STEEL WOOL/RAG/SPARKS=FLAMES!!!!

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murraymadman

murraymadman

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ok, i was in my work shop yesterday grinding away on a frame not paying any attention to the sparks i was shooting off. so i finished for the time being. just as i was going to leave the shop, i thought i smell smoke! so i looked around and sure enough a spark had landed in a basket with .00 steel wool and a rag and it was smoldering like crazy! :eek: whats even worse, they were laying on about 6 cans of spray paint and actually started to melt one of the lids! this was all hanging on the wall above the murray motobike too. it would have all went up like a roman candle if i hadn't caught it. i think i seen a few grey hairs in the mirror this morning! :D
 
I have had steel wool start up before, also while grinding on some steel. I caught it when it first took off as the wool was on my workbench and it was amazing to watch it go. it just keeps feeding itself.

I keep a good sized fire extinguisher handy, plus when Im finished for the day, I make sure to check the garage every 10-15 minutes for the next hour or so to make sure something doesnt take off.

Be safe!!
 
Back when I still lived with my parents, my dad's best friend Ernie, dedided to repair the exhaust on his yamaha 400. The baffles had rusted out, and so had the pipes at the back end.
Ernie decided he could make his own baffles by drilling out lengths of conduit, slid those down the exhaust, and surrounded them with steel wool. He then drilled 2 holes in 2 coffee cans, slid those over the ends of the exhaust, and used hose clamps to secure the whole mess.
I arrived just in time to be voulenteered for the test drive. :D
It sounded nice and quiet on idle, so I took it for a run up the street and back past the house. We lived on a quiet back country gravel road, so by the time I got near the house I was easily doing 70+ mph. As I approached, I saw my dad and Ernie frantically waving me down :roll: Being a typical teen, I thought they were worried about my speed, so I slowed down, turned around, and drove back sedately.
As soon as I shut it down, they started telling me how they could see flames shooting out 4 feet behind me out the pipes.They thought the bike was about to explode! :lol: :shock: :oops:
I looked at the ground to see molten steel wool dripping down from what was left of the patch-job!!
Did I mention Ernie was a newfie? If you dont know what a newfie is, google it for giggles.
So the moral of the story is, while it's a great cleaning tool, keep it away from heat sources of all kinds.
Rick
 
Thanks for the reminder murraymadman. Im glad you picked up on the smoke signal. I too like many have had a few close calls. Ive been looking for a reasonable (cheap LOL) sprinkler or auto extinguisher for my garage shop area. Has this been discussed here? or does anyone have any leads. Thanks murraymadman.....graucho
 
well my scary experiance was wierd. grinding away, next to foam i used to polish some chrome. so it was covered in (flammable) chrome polish. the sparks caught it on fire. i thought, whats that smell? :lol: :shock: i freaked out, grabbed the smoldering foam, and tossed it on the ground, as it was next to a pb can. it burned me. :roll:
 
i have done this by accident too. also watch welding while wearing jeans that have been cut off at the knees and are frayed. i have caught myself on fire twise doing this now i know better :mrgreen:
 
stick some steel wool on a 9 volt battery....or microwave some :D :D :D
....either way, expect fire :mrgreen:
 
im guessing youve not watched mcgyver or mythbusters........
and yeah i know about the frayed jeans and fire(one of my bosses made me use a welding blanket to cover myself after that :roll: )
 
well the worst welding attire ive seen was frayed khakie shorts, flip flops, and a tattered shirt. :roll:
 
:lol: looks like you dress like my best friends dad. :lol:
 
Old Barns burn pretty good also, Back before I had a house of my own, I stored some stuff in my grandmas barn. There was a lady that kept a horse in the basment, she was a smoker.
barnfire.jpg

barn2.jpg

1925.jpg

I had pulled this car out 2 months before the fire
fire0001.jpg

had 25 pedal cars in this part with a 42 Dodge pickup and a MG midget
fire0004.jpg

48 harley 42 harley 36 chevy pickup 38 ford sedan. The Hondas were melted, but that old 45 Harley still cranked over even after the tires were burnt off it.
3burnthogs.jpg

No one was hurt in the fire, not even that .... horse.
 

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