Safety discussions

We should keep the dangers of closed containers on the hazards list. I was about to take home a 55 gallon drum clearly marked motor oil and noticed a slight expansion or roundness in the lid. I opened the bung hole and was met with air rushing out to release the pressure and the distinct smell of gasoline . I ask the shop foreman about it and he said, oh that one, we used it to transport racing fuel to the track last weekend. We MUST push safety and tell others about the hazards they may encounter.

Many guys don't know how dangerous applying heat to rims can be, whether with a torch to loosen stuck bolts or welding like the videos show. Take a few minutes to watch how fast things can really go bad when pyrolysis gets going when you apply heat to a tire assembly. Your life may depend on it.

Sometimes you get a do over, a break, close call, sometimes you don't..... :( I remember needing to lift a 200lb hammer, that is the head (only)from a Chambersburg 200lb utility with my hoist and go from A to B. Simple enough with a bridge crane but all you got is basicly a rectangle shaped box with a dovetail cut into it, not real easy to grab/rig and I was in a hurry.....Ah Ha! I'll put a Bessy C clamp on the sucker and put the hook through that.....Hmmm, printed on the clamp it sez ''DON'T USE FOR LIFTING'' but shucks, it's only 175 lbs or so (w/o the die)..... B) , I'll be carefull and watch what I'm doing........... :rolleyes: .........It was all going to plan when …

In the New Mexico spring months, we don't receive much rain; we get wind. We have a log chain attached to the driveway gate post and when it's straight out, the wind is blowing. ;) Yesterday, my helper was wire cupping outside when a sudden blast of wind blew his cotton shirt into the cup. I wasn't watching, but I heard a strange sound and an abrupt halt to the operation. Fortunately, no skin was harmed, but his shirt now has a big hole in the front of it. It could've been worse.

One of the most common questions you would all get at demos is, "Do you ever burn yourself?" What is your standard reply to that?? And speaking of burns, yesterday i was careless enough to sustain a very nasty burn. Not at the forge where I had been all morning, but as a result of a slip with an oxy torch. All you experienced smiths would have undoubtedly have been burned in the past and I was wondering what your best recovery treatment is. First response is into the quench tub I guess, but after that ...

It's interesting to note that they are saying the fire that killed the two fire fighters in Boston is being blamed on workers next door installing a railing on the roof. http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2014/04/04/officials-reveal-cause-and-origin-back-bay-fire-that-claimed-lives-boston-firefighters-walsh-and-kennedy/67ijfyKkqAJ0LeaW0o4jGN/story.html?rss_id=Top-GNP&google_editors_picks=true From the sound of it, welding on site was the cause, though the building owners of the building where work was being performed stated they thought the rails would be premade off site. They also say the workers should have applied for a hot work permit before any on site wel…

I apologise if this is not the right forum for this discussion but I am wondering how you guys who do scrap art get on with welding some of the different metals we come across. We have all experienced the toxicity of zinc oxide from welding galvanised stuff. Any gal pieces I want to use in my sculptures get a bath in HCl first. But some of the fumes that come off chrome-moly spanners, some high tensile steels, stuff with nickel coatings etc are a bit suspect and I wonder if they compromise our health. I have an exhaust fan which helps, although I think it exhausts the argon from the mig too. You can't fit a respirator under the welding mask and I'm not sure those small pa…

Everyone knows of the glove eater hand power tools...but even the staionary ones can bite. Didn't properly brace and due to my empty mindedness and thought my fingers were stong enough to hold the piece in place. The drill press yanked the steel pipe cap from my hand and sliced open my left pointer finger, and took a nice chunk out of my nail on that finger as well. Just be aware. I must thank you folks on here that warned me about the gloves... it could of been worse had a glove been present and my hand would of been wraped in the bit, broken wrist no dout. "Do things safely and right the first time, else you may not get a second chance to do it again"

If Jeff Foxworthy was here I would have my sign! :wacko: Cleaning a part last night with a 6" wire wheel on my bench grinder (I know, I know, you never do that right?) anyway, there I was trying to be careful and then BAM!! in the twinkling of an eye I am a canidate for 7 stitches! So for those of you that have not heard this little warning....DO NOT HOLD PART IN HANDS WHILST BUFFING WITH A WIRE WHEEL ON BENCH GRINDER! Picture of the part (still to be cleaned) Picture of 7 stitches!! (a little cleaning here won't hurt either....well, maybe a little :( )

A Greenup Ky was cutting up automobile gas tanks for scrap Monday afternoon when the explosion happened. "I've seen a lot of horrible things on the job," says Deputy Ryan Houston, "This was just tragic. The force of the explosion blew him at least 20 feet." News report - click here. As of Tuesday, Bush was listed in critical condition at Cabell Huntington Hospital's burn unit.

What are all the essential safety precautions i should know before i attempt my first build? Including the equipment and some tips you guys might have, cheers :)

First, Hi :3 second, when I put a bolt in my forge, it changes color with a yellow coating on it. Should I be afraid? Thanks.

