himself" - TozziWelding"Stick-man"
Reply:After that expereince... I think I would have skipped the beer and went straight to the bottle O' Jim Beam.Lincoln Idealarc 250Lincoln Weldanpower CC/CV engine driveLincoln LN-25 wire feederMiller Syncrowave 180 SDVarious oxy-fuel setups featuring Victor, Harris, and Prest-o-lite products
Reply:Saw dust alone will ignite like a 15 year old boy in a sorority house. Like everyone else said adding it to hydro fluid compounds the issue. Glad your ok and glad the Machinery didnt turn into a big hunk of cast iron.
Reply:Good heads up post Tozzi, it really happens to people! We get combines burnt to the ground from time to time locally, sometimes it's working on them, other times a hot bearing. Grain dust, chaff, wood dust & chips are all pretty good fuel all by themselves - now let's add some oil...Heads up fellas,Matt
Reply:And the guys at work think I am just lazy when I wont weld anything in the last hour of the day. Glad to hear crisis averted. Have a beer on me. If you cant fix it with a hammer, it must be an electrical problem."Boy, everyone starts with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience. The trick is to fill the bag of experience before the bag of luck is empty."-Grandad circa 1990ish
Reply:You sure checked that box!Real glad you made it go OUT!!  "Stay back 500 Feet" City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:glad your safe I carry 2 halon extinguishers for exactly this reasonMiller Xmt 350Lincoln Ln-25Ahp 200xSmith Gas Mixer AR/HTig is my Kung FuThrowing down dimes and weaving aboutInstagram http://instagram.com/[email protected]
Reply:...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Glad all is well! Hobart Handler 190Hobart Spool-Gun 100Lincoln 225 ACMiller & Pipeliner HoodDewalt 14" Chopsaw, GrindersHarris O/AVictor TorchCustom Built O/A CartCustom Welding CartHeavy Duty 16 Speed Floor Drill PressPipe-BenderDrill Doctor
Reply:It's GOOD to be reminded of SAFETY.It's just so easy for things to go wrong quickly and in a big way.Glad you are OK and that you posted this.The similar experiences of others posted here also helps drive home the point.Thanks.Rick V 1 Airco Heliwelder 3A/DDR3 CTC 70/90 amp Stick/Tig Inverters in Parallel1 Lincoln MIG PAK 151 Oxy-Acet
Reply:Hay equipment can be just as bad.The swather is relatively safe, just oil and fresh cut grass/crop which is still damp.The baler is another matter.  Dry grass and chaff + oilSounds like you had a lovely day"Any day above ground is a good day"http://www.farmersamm.com/I worked in the logging industry here in B.C. for many years and after a few close calls I refused to weld on anything unless it was washed down, the area around it wetted down and a water tanker and pump right there ready to go. You also need another person there watching for trouble. When that oil soaked wood and grease takes fire it is a matter of seconds before it is a major blaze. I have seen several machines burned beyond repair. Glad your ok and there was no major damage.
Reply:Been there, done that several times on pieces of heavy equipment, amazing how fast you can move in a panic situation.REAL TRUCKS DON'T HAVE SPARK PLUGS
Reply:Today was much better, dropped the extinguisher at the extinguisher shop, got my others re tagged, and went and worked on a nice simple job.Disclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:I was welding on an old jaw crusher for a local mining company, and told the Super that I would not do the welding due to all the oil, and grease that was right below the area. He talked me into it and said that he would put a man in there as a fire watchman, sounded good to me. The fire started right away, as I yelled for the firewatcher he was nowhere to be found. I climbed down and put the fire out, and found the Super. Turns out the reason I got the great fire watchman that I did was because he couldn't do anything else correctly. Lucky for me the fire burned everything burnable and I stopped it before it went far enough too damage anything.
Reply:I was teaching my 8 year old to weld.  Helmets down, He started saying:"Dad....Dad....we got to stop" I kept saying, "No, keep watching the puddle..." Well when we took our helmets off, I realized his seat was on fire ( foam office type chair) , I grabbed him by the shirt and kicked the chair out from under him. The rest of the night my boys were jumping from one welding table to another singing "Great Balls of Fire!!!" We finished the night by melting cheese on tortilla chips with the propane torch.  I was just glad CPS wasn't there.
Reply:Glad that worked out and the fire extinguisher served it purpose. It is not a good feeling when something catches on fire. Had a scare working on a pallet shredder. wet the area down with a hose but it still lit up. Fire extinguisher saved my bacon. Well worth every penny. Glad your all right. hope you had a few cold ones you earned it.
Reply:I think my extinguishers in my shop are shot. I tried shaking them up the other day and couldn't get any of them to shake loose. Even banging them on the bench and all.
