outfitting home garage for welding

[Jack Olsen]

...all of the fire guys told me to stress putting the extinguishers by an exit, not where you expect the fire to start.

Or two.

 

[PCO6]

Or two.

I agree ... two. One for you and one for whoever you have been yelling "FIRE" to.

 

[Short Round]

and you if you have a fire, a honest to goodness fire, the first extinguisher will be empty before you know it.

I work LE and have always had a mandate to have an extinguisher in the car. For car fires they're nearly useless once the fire gets started. With a big extinguisher you often get just about there putting it out just as they run out. The little ones they buy now to save money and still hit the check list are a joke. They can put out your cigarette maybe.

Seeing two decent sized extinguishers in your shop is smart.

 

[Blazinzuk]

So I understand the safety issues and by all means be as safe as reasonably possible.

EYES OPEN is literally the best safety advice I could give you. No matter how far you go with cleanliness there will always be a combustible somewhere that may start on fire.

When I weld flux I use a fan to blow off the smoke and turn it off right away so nothing fans the flames. I stop welding my next move is turn the fan off.

I have in the past used fire extinguisher to their designed purpose. If you weld alot in a home garage eventually something is gonna catch.

In all reality if your a decent welder the sparks don't go very far and its easy to plan and clear the area. Grinding continually is more dangerous IMHO. Cutting torch is by far the most likely to set something on fire.

So clear the area. Make sure anything that might have explosive fumes is put away. Fire extinguisher in an accessible area. EYES OPEN ! If you expect something to be on fire after you weld then it's doubtful anything will get past you

 

[racer8432955]

As other have mentioned, don't leave right after making sparks. I always, no matter what, stay for a 1/2 hour fire watch (minimum).
I always have a few gallons of water, a good fire extinguisher, and some sand to. but first I look all around to see that no excelerants are in the area.

 

[sberry]

Despite contrary believe welding on a piece cleaned with brake cleaner wont kill everyone. The **** is nasty period and I try to take something outdoors to use it. The stuff is super fine and hangs around in the air, liquid and vapors combine with arc to make gasses. Once its dried off and ventilated its safe to work on.
I can smell it react with the heater in my office, in a small garage its 10X as bad while its hanging around in the air.

 

[Jarhead0408]

Color me grateful for the OP starting this thread.

I just bought a Lincoln 210 MP to start welding.

Thanks to this thread there are quite a few things to consider and change before I fire it up the first time.

Thanks a million to all those giving us beginners some safe advice.

 

[PoorOwner]

the welding blankets have grommets so hanging them from the ceiling isn't so bad. Just need 4 of them maybe an extra for the floor

 

[tdcisco1]

in regard to chlorinated cleaners ; at work last fall we had the furnace guy in for a fall tune-up on the waste oil burner. when finished he pointed out the stainless exhaust flue was seriously pitted. he said thats common in garages that use large amounts of chlorinated cleaner !!! I had been bitching at the shop foreman to get rid of that **** for a while,mission accomplished now. if its eating stainless whats it doing to you ?

 

[Kennybill]

Lots of good answers in this thread. I keep 2 fire extinguishers plus a bucket of water and a pressurized backpack sprayer with water ready to go. School yourself on proper fire extinguisher use. One can never be to careful when it comes to fire.

 

[matt_i]

The best way to avoid a fire is with a tig welder Seriously, no sparks, no wandering metal balls. A cutting or heating torch is what scares me most. Second would be a 6" cutoff wheel on a Metabo or the like. Mig welder after that, especially if you have a ton of metal being thrown around on a high-amp welder that is slightly out of parameter adjustment.

 

[92GreenYJ]

When I built my workbench wall I set the welding area up at the end closest to the garage door. The pegboard divider between the welding table and the next section of bench actually has some thin sheet steel sandwiched between it and the pegboard on the other side to keep sparks and such from getting over to the next bench.

 

[bczygan]

An old thread, but a good one.

I always wondered why I liked the smell of brake cleaner...

And welding and grinding..and fire?

I was grinding in the back of my van. Won't be doing that anymore.

And the welding and fire precautions.....well, some new info for me.

Who makes good welding blankets?

Bill

 

[Crazyjake8493]

I only TIG weld indoors. If I really need to stick weld something, I'll wait for a nice day and do it out in the driveway.

 

[crewchief888]

i've had one fire in the garage, it was grinding, not welding.

my shirt was the only casualty...

 

[brianw74]

As I piece together my amateur fab area in a corner of my shop, I am humbled by the education I just received by reading this thread. I am grateful, without going into details, there is are 3 young kids that have a dad still due to this information. Thank You!

 

[gtae07]

Had a pucker/you-******* moment once... was cutting a pipe with an abrasive cutoff saw and didn't think about the sparks... till I looked up and saw it was throwing the sparks right at the two 5 gallon gas cans

I got a little smarter after that.



Just acquired a TIG welder and am starting to learn how to use it, so this thread is of special interest.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

The best way to avoid a fire is with a tig welder Seriously, no sparks, no wandering metal balls. A cutting or heating torch is what scares me most. Second would be a 6" cutoff wheel on a Metabo or the like. Mig welder after that, especially if you have a ton of metal being thrown around on a high-amp welder that is slightly out of parameter adjustment.

I'm with you on this one! I don't do any mig welding, I tig 95% of what I do, and for thick, painted, rusty stuff I'll wait and do it outside. I also do all cutting/grinding outside during the day, and tig weld inside at night. If time permits, that is. I used to have oxy/acet bottles and a cutting torch, and when I got my tig welder I traded in my tanks for argon (tig) and co2 (kegerator) tanks. Just bought a plasma cutter, which I only use out in the driveway for now, until I build a proper cutting table to use inside.

 

[Kula]

I have a decent exhaust fan in my shop, but recently bought a Breathe Cool forced air system. I have only used it once, but think I am really going to enjoy longer stints welding stuff when I don't have to think that I am impairing my health in pursuit of my hobbies. I also hung a welding blanket around my area to help keep sparks from going far. I roll it up when not in use (It is hung from the ceiling). Good thread , always enjoy reading tips in regards to safe practices.

 

[Homerr]

Read this http://www.brewracingframes.com/safety-alert-brake-cleaner--phosgene-gas.html then read it again.

....

Wow! I updated the link above.

When it comes to safety you should always know where a reference is. I use American Welding Society mostly.
http://www.aws.org/technical/facts/

Bookmarked!

 

[A**holes Garage]

I use welding blankets for the floor and I made a hinged welding curtain to surround my work.