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I almost blew myself up!!! Explosion in the garage...

Posted by Dan Sleep on January 8, 2012 at 4:00pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion

Well, it was actually not that close to an explosion, but it could have been.

I think I knew this already, but had forgotten how much static electricity a belt sander can generate, especially during the winter dry season. The sanding belts can create quite a bit of static, especially when the grit on the sandpaper has worn down.

I have one similar to this one, but with the 5 inch disc sander on the side.

http://www.harborfreight.com/1-inch-x-30-inch-belt-sander-2485.html?utm_medium=cse&utm_source=shoppingdotcom&hft_adv=40014&mr:referralID=c4f4e725-3a3a-11e1-a486-001b2166c2c0

I had just been wiping something down with a rag and some lacquer thinner, and I tossed the rag on the workbench that my sander was sitting on. I went to smooth up a piece of red oak, and when I touched the metal casing to turn it off, there evidently was just enough spark from my finger to ignite the small amount of fumes caused by the solvent rag. It went "whoosh" and I saw a flash of flames. It went out immediately, but had there been a container of solvent nearby, the outcome could have been much worse.

So the moral is, you gotta be careful using flammable stuff in your shop. An ignition source can come from the most unlikely places!

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Replies

  • Ryan Rose January 15, 2012 at 7:44pm

    I have a short temper, so I quite often have a profane heater running when I'm working. Room gets pretty warm....

  • Clock The Wolf January 14, 2012 at 9:52pm

       Uncle John: "...I usually have a profane heater running."

       Okay,  I'm fairly up on things,  but I have no idea what a profane heater is...

       or a sacred one,  for that matter.  I at least hope for your sake that you are

       not planning on using a blasphemous hammer!

    • Uncle John > Clock The Wolf January 15, 2012 at 7:23pm

      Crap.   Owl, maybe it is a proPANE heater.   Hmm, I think maybe a video response to this. Will give it a try tomorrow. 

        

  • Uncle John January 14, 2012 at 6:53pm

    Glad you are okay, Dan. 

    I get a lot of dust flying in my shop I have heard it can explode.  Plus I usually have a profane heater running. 

  • Lee Cooper January 13, 2012 at 7:57am
    Grounding? It might be good practice to think about it?
  • jabes January 12, 2012 at 12:38pm

    you can say that again, mind you the 'winter' so far is a non event,pretty odd, red sky tonight- expect a frost tomorrow, hopeful, POWYS

    Roadkill a.k.a. John Maw said:

    Dan. You always where a bright spark, but that is taking it a bit too far.

    One solution is to live on a relatively small island surrounded by sea (which is, after all, pretty much the definition of an island). We don't have dry seasons. Only wet ones and really wet ones. The only consolation is that it is (much) worse in Wales.

  • Tom January 10, 2012 at 1:21pm

    I told my wife of this story and she related to me that she used to work in a wood refinishing shop. They got solvents in 55 gallon drums. Pails of the stuff were everywhere, rags soaked in the stuff on every bench. AND EVERYONE WITH CIGS HANGING FROM THEIR LIPS !!! She said some of the guys would even throw their butts in pails of solvent figuring the liquid would put out the butt !

    Makes one think, someone was watching over them hey :) Unreal !

    Sort of like hearing someone falling from a plane and getting up and walking away and another slips in the tub and dies.

  • Clock The Wolf January 10, 2012 at 12:12pm

       But the fumes are the best part,  duuuddde!!!  Mannnnnn...

    Tom said:

    Lets not forget about the fumes ! They can be pretty nasty. After reading the posts here, makes me feel even better for ordering my new North dual filter face mask to be used when spraying and sanding  :)

     

    Be SAFE guys.

    We need your continued pics posted to help inspire!!!

  • Thomas Smith January 10, 2012 at 10:03am

    My two cents, always store your flammable solvents in a flammable storage cabinet. It may save your garage or your life.

  • Tom January 10, 2012 at 4:22am

    Lets not forget about the fumes ! They can be pretty nasty. After reading the posts here, makes me feel even better for ordering my new North dual filter face mask to be used when spraying and sanding  :)

     

    Be SAFE guys.

    We need your continued pics posted to help inspire!!!

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