This is a good read and a graphic reminder of how bad Hydraulic power can bite! Don't ever use sub standard or damaged fittings...just don't. Click once and read about it, click again and it's very graphic......... http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=3&ved=0CDkQFjAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.insidersecretstohydraulics.com%2Fhydraulics-accident.html&ei=1lJ9UuXSOuqdiAKGiIG4DQ&usg=AFQjCNGvzT2ymBM4AunC1apR_gveJjjpcQ&bvm=bv.56146854,d.cGE&cad=rja

Hi guys, have any of you suffered any injuries as a result of hammering? If so what was the injury and do you know it's root cause? Cheers Andy

There was a thread about a minor injury that happened in the field that resulted in 6 stitches. It got me to thinking about putting a first aid kit together (several actually) to put one in each car, the ATV, tractor, shop, etc just in case of an accident. The box should be about the size of an ammo box or dry box for ammo so it would not get wet etc. It should be able to handle both small scrapes, abrasions, small punctures etc, as well as some provisions for a major incident such as lacerations, deep wounds, broken bones, and bites from spiders and snakes. What do you put inside in order to handle most medical emergencies? AND we need to keep it light weight s…

Yesterday was my latest adventure. Dad had felled a nice red oak that he thought would be good for the bench project I'm working on, so we headed out to the 'back forty' to cut it to length and split in half. It had been down for about a month, but wasn't completely dry by any stretch. We got a good crack started and I put in a fresh-made glut to get things started. I gave said glut a solid whack with the hammer-poll of my hatchet just to set it, and the stupid glut rotated in the crevice, turning my swing and launching the poll of the hatchet into my shin. Quicker than you can blink, there was a xxxxxxx river of blood pouring down my leg. My dad and I just sa…

Hello everyone! I am just starting out doing some smithing...well I have't actually STARTED...but...y'know. It has been a dream of mine since I was a little boy. I was in a place in British Columbia called "Barkerville" and I saw a smithy hammering out a gold-mining pan. It's a memory that will always stick with me. Now that I am older and own my own house and a large garage, I have the means to finally start following that dream... I have began collecting tools and a few pairs of tongs (that I will be resurfacing). I have aquired a few large (3 foot) sections of 1" thick I-Beam that I am going to substitute as an anvil until I manage to acquire one (I have a fr…

The National Heritage Ironwork Group (UK based) has a useful article about lead use in its September newsletter. http://us5.campaign-archive2.com/?u=e66c8df4a95a263910970b069&id=30869f3011&e=575f97e83a#Lead%20and%20You Also interesting discussions about old ironwork. Andrew OC

Good Morning all, I got a bag of blacksmithing coal a few weeks ago and tried it out last night. The good is my forge is out side and not under an overhang. The bad is it is low to the ground, about 2' high. I tried to stay out of the way of all the yellow smoke from the sulfur and green coal but I guess I did not do a good enough job. This morning I feel a shortness of breath but no burning or dryness I have read about. So do I need to go to the doctor where I will, no doubt get a chest x-ray, since they got to pay for the device some how, or should I see how I feel tomorrow?

Just a good warning to all of you who deal with O2 regularly. I see a lot of people who are very cavalier about handling O2. 100% O2 is not to be taken lightly. It's more dangerous than Acet in many cases. Everything burns in the presence of HP 100% O2. Thought I'd post these picts and let you all see what happened to me back in July of 2004. For the record I am trained in O2 cleaning for Hp O2 service and special procedures for gas mixing so I knew what I was doing at the time. Several years ago I worked part time for a dive shop. We frequently tranfilled O2 using the booster pump in the photos. I was mixing gas for our bank system. Hook up a new bottle of O2 to th…

Before setting up and firing my 1st forge I'm trying to get as much safety info as possible. This is supposed to be fun, not deadly, and even though sometimes tempting death can be fun, playing with this kind of heat isn't/shouldn't be one of those times haha. Here's my current locational setup. I'll be forging in my garage (attached to the house). Asside from the roll-up door there is the door into the house and 1 window. My wife and I smoke out there now so the window is always open and we have one of the window mounted double fans in there blowing out acting as an exhaust for both the smoke and heat. I am not sure if that fan will be suffecient to exhaust the …

Please be aware that when you turn off your forge it's still HOT. Nearly burnt down my shop yesterday.

Well Ive got questions for you folks afflicted with arthritis? Not nessasarily caused by smithing but arthritis in general..Well we know that swinging a hammer isnt easy on an arthiritic joint..Is there any arthritis meds that you have tried that helps? Now of course if you would like to Pm me instead of posting this please do..I just dont know where else to ask..Lisa is suffereing from it and I do too..Ive actually got it in my thumb joint..The medication I take lossenes up the joint but dosnt take away the pain..Any tips there? Its something that runs in both our familys..Im almost to the point of getting a cortisone shot for it..Any help or tips would be appreciated..I…

Hi guys, I just got my first propane burner. gonna try to rig up a propane forge rather than burning charcoal all the time. I've got a regulator that feeds a hose which is connected at the other end to a needle valve, a T for connecting a gauge, and then it goes into the actual burner. My question (I'm new to propane) is do i need to (and how do i) seal the threads on the connections. Can I solder them? Thanks

I realized yesterday that my acetylene tank (B size) was leaking, so I put the cap on it and set it outside. I'm now faced with the dilemma of having to drive a leaking tank in heavy traffic for about 45 minutes tomorrow to return it to where I purchased it. My question is this: Is it safe to open the valve and just let all the acetylene leak out (outdoors) before putting it in the car? I just got the tank last week so it's pretty full.