Safety discussions

I've been looking up meat smoking info and they say conifers, with the resins, are dangerous to use to toxic to whatever. Other species of trees too. There's no real connection between sites for safe woods other than the standard ones you can buy at the markets. I'm wondering how many really are dangerous and how many are because someone else said so. Especially with so many people making their own charcoal.

My wife is 2 months pregnant and would like do a little smithing with me in my new smithy. She has followed courses before. We are using a coal forge and regular steel. Is anybody aware of possible risks / hazards related to pregnancy ? I am planning to have her out of the smithy while I light up the fire and do other stuff that produces smoke. I don't see how the usual heating and hammering could be risky, but I am wondering...

I found this article concerning Pacemakers and Welding on the AWS (American Welding Society) web site. Those with pacemakers or heart conditions may want to read the article.

A new thread posted today by Johannes has brought to mind a subject that I feel is of particular importance to newbies and young Blacksmiths. That is the issue of your health and Blacksmithing. In Johannes case he didn't say that he received his injury in his forge, but the type of work he does in there can aggravate it and greatly extend his healing process. Frosty has stated that he was injured at one time but started back to work in his forge much too soon and ended up with a far longer recovery period than he would have if he hadn't pushed it. A lot of us have probably done the same thing, particularly when we were younger (and more or less invincible...in our own m…

Has anyone ever warmed their propane tank to keep it from freezing? I thought about using a pad heater like we use on a race car oil tank or maybe a battery blanket. Any ideas or comments?

I was wondering if anyone new exactly how dangerous the mildly radioactive TIG electrodes can be. If handled too often, is radiation poisoning possible?

OK I understand that you need to wear a respirator when forge welding, and to stay away from galvanized metals and zinc, period. But what about when I forge (charcoal), or use my belt sander and grinder? Do you still need to wear one? I have yet to see anyone use them yet in a video while forging, but I want to make sure. Thanks, Jim

compiled from Friday night Knife Chat Feb, 06,09 [steve sells]tonight we are covering Safety in the knife shop. I must state I am a slob but we MUST keep out floor clean, and swept tripping with a 2000F blade in our hands and falling can be annoying., a grinder or saw vibrating off can kill us. Since I build my new shop I have most everything bolted in place, but a C clamp works well too my chop I used C clamps as I move it a lot. Ever use a drill press and have it grab the stock ? my press had a machinists vise, I also have to use C clamps. [markb] I have a lot of tools on wheeled carts but then there are cords all over the floor , not good, so I thought about outl…

I hope i can post this here. My brother brought up a question to me about the light intensity in his brake drom forge. He said that the light of the crucibal in the brake drum forge was bright the most briliiant white light he has seen. He and I are wondering if we should use tinted safty glasses. We have safety glasses that are clear. He said to that usually he keeps it coverd with coal but sometimes it isn't. Any info please. I did tell him that our Grandfather(steel worker) had safety glasses that were tinted when he worked with the charging car and had to look into the open harth. My grandmother told me this becaue the frurnace was so bright. I am also won…

I worked in places that had propane forklifts and heaters and was always told that propane exhaust is not harmful. I wonder? I put a long day in burnin and pounding yesterday. When I was finished I ate and went right to bed. I figured I was just tired from workin all day....I wonder because today I have had a small dull headache and also been tired still. I run a single burner in a none insulated garage. There are two doors (garage type) that I keep 3-4 inches open and I have a man door open to the outside in another room. I thought that would be plenty of air but today I am not so sure. Otherwise I feel fine. So I think I am putting a sensor of some sort in there just to…

I picked up a bottle of boric acid today after reading several posts where someone recomended it as a 'flux booster. So I got to thinking....."Is this stuff safe to use in the forge?" I did a little net surfing and came up with this link; BORIC ACID So what do you guys think? Is it safe?

1. Horses Are Large Animals With The I.q. Of A Retarded Dog. 2. I Love Horses Anyway! 3. I'm Look'n At Tucker's Hoof; Bigu'n Don't Like Tucker! 4. Bigu'n Chases Tucker . 5.tucker Spins Me Into The Ground Like A Lawn Dart! 6. Yep I'm Look'n At Surgury # 3 On The Old Right Knee! 7. Moral Seperate The Horses And Tie Them When You Play Vet!

Something about Bellew's question on the merits of cutting a gas tank vs. fixing a 55 Gl drum really got to me. He asked a good question and got some really good advice for and against the merits of such an indeaver. The part that got me was the with-holding of information on how to SAFELY do this. As blacksmiths and people that work with our hands and minds, questions of this sort will always come up. I don't find it wise to with-hold information that can make someone's project more safe or successful. If they are committed and serious about doing what they are questioning, no level of discouragement is going to stop them. It is their choice, hopefully armed with th…

How do I know what metal is safe to work with? (it shoudldn't be galvanized etc) And how do I ensure my workplace is properly ventilated? Is working outside sufficient ventilation? And what is the proper respirator cartridge to use when dealing with metallic dust fumes vapours and gasses? Thank You! Im new here :)

