Is Silica Dust Explosive?

admin

Just made a small temporary sandblasting cabinet (out of scrap plywood....go ahead....slam me!). Anyway, it needs a light inside and I was thinking of hanging an incandescent light bulb (100 watts or so) inside.  Is there danger of the heat from the light causing an explosion?..........tks........no_arc
Reply:No, it's not explosive. Very bad choice for a blasting cabinet.  Silicon dust can cause silicosis and lung cancer.  Use an abrasive designed for a blast cabinet - NOT sand.Link:http://www.silicosis-net.org/silicos...a-exposure.htm
Reply:TSOR is right, silica is silicon dioxide, it has already reacted with oxygen.  But, heed his words about the other dangers!   There are lots of abrasives to use that don't include that risk.  Here's a list from a company that I have had good experience with, I'm not affiliated with them:http://www.tptools.com/dg/183_Abrasi...ing-Media.html
Reply:make certain your cabinet is sealed up tight and take the advice already given regarding your choice of media.  Keep in mind that the longer you use any blasting media, the more worn and smaller the particles will become.  There's nothing good about breathing in small particulates of any kind.  Think about the health hazards associated with whatever it is that you want to remove too.Keep your temporary cabinet temporary.  Put a piece of tempered glass or plexiglass in the top and put your light outside the cabinet.  Use some other blasting media, replace the media frequently, and use good sense when cleaning up the dust generated by the equipment.  (A good HEPA filtered vac, not a compressed air line)
Reply:I'd recommend a good aluminum oxide media.I r 2 a perfessional
Reply:Originally Posted by kbnitI'd recommend a good aluminum oxide media.
Reply:Originally Posted by mooseyeUnless you are cleaning aluminum!!!
Reply:Silica dust wil be very hard on your work. I would use fine glass beads if you want a nice finish. There's nothing wrong with wood for your cabinet so long as you don't blast it with the gun inside of the cabinet.Oh yeah, unless you have a carbide tipped gun the sand will eat your tips up very quickly.Miller Millermatic 252Miller Syncrowave 200Liincoln AC-DC 225Victor O-A Set
Reply:My blaster came from Tractor Supply and had cautions stuck all over it to NOT use sand - but 'garnet' instead.  Guess what the pallets next to the blasters were stacked with?Any thoughts on this?
Reply:Thanks for all the responses.  I was planning on wearing a carbon filter type dust mask and using a shop vac for exhausting the internal dust.  I'll see if I can locate a good local supplier of a blasting media (other than sand), check prices, life expectancy, etc.  Someday, I hope to have a nice steel cabinet, properly lighted, and proerly ventilated.............no_arc
Reply:Originally Posted by no_arcJust made a small temporary sandblasting cabinet (out of scrap plywood....go ahead....slam me!). Anyway, it needs a light inside and I was thinking of hanging an incandescent light bulb (100 watts or so) inside.  Is there danger of the heat from the light causing an explosion?..........tks........no_arc
Reply:If it is non-flamable, it will not burn in any quantity or mixture. It is not a fuel and cannot burn. Doesn't matter if it is a dust or not. Non flammable is non flammable. Most compounded oxides have already reacted with oxygen for the last time when they were created and will no longer react with oxygen (unless forced to do so chemically). Certain non-flammable substances, when heated to a certain point, will chemically and/or molecularly change into other substances (or release other substances) that are flamable. If you have a FLAMMABLE substance, it can explode when pulverized into a dust because it is a flammable substance AND it is mixed in the correct proportion with an oxidizer (air....21% oxygen)By the way, corn and also partially burned fireplace matter is flammable. That's why it will burn.
Reply:I can tell you from experience that extremely fine aluminum dust can be explosive. Ignited by static even. There were other factors, but according to OSHA and every other agency that investigated the incident, aluminum dust was the main cause.
Reply:Aluminum will burn for sure. A fine steel/iron dust will also burn.
Reply:Originally Posted by turboblownAluminum will burn for sure. A fine steel/iron dust will also burn.
Reply:Everything in our universe burns and explodes.
Reply:Time for a Prozac.
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyWell beyond the shop or work place environment and not relative to the context of the original question; "is silica dust explosive?"No it is not. Might it explode when the next asteroid hits? Yes.
Reply:We know air burns.
Reply:Originally Posted by SandyWell beyond the shop or work place environment and not relative to the context of the original question; "is silica dust explosive?"No it is not. Might it explode when the next asteroid hits? Yes.
Reply:When the aliens land, they will bring planet Earth a solution for ARC.
Reply:Lol ^Love welding?  http://industrial-tools-equipment.com