Reply:How many posts on here have gone on a tangent about welding fuel or hydraulic tanks, that the flammable range is blah blah blah, the flash point is this/that. None of it matters when it goes POOF! flammable stuff is just that, flammable. Glad all is well, The only thing worse than having your stuff on fire is having 200K of someone else's stuff on fire from your sparks. LOL. I tell the owners get it cleaned, then I'll work on it, sometimes they call me premodonna that I don't wan't to get dirty, they don't see me most days. They also don't understand the big picture.  Some of the threads here echo a sentiment I have heard many times as a career FF, " I can't believe how fast and how big the fire got, there was no time" Most people have a limited experience with fire when you look at the masses, that is a simple campfire. Whole different world when old man fire gets away and is unchecked.    Tozzi, you could have at least gotten us a picture of the fire but you were to selfish to take the time to stop for a snap shot. We leave it to the imagination of you running for that extinguisher and then looking around to see if anyone else saw you,  LOL!"Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum"Lincoln Idealarc 250 AC/DCMillermatic 251   Syncrowave 300   30A spoolgunLincoln MP210Hypertherm 45(2) LN 25(2) Lincoln Weldanpower 225 CV(4) SA200   1 short hood    SA250    SAM 400
Reply:Good save, Boss.  Glad you were prepared.  When you invoice your customer, make a line item for a credit for the beer, and hand the owner a cool one.-AaronJet 17.5" Drill Press1942 South Bend 16x84 Lathe1980s Miller 320A / BP --- 2013 Power Mig 2562012 Jet 7x12 Horizontal BandsawVictor O/A Setup
Reply:Originally Posted by TozziWeldingNo fuel, just hydraulic oil and the usual stuff in forestry equipment.
Reply:Originally Posted by kolotHow many posts on here have gone on a tangent about welding fuel or hydraulic tanks, that the flammable range is blah blah blah, the flash point is this/that. None of it matters when it goes POOF! flammable stuff is just that, flammable. Glad all is well, The only thing worse than having your stuff on fire is having 200K of someone else's stuff on fire from your sparks. LOL. I tell the owners get it cleaned, then I'll work on it, sometimes they call me premodonna that I don't wan't to get dirty, they don't see me most days. They also don't understand the big picture.  Some of the threads here echo a sentiment I have heard many times as a career FF, " I can't believe how fast and how big the fire got, there was no time" Most people have a limited experience with fire when you look at the masses, that is a simple campfire. Whole different world when old man fire gets away and is unchecked.    Tozzi, you could have at least gotten us a picture of the fire but you were to selfish to take the time to stop for a snap shot. We leave it to the imagination of you running for that extinguisher and then looking around to see if anyone else saw you,  LOL!
Reply:Originally Posted by rabidchimpGood save, Boss.  Glad you were prepared.  When you invoice your customer, make a line item for a credit for the beer, and hand the owner a cool one.-Aaron
Reply:My funniest/worst fire recently was one I posted earlier this year.  I needed a 275 gallon propane tank for a welding project.  After removing all the valves it didn't smell bad, but I wasn't going to take any chances. So being outside I did the only thing any pyromaniac (I have been a fire chief for years as well) would do.  I lit a rag and threw a highway flare into it.  It started to slowly burn off as I was expecting, then......the intake air and the exhaust hole became a perfect match........the thing looked like a fighter jet afterburner lighting off.  I had 30' of extremely loud, perfect blue flame, which would of been fine, but it was now bouncing off a freshly painted building. I actually pulled out a fire truck, which I had only a couple hundred feet away. The flameball only lasted 45 seconds or so, but enough to make a couple more gray hairs on my head. It was so much fun, we actually tried to recreate it by charging it with more propane and gas, but I never could get the perfect  mix again, even though I had all the cameras ready this time.  It's all about making memories!!!! We even put a saddle on it for the perfect video, but could not recreate the force of the initial blast.....I'm pretty sure OSHA would be totally impresed...Good thing I live in the foothills, way out of town. The project is fine, and actually, I have to make a copy soon.  I'll get the cameras set up first this time......
Reply:Glad you were on top of your game at the time. Adrenaline is very stressful sometimes.Back when I was working in the body shop at Harvester in my younger days I had one of them moments.The heat system had gone belly up one morning and I was welding while wearing a very old and frazzled up field jacket.I began noticing a smell that reminded me of the time my mom's iron fell over on a shirt when I was a kid.Smell got very strong. I flipped up the hood and the entire right arm of the jacket was on fire.I manage to pull the jacket off without getting burned, but the jacket was literally "toast".Last edited by walkerweld; 04-20-2013 at 08:42 PM.
Reply:Tozzi,I don't know if you remember but a few years ago I had a welder burn up from a fire watch hand putting hydraulic fluid soaked rags next to the welder.  I was welding on a log loader.  All that oil soaked chip under the loader and the oil and dirt caked on the outside of it made for some interesting work.Glad you are okay!