Sparks/slag in your garage

[1966chevelle]

I am in the process of planning out my garage now. I have read a lot about what people put on the inside of the garage walls. I am pretty sure I am going with metal since I can’t/don’t know how to finish drywall correctly. My question is what do you guys due about sparks and slag? Do you just put the metal right on top of the concrete or due you install a piece of trim or what? I am not sure if I am going to spray foam the wall or just install insulation myself but I am a little worried about slag/sparks getting to the insulation.
Thanks

 

[73RR]

Put up the sheetrock to act as a fire barrier then cover with tin if you need/want to. You can also buy welding curtains reasonably cheap at HFT and hang them on the wall.

 

[Kaizen]

I added a one foot knee wall so nothing gets under there and smolders. grinding can throw sparks/slag quite a ways. for one of my bays i'm going to use shelving to create an alcove surrounded by metal for metal work. I've been doing car restoration in a tent garage and never had anything go through the plastic.

 

[matt_i]

I would bend a piece of trim in an "L" shape slipped behind the wall metal. You could seal this to the floor with polyurethane or silicone. If you make it 3" tall in the back it would be very difficult for a spark to climb that high in my opinion.

Another option is to use Roxul for the bottom 16" or so (its actually 15-1/4" wide to fit in a 16" o.c. stud wall). That is completely non flammable, basically being made from a material that's equivalent to a stone.

 

[1966chevelle]

I would bend a piece of trim in an "L" shape slipped behind the wall metal. You could seal this to the floor with polyurethane or silicone. If you make it 3" tall in the back it would be very difficult for a spark to climb that high in my opinion.

This is pretty much what I was thinking but didn't know if anyone else had any other ideas or did something different. Thanks

 

[ejkuhl]

I would think sparks/slag getting to bare wood would be more of a concern than any insulation. Commercially available insulation isn't very combustable. It will burn in a fire but is tough to ignite.

 

[lakeroadster]

The first shop I worked at back in the early 1980's was a turn of the century wood frame building, with wooden floors. It reminded me of The Henry Ford Museum. Even had the old flat belt pulley systems in the rafters.

They threw down pieces of 1/4" plate on the floors in the welding bays.

The guys fabricated and welded all day long, surrounded by old wooden timbers.

Never had a fire, the place is still there.

My point... It is very difficult to start a fire with sparks and slag.

That's no excuse for not being cautious, just a real world observation.

 

[-Brent-]

I wanted to comment on hanging drywall. There's enough information on YouTub to get you up to speed pretty quickly. It's not a difficult task for the DIYer, at all. Making it look like a level 5 finish isn't necessary but making it look good really just takes a little trial and error and dust. Don't be scared of it is my point.

 

[Reg1952]

Just a word about sparks. My Dad lost his shop and half his house from a welding spark that caught fire in the middle of the night.

 

[isb cornbinder]

A few years ago I was grinding on some project outside of the shop. My son got into a panic about the dry grass having caught on fire. He put the fire down with a garden hose spray. I have had my jeans catch on fire one time. My friend set his belt length hair and beard on fire two years ago. His son tipped a bucket of dirty water over his Dad's head.
About 55 years ago, in the small town we lived in, the local machine and blacksmith shop owner was cutting out the ends of some empty fuel barrels when one of the barrels blew up. The pressure wave blew the cinder-block wall out and the steel girder roof fell straight down. The owner of the shop was killed and his employees were saved when the lathe and milling machine stopped the roof fall.

 

[1966chevelle]

My buddy lost his body shop to welding slag about 20 years ago. A spark rolled into the office area and underneath the drywall and caught the studs on fire. He left the shop at 6pm and returned at 7 am to find smoke coming out of the building. Ever since then I have been worried about slag and sparks.

 

[MagKarl]

I have a side shed carport roof on my barn with concrete floor specifically for torch, grinding, and welding jobs. I prefer to keep the mess and risk outside for the most part.

 

[moneypit_k5]

I pay attention to where my sparks go, and direct them in the same direction. Partly because I want a smaller mess, partly because I want no fires.

Risk mitigation goes a long ways. But vigilance and common sense go even further.

 

[ToolHoarder]

Damn....you guys make want to sell my grinder and mig welder now. I won't be able to sleep at night.

 

[moneypit_k5]

Damn....you guys make want to sell my grinder and mig welder now. I won't be able to sleep at night.

Meh, go walk around a few commercial shops and see what theyve got going on.

If folks go around thinking of all the things that can go wrong, they would be scared to leave their bed. unless they are worried that a tree would fall across their bedroom. then safety is nowhere

 

[crewchief888]

ive set myself on fire more times than i want to admit,

the garage is still standing...