Hello to the group. I would like to share an occurrence that happened to me. I consider myself very safe and cautious when it comes to welding. I keep the workplace clean, clear the area where I’m welding, have a fire extinguisher and water hose available I even think of an escape route out of the garage if things get out of control. After a day of welding I come back and check the garage an hour later to be sure nothing is smoldering.
The sparks off the four inch grinder also gets a lot of respect.
What had happened was as follows. I was welding a fitting with the Oxygen Acetylene torch, completed the weld and promptly turned the torch off. The tanks were still open for I was going to weld some more.
The fitting required some shaping so I started using the 4 inch grinder being aware the direction that the sparks were going. With that done I walked across garage to the workbench passing the welding tanks oblivious of what had happened
Finished with the wire brushing on the motor lathe I was returning to the welding station when I heard a faint noise similar to the sound of a wooden log in the fireplace letting out gas or steam as it heats up.
Looking at the Acetylene tank there was a candle like 1 inch flame flickering off the top of the shut off valve which must have been ignited by the sparks generated by the grinder. Needless to say I quicklyblew it out like a birthday candle and shut the tanks off. Closer examination found the valve cap fitting slightly loose.
I went over the rest of the fittings with soap bubble solution and found them tight and will“preflight†my welding unit more frequently.
The sparks off the four inch grinder also gets a lot of respect.
What had happened was as follows. I was welding a fitting with the Oxygen Acetylene torch, completed the weld and promptly turned the torch off. The tanks were still open for I was going to weld some more.
The fitting required some shaping so I started using the 4 inch grinder being aware the direction that the sparks were going. With that done I walked across garage to the workbench passing the welding tanks oblivious of what had happened
Finished with the wire brushing on the motor lathe I was returning to the welding station when I heard a faint noise similar to the sound of a wooden log in the fireplace letting out gas or steam as it heats up.
Looking at the Acetylene tank there was a candle like 1 inch flame flickering off the top of the shut off valve which must have been ignited by the sparks generated by the grinder. Needless to say I quicklyblew it out like a birthday candle and shut the tanks off. Closer examination found the valve cap fitting slightly loose.
I went over the rest of the fittings with soap bubble solution and found them tight and will“preflight†my welding unit more frequently.