This morning I was cutting out some plywood templates for the glass for a set of fireplace doors. The magnetic switch on the bandsaw in my woodshop was acting funny, so when I was done,I disconnected the power, pulled the cover to clean out the sawdust that manages to get in and sometimes causes problems. I blew out the dust and for good measure sprayed the guts of the switch with electrical contact cleaner. I blew it out again , wiped things dry and waited a couple of minutes before putting the cover back on. I plugged the saw back in, pushed the on button and the whole switch box burst into flame ! I tried to smoother the fire with a rag ,but this did not work at all.…

Having recently purchased a sale bulk pack of grinding discs, and the results from that, I feel it important to advise everyone about the quality control of items that are not common name brands. Normally, the discs I purchase for my 8" Makita angle grinder were either Norton or Walter brand. These discs remove material very well, produce comparitively minimal dust, and last quite long. I happened across a bulk pack of ten grinding discs for a price that I felt may give me some cost savings (I, like everyone else, has to be vigilant for econoomy). The first disc I installed on the grinder was severely out of balance, even though visually it displayed no runout when …

Hi all, I was reading another thread called "first forge" and some of you kind of spooked me with the vapor comments. I pretty much educated myself via the internet about safety at work dealing with fumes, being I started out as an iron worker / welder. Of course I've welded miles of galvanized metal, and tried my best to keep my head out of the plum, but working inside with nothing but a MIG welder that gets kind of hard to do. I've never really suffered from anything like metal smoke fever or anything other than a cough and a scratchy throat after a long day with poor ventilation. If there's any long term damage or anything that might pop up a few years from now that s…

Not long ago, I had a railroad spike knife yanked from my hand swung around the buffing wheel, and thrown back into my left shoulder. I always stand just slightly off to the side, and this time it really paid off. Fortunately the blunt handle came first, and thus I was spared a trip to Dr. Riggs, but man what a bruise, and a wakeup. Now I understand what those cute little knive vices are for! I was always told the wire wheel is the most dangerous tool in the shop, but now, I believe it has a rival in my mind, same danger, different medium. As I am fairly new, I would like to alert any other new knife makers, clamp when buffing, sheesh, I almost wet myself, and of course, …

Hi everyone New to the site and would really welcome some advice. Anyone out there completed a Risk Assessment for operating and working with forge? I work in Safety and can identify the common hazards - heat, sparks, scald, ventilation, electrical, slip, trips etc but as not my area of expertise would welcome any advice if anyone has done one. Forge is coke fired and being commissioned for our contracted farrier. Many thanks

What precautions do you take to lock out or disable equipment that is broken, dangerous, or being repaired. For instance the welder that you drained the oil but got called away before you could replace the oil drain plug, the filter, or the oil. Yes, turn the key and fry the engine.

a word of warning about clay. any type of clay used to seal or for any use in your forge for that matter must be left to dry for at least 5 days (+or- depending on size) before fireing...or it will explode from steam and send hot chunks of clay and charcoal flying everywere burnings stuff including but not limited to, your favorite shirt, plastic tarps, the fence, grass and screens on windows....as an aditional note hairjell burns fairly vigorously as well....so ya be careful FIN

If you built your own shop, or just in general, should you still work during a thunderstorm with lighting, cuz your shop if it get's struck it gonna be a huge conductor with all of the metal. What are your thoughts. I figure if it's like a garage that professionals made and you turned it into a shop, you'd be safe. What are your thoughts?

I always wear steeltoe leather boots in the shop, heck I keep them hanging in the shop ( keeps the mice out of them). Well monday I got lazy wore flip flops down to shop. Stop I know what your thinking, I am not that lazy. I did put on my boots but I didn't lace them up:(<--- dummy. It gets worse I tucked my pants in to them. To make a long story short I was torch cutting a 2" prop shaft from a lobster boat when you guessed, big old gob of white hot slag bounces down my pant leg and into my boot. I proceded to do the my foots on fire dance over to my slack tub which is a beer keg with the top cut off. Boy that was the longest 5' I have ever run. Now any shoe I wear is …

Anhydrous Ammonia and Propane Cylinders It has come to the attention of the National Propane Gas Association that propane cylinders are being used in the manufacturing of Methamphetamines. This drug is commonly referred to as 'crank'. Manufacturers of this illegal substance are using propane cylinders for the storage and the use of anhydrous ammonia. These cylinders have been found in many states at cylinder exchange and refilling locations as well as in hotel rooms and mobile laboratories, where the manufacturing of this illegal substance takes place. As observed in the illustrations, a blue-green stain on any brass portion of a service valve is evidence that i…

I am sitting in a dark room with my GUI altered to black and dark grays, A bottle of Gatifioxacin Ophthalmic Solution, one pupil artificially dilated, a hole in my eye and a few pointers on avoiding this particular situation. I love what I do and where I work, I live within a firestorm of flying incandescent metal. Everyone has both eye and ear protection on at all times. We are all very aware of exactly where we send those sparks flying, but sometime the unexpected occurs. In my case I got a ricochet off a table and up behind my safety glasses. The trajectory was roughly parallel to my face. Here is the first important fact. 1. More often than not cold steel particles…