SPARK LIGHTERS AND WELDING TORCHS

JackEnnisMartin

Well once again I am ranting about safety and to tell you the truth ;I am not going to stop. I was watching a journeyman welder friend of mine the other day and he {in my opinion} committed the cardinal mistake when working with welding torchs. We had come back from lunch and he wanted to start back on an eight inch header he was buiding in one of our schools. He did not have his belt on that he uses -- has a pouch for general stuff and has his sparker attached with a piece of light gauge chain long enough to reach his torch head anytime he needs it.
I guess he just wanted to get sarted and took out his butane lighter{why do welders smoke -can you explain that to me} and lite his cutting torch. I unfortunately come sightly unglued and ask him what the #$% is he doing. He gives me a star that can only be discribed as complete bewilderment. I explain under no circumstances at all -- are you ever to use a butane lighter around welding equipement.I am sure he was not a little bit annoyed being brought up short by an ex welder{ eyes do not have it any more} and he told me so. I expalined that the amount of potential energy in his lighter was completely capable of blowing his head or appendages off. I reminded him of an article in the UA Journial about some poor sod who some how passed the tip of his torch over the plastic on his lighter -- it melted plastic does at 2600 degrees and it became a small and very powerful bomb -- he is no longer around to celebrate the Holidays -- the man was killed instantly.
REMEMBER USE A SPARK LIGHTER IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ONE GET ONE -- IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SPEND THE MONEY ON THE LIGHTER TOP UP YOUR LIFE INSURANCE SO YOU FAMILY HAS SOMETHING TO LIVE ON. No butane lighter company in the world wants thier lighters anywhere any source of extreme heat. Have a great holiday and hug your kids they are the future -- we are the past

JackEnnisMartin

SPARK LIGHTERS AND WELDING TORCHS

Well once again I am ranting about safety and to tell you the truth ;I am not going to stop. I was watching a journeyman welder friend of mine the other day and he {in my opinion} committed the cardinal mistake when working with welding torchs. We had come back from lunch and he wanted to start back on an eight inch header he was buiding in one of our schools. He did not have his belt on that he uses -- has a pouch for general stuff and has his sparker attached with a piece of light gauge chain long enough to reach his torch head anytime he needs it.
I guess he just wanted to get sarted and took out his butane lighter{why do welders smoke -can you explain that to me} and light his cutting torch. I unfortunately come sightly unglued and ask him what the #$% is he doing. He gives me a stare that can only be discribed as complete bewilderment. I explain under no circumstances at all -- are you ever to use a butane lighter around welding equipement.I am sure, he was not a little bit annoyed being brought up short, by an ex welder{ eyes do not have it any more} and he told me so. I explained that the amount of potential energy in his lighter was completely capable of blowing his head or appendages off. I reminded him of an article in the UA Journial about some poor sod who some how passed the tip of his torch over the plastic on his lighter -- it melted ---- plastic does at 2600 degrees and it became a small and very powerful bomb -- he is no longer around to celebrate the Holidays -- the man was killed instantly.
REMEMBER USE A SPARK LIGHTER IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ONE GET ONE -- IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO SPEND THE MONEY ON THE LIGHTER TOP UP YOUR LIFE INSURANCE SO YOU FAMILY HAS SOMETHING TO LIVE ON. No butane lighter company in the world wants their lighters anywhere any source of extreme heat. Have a great holiday and hug your kids they are the future -- we are the past

VivaVegas

This was a great reminder but

> Well once again I am ranting about safety and to

> tell you the truth ;I am not going to stop. I was

> watching a journeyman welder friend of mine the

> other day and he {in my opinion} committed the

> cardinal mistake when working with welding

> torchs. We had come back from lunch and he wanted

> to start back on an eight inch header he was

> buiding in one of our schools. He did not have

> his belt on that he uses -- has a pouch for

> general stuff and has his sparker attached with a

> piece of light gauge chain long enough to reach

> his torch head anytime he needs it. I guess he

> just wanted to get sarted and took out his butane

> lighter{why do welders smoke -can you explain

> that to me} and light his cutting torch. I

> unfortunately come sightly unglued and ask him

> what the #$% is he doing. He gives me a stare

> that can only be discribed as complete

> bewilderment. I explain under no circumstances at

> all -- are you ever to use a butane lighter

> around welding equipement.I am sure, he was not a

> little bit annoyed being brought up short, by an

> ex welder{ eyes do not have it any more} and he

> told me so. I explained that the amount of

> potential energy in his lighter was completely

> capable of blowing his head or appendages off. I

> reminded him of an article in the UA Journial

> about some poor sod who some how passed the tip

> of his torch over the plastic on his lighter --

> it melted ---- plastic does at 2600 degrees and

> it became a small and very powerful bomb -- he is

> no longer around to celebrate the Holidays -- the

> man was killed instantly. REMEMBER USE A SPARK

> LIGHTER IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ONE GET ONE -- IF YOU

