Fire!

[7oaks]

A lesson for anyone as stupid as me, think about safety first. I was MIG welding inside my car and had forgotten I also had a bottle of Acetone inside that I had used to clean the metal. Up until that point I always checked to make sure I had not left it in the car before welding but this time I didn't. A spark ignited the bottle even though it had the cap on and went up in flames, a few seconds of panicking (felt longer) then found the fire extinguisher and all was OK, no harm done but major lesson learned.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

for anyone as stupid as me

Some of us would definitely fall into that category , but at least you had an extinguisher to hand - the potential doesn't bear thinking about.

 

[Kram]

You had some good practise. The lesson will be learned more when cleaning up the mess, powder type?

 

[7oaks]

You had some good practise. The lesson will be learned more when cleaning up the mess, powder type?

Yep, only sprayed it on the flames but it somehow covered the entire garage!

 

[Anguz]

keep the bog roll handy for a while................................................

 

[Nomad]

I've done a lot of diy mot patching on older cars over the years and my sessions now have 2 essentials :
A large bucket of water and a sponge or rag (catch fire quickly and you don't need a lot of water to put it out), a fire extinguisher or hosepipe are handy as extra precautions.
15 minute "firewatch" when I've finished welding to catch any smouldering material (this was invaluable when welding A-posts on a Triumph 2000, I could smell burning for a long time after I'd stopped, eventually traced to horse hair sound deadening inside the pillar that was smouldering)

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Yep, only sprayed it on the flames but it somehow covered the entire garage!

You will be cleaning ABC powder for years.

keep the bog roll handy for a while................................................

Make sure it is tripple ply and super soft.

 

[jerrytug]

Well done for having the extinguisher handy and tackling the fire.
Maybe get foam (AFFF) instead of dry powder as a replacement.

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Well done for having the extinguisher handy and tackling the fire.
Maybe get foam (AFFF) instead of dry powder as a replacement.

You have spares now.

I will add, get a 2KGCO2 as well.

 

[dave h 2]

I've done a lot of diy mot patching on older cars over the years and my sessions now have 2 essentials :
A large bucket of water and a sponge or rag (catch fire quickly and you don't need a lot of water to put it out), a fire extinguisher or hosepipe are handy as extra precautions.
15 minute "firewatch" when I've finished welding to catch any smouldering material (this was invaluable when welding A-posts on a Triumph 2000, I could smell burning for a long time after I'd stopped, eventually traced to horse hair sound deadening inside the pillar that was smouldering)

I've found a kitchen spray bottle set on mist more effective than the sponge when you forget to move the sound proofing.

 

[fizzy]

When I was 14 - mother out. I fell asleep and left a saucepan on the halogen hob.
Woke up about 2 hours later. Nasty hot smell. The glass pan had boiled dry. Was fine though. Hob still lit up.
Right next to the cooker I had left a 5L plastic can of model aeroplane fuel on the draining board. Plastic had gone all soft and squishy.
75% methanol 20% castor and 5% nitromethane

 

[Wallace]

Glo

75% methanol 20% castor and 5% nitromethane

Glow plug fuel? I was using it to speed up lighting the open fire in our bedroom as a kid, usually by throwing a bit in as it flared up nicely, right up the chimney!
Showoff me chucked an ice cream tub with about 250ml in one night to show my mates how well it went. Woof would be an understatement.
A big coiling fireball of vapour rolled up the chimney breast and licked across the ceiling, luckily petering out. I was now on my back watching the B-17 model being chased by a Fw190 hanging from the ceiling with a cotton wool vapour trail painted with Humbrol flames that was now really on fire!

 

[fizzy]

I suppose I had an excuse as a kid for being dumb and stupid.
About 5 years ago I was living in a lovely old farmhouse with a massive medieval chimney.
One Christmas I decided on a great way to dispose of the old Christmas tree

The noise was incredible - as was the amount of smoke from a cold chimney

 

[addjunkie]

A lesson for anyone as stupid as me, think about safety first. I was MIG welding inside my car and had forgotten I also had a bottle of Acetone inside that I had used to clean the metal. Up until that point I always checked to make sure I had not left it in the car before welding but this time I didn't. A spark ignited the bottle even though it had the cap on and went up in flames, a few seconds of panicking (felt longer) then found the fire extinguisher and all was OK, no harm done but major lesson learned.

Good job you put it out, but what were you trying to clean off with acetone. I find a flap disc give clean metal

 

[bricol]

Good job you put it out, but what were you trying to clean off with acetone. I find a flap disc give clean metal

I was thinking the same - never cleaned metal with solvent prior to welding up cars.

Maybe before painting.

 

[premmington]

Workshop rules are:

No welding/cutting/heating in the last hour of business hours (plus any rusty car that has been welded should go outside the minute it is finished).

Sensible rules!

 

[brightspark]

You had some good practise. The lesson will be learned more when cleaning up the mess, powder type?

went to put some wiring right in a pub a few meter tails melted. the db s switches and everything covered in powder the useless sods sprayed it all with powder had to renew the whole lot

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

went to put some wiring right in a pub a few meter tails melted. the db s switches and everything covered in powder the useless sods sprayed it all with powder had to renew the whole lot

Best I had was some one who didn't know what they were doing on a Nu Swift 9kg Powder extinguisher. Set it off in a Electrical Shop.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

keep the bog roll handy for a while................................................

Never heard of that extinguishing a fire.

 

[Barking Mat]

Came home from work yesterday evening, turns out wife had a minor electrical fire, thé magic smoke had escaped from her Iron lead, it only get used anually.