Dust collection for metal working dust

[Weekend Warrior Welding]

Is there a good dust collection system for metal dust from grinding that anyone can recommend for a home shop/garage? I'm on a limited budget but am perfectly willing and able to fabricate components and wire up a control system.

 

[PNWguy]

Bench grinder or angle grinder?

 

[Weekend Warrior Welding]

Bench grinder, belt sander, chop saw, band saw, and several angle grinders. Not sure if it's possible with an angle grinder but open to all suggestions.

 

[rayra]

5gal bucket half full of water, under the stream of hot metal bits.*

'dust collection', high oxygenated air flow, hot bits of metal, air-permeable cloth or plastic membrane = terrible idea / great way to start a fire.


* just did something similar, while shaping stone for my grill counter project. Set things up so all the hot grit and dust was directed into a half-full bucket and it really cut down on the mess. I should have taken a better pic of the built up crud of wet debris just about the water surface, where water and dust were splashing around. Worked great.

 

[Weekend Warrior Welding]

I was thinking of doing that and still hooking it up to the vacuum system, kind of like a water bong / hookah. Thoughts?

 

[Nowater]

Sprinkle some fine iron fillings over a candle flame to see just how combustible metal can be. Putting hot metal pieces in a plastic shop vacuum cleaner along with other common shop found debris may not be such a good idea.

Use a magnet where you can. Put the magnet in a plastic baggie and turn it inside out to remove the iron dust.

Or work over a bucket of water.

Take your work outside.

Wish I had better ideas!

 

[MushCreek]

Machine shops use central systems and duct work. I had a Torit unit in my shop. No fire danger, as they are designed for that usage. Expensive unless you find a deal on a used one.

 

[mike93lx]

Machine shops use central systems and duct work. I had a Torit unit in my shop. No fire danger, as they are designed for that usage. Expensive unless you find a deal on a used one.

We have a couple dozen torits. Cheapest was probably 25k. Most expensive was over 500k. Maybe they make cheaper ones, but they are not inexpensive for sure

 

[mike93lx]

Is there a good dust collection system for metal dust from grinding that anyone can recommend for a home shop/garage? I'm on a limited budget but am perfectly willing and able to fabricate components and wire up a control system.

Maybe an ash vac would work. Although I think I would just try to separate the grinding, use a respirator and maybe an air cleaner for the really fine stuff

 

[MushCreek]

I had a small Torit, maybe 5 hp. I got it for $200 at a machinery auction.

 

[Weekend Warrior Welding]

I think I've got it figured out. I will put a "Y" near the vacuum intake, with one branch for wood dust. The other branch I will use for metal grinding. I'll use the bucket with water, like a water bong, to put out any hot metal. I'll use the magnet after that (GREAT idea, by the way). As an added precaution, whenever I grind metal, I'll empty out the waste to remove any flammable particles. Even though it sounds a tad tedious, I think it sounds a lot easier than vacuuming the whole damn garage every time I want to work on something. Once its done, I'll post pictures/video for comments, especially if anyone sees a safety issue.

 

[rayra]

You could always just make a booth with a tarp. Constrain the mess to a small area. Me, I'm really worried about showering sparks in the same place as my woodworking mess. Too much combustible stuff around in my attached Suburban two-car slash 'workshop'.

Latest upgrade was a rolling tool cart / cabinet which I added a wood work top with threaded inserts so I could dog down my bench grinder and position the hole thing at the mouth of the garage, so the spark shower lands on the bare concrete driveway. Well away from the sawdusty corner where I turn money into sawdust and back into money again.

it's also serving as my crappy wire-feed welding cart

 

[bad_idea]

I have been mulling over this very problem for years.

I also work in ship repair with the USN as our primary customer. I am very familiar with hot work on Navy ships and the hazards associated with it. Lots of fires in recent history, some of which caused a lot of damage. Ships are made of steel, we are highly trained and yet they catch fire fairly regularly. All shop vacs used onboard Navy ships must have a metal body because of this fire. I have worked in that yard, VERY strict yard. I recommend not using a dust collection system for hot work.

In my 30x40 detached garage I plan to frame out a 15x20 room for my 'Fab Shop'. Plan to do all hot work in that room. Will build a grinding/burning table like this. There are many examples on youtube to model after, look up 'downdraft table'. Also plan to put a large exhaust fan pulling the air from the room and exhausting it out the side of the building. This will put the 'fab shop' under negative ventilation and will contain the mess to that room as air will be sucked into the room from any opening.

 

[Weekend Warrior Welding]

Thank you the the great reply. Please post pics as your build progresses. I'd love to see it.

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[bad_idea]

I’m still building the shop. Electrical service is my next step. Will likely be a year or two before I get to really setting up the fab shop. In the mean time I just make one hell of a mess in the corner of my shop.

 

[Weekend Warrior Welding]

One thing that might help you, which wouldn't fit in my limited space is to get a large plastic tub, cut out the bottom, put an air filter in the hole, and hook it up to the shop vac. It would only pick up the black dust if anything.

http://www.homemadetools.net/homemade-powder-coating-booth-7

I found that by searching homemade powder coating both. It may work for collecting some of the dust. Kind of like a small vacuum cabinet for the grinder. Just a thought.

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[Augus7us]

I make knives and metal dust is the bane of my existence, and also a fire hazard.

Sadly for all the stuff you mentioned, those 5 gallon bucket systems don't really cut the mustard in my book. You really need something like a torrit, which based on your comments will not fit in your limited space.

This is discussed quite frequently in knifemaking circles and the best I've seen in your situation is to mount those tools on a bench with castors and move it outside when in use. I've seen quite a few folks do that.

Short of that you could have limited success by dedicating one of those 5gal bucket guys to each tool or build something like a mobile dust collection cart, but then you are looking at the size and $ of a used torrit...

Myself, I built a room in my shop that is sealed up and dedicated to grinding (or will be if I ever finish my new shop...). I will be purchasing a torrit. They pop up used and at auctions frequently for under 500$. Good luck. .

 

[Augus7us]

One other option I've seen and forgot, was to get a decent sized blower and evacuated the dust outside via a hole in your shop. I personally would never do this as I don't want a bunch of rust and metal shavings all over my yard and the side of my barn. But its cheap and I've seen a lot of people do this.

 

[bad_idea]

One other option I've seen and forgot, was to get a decent sized blower and evacuated the dust outside via a hole in your shop. I personally would never do this as I don't want a bunch of rust and metal shavings all over my yard and the side of my barn. But its cheap and I've seen a lot of people do this.

That’s my plan. Plan to run the duct out the side of the shop into the side yard. That area of the yard is dead space anyways. Plan to have the exhaust exit low on the wall to minimize rust on the siding.

 

[SGKent]

Remember the Hindenburg? One prevalent theory is that the aluminum in the skin caught fire. Ever light the corner of steel wool pad? Ever read about the use of aluminum dust in explosives? It isn't just the hot metal that is the risk. It is all the shavings and dust with lots of air around it. PrestiVac Explosion Proof/Dust Ignition Protected Vacuums and systems were one system I found while researching. No idea of the cost.

 

[Jazz1]

I have a squirrel fan in a box with a washable furnace vent at intake grabbing the dust as air passes through. . ******** amazing how black it gets right now when grinding.

 

[Weekend Warrior Welding]

I think I might try that this weekend. The less black dust in the air for me, my kids, my pets, or my wife to breathe, the better.

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