> DO NOT WANT TO SPEND THE MONEY ON THE LIGHTER TOP

> UP YOUR LIFE INSURANCE SO YOU FAMILY HAS

> SOMETHING TO LIVE ON. No butane lighter company

> in the world wants their lighters anywhere any

> source of extreme heat. Have a great holiday and

> hug your kids they are the future -- we are the

> past

VivaVegas

This was a great reminder but

if it's all the same to you, I would like to add the following caution. It is extremely unwise to carry one of these lighters anywhere on your person if you are either working with or working around cutting/welding equipment.

Sparks from welding or cutting can find their way into your pockets or through your pants to your pockets without you realizing there is a problem. After all, you are concentrating on the work and have the appropriate dark-coloured eyeware on, do you not?

I have seen guys welding away and not realize their pants are on fire for a while. Sure, the heat eventually alerts them but suppose their was a butane lighter in their pants or shirt pocket that the fire or slag cinder got to before they realized there was a potentially lethal situation?

Please, leave the butane lighter somewhere safe.

VV

Tim Gardner

How about propane and woodstoves?

I would have never guessed a lighter was dangereous. Maybe there are other things I don't know. For example, ...

I've been using a propane soldering torch to light a woodstove. It is so much easier than matches. Is this dangerous?

VivaVegas

Well, I don't know as to what others do,

but I have used a regular hand-held propane plumber's torch to light fires for many years without incident or fear of an incident. If someone has heard of a problem in this regard, I would be real interested to hear about it.

IMO, these devices are safe for this application. Unlike a butane lighter, the canister holding the fuel is steel not plastic. Now, if you accidently dropped the cannister into the fire, that would be a problem. However, if you whipped it out of there in less than a minute then I can't believe that the fire would have enough time to heat the cannister hot enough to create any explosive issues.

Those are my thoughts.

VV

jackchips_2

I have

used one for years when I burn outside in the spring.

Sure will be even more carefull now.

canuckDale

Air Travel

Just reminds me, hindsight being 20/20, how we were allowed to smoke on airplanes. Hmmmm...and drink. We had these travellers, drunk, with lit cigarettes, and cylinders of liquid LPG!
;-)

bob young

how about acetylene " b " tank and a zippo lighter??

MikeB34

why I

Only use zippo's and mini mags. Also those halogen work lights that are like a portable sun---They get hot enough to light Nat Gas. So don't use 1 when repairing a leak. Mini mags are sealed, no spark light sources.

Keep it safe and ahave a safe holiday everyone.

Mike

Art Pittaway

Just like a water heater without a T&P

it's the pressure and fuel energy that makes it blow. A Zippo is a metal case, NO pressure, just fuel saturated cotton, it can burn but NOT explode. A propane tank IS dangerous, but, it is metal and sparks have little effect. Then again, think about a propane bottle on a steel welding table (grounded) and the welder 'accidently' bumps the tank with a live rod, say, 150+ amps. The family will bury what is left in a few days. Same applies to an acetylene tank but they are full of acetone to stabilize it and made with a heavier tank wall. I've been around it all my life and someone once told me that you only lose respect for it once. Keep getting mad at safty mistakes...someone may be around tomarrow to thank you.:) Art

Dave DeFord

It's incredible what some people will do...

I used to work at a place where the guys would clean machinery in a closed space with gasoline in the winter time with a heater hanging from the ceiling. Once again the didn't understand why I would get PO'd. Even if the guy who was welding didn't thank you I bet his wife would.

jim lockard

BBQ lighters

What about the butane BBQ lighter that we use to light standing pilots with now? J.Lockard

Art Pittaway

Look at the design.....

the nose piece is metal and the butane tank is completely enclosed in the handle with your hand around it. The piesio spark is out in the end and unless you set the whole thing on a firing burner, it is relatively safe. Don't drop a pipe wrench on it though. End of the day, I keep two scratchers handy for lighting my torches, a propane torch can light a pilot if you are careful and don't fry the t-couple, and it's longer and gets into the ones that are hard to reach with the BBQ lighter. I'm very wary of fire and the damage it can do. Hindsight is 20/20, and the older I get the more I realize that taking a chance is just not worth the loss. Think safety today and come back to share on the wall tomarrow. Art