Is there anything I can lay down inside a car to protect from sparks/debris?

[hooblah]

I need a cover of some sort to place inside a car when im doing welding and grinding. I find that sparks and hot bits of metal go everywhere and damage paintwork, windows, upholstery etc, not to mention all the dust and crap getting into all the nooks and crannies.

Ideally i'd like to cover everything, but mainly the floor, dash and windows. What do you guys use?

 

[RonA]

We have used woven glass fibre matting (not the type used with resin to make glass fibre) in the past but I would have thought removing as much of the interior as possible before starting to weld was the way to go.
RonA

 

[ibrooks]

Old fire blankets. Get friendly with someone who inspects fire equipment as they have use-by dates on them so often there is a supply that are no longer allowed to be used as fire suppression/prevention equipment but in reality there's nothing wrong with them. Even if they have been used they are often fine as a spark proof dust sheet.

Iain

 

[hooblah]

Thanks guys, though I fear those items won't be quick or easy to obtain. Is there anything I can get easily and cheaply that will do the job? I need it asap!

 

[daleyd]

Depends how cheap you want - ebay fire blankets - not sure of the quality but they seem cheap enough?

 

[Fazerruss]

Damp towels work very well

 

[wheresmejumper]

Go to a diy type store for a kitchen fireblanket

 

[Justme]

If you making a mess that large I would strip the interior out.

When I used to do loads of cars i used an old type fire blanket.

The new ones just melt so are not as good.

 

[hooblah]

Ok thanks. Whats the difference between the old type and new type?

 

[hooblah]

Yeh I might give the fire blankets a go. Found a bloke selling 5 for £15 on gumtree!

 

[daleyd]

If you making a mess that large I would strip the interior out.

When I used to do loads of cars i used an old type fire blanket.

The new ones just melt so are not as good.

Are you sure!! A fire blanket that melts is just "a blanket"!!

 

[Robotstar5]

Are you sure!! A fire blanket that melts is just "a blanket"!!

Wife had probably swapped them so she could smoke in bed?

 

[BrokenBiker]

old carpet sprayed down with water works well

 

[Sean]

fire blankets cant take weld spatter they end up all holes . Rubber matting even cardboard as long as its vertical the grinder and spatter just bounces off

 

[hooblah]

Cardboard. Why the hell didnt I think of that!?!

 

[daleyd]

I've used cardboard in big open spaces before, to deflect sparks from going somewhere you don't want but take care if using it inside the interior. Same for rubber matting. If a piece of slag or spark sits on it may start to smoulder and catch.

 

[ibrooks]

Ok thanks. Whats the difference between the old type and new type?

Probably asbestos.

Most stuff that used to be great but is now rubbish is down to something that's nasty having been taken out of it.

 

[Jim Davey]

Most welding supply shops sell aluminised woven glass-fibre fire blankets by the metre as that's how we buy it in. Usual width is 1000mm but 1500mm is also available. It's not dirt cheap but it's saved me from causing expensive damage to windscreens and paintwork on so many occasions now it's a no brainier to just use stuff that works.