We're glad you still here, also
SE

RainLover wrote:

Good Morning everyone,

I thought I'd take a break from my sculpture-building activities to
convey a warning to everyone. The names have not been changed... I'm
not innocent and need no protecting (although my wife would disagree
about that last part)

I've been working on a sculpture for the last week. I'm using an 3'
bronze oval shape to connect two halves of stainless steel. To make
this oval, I actually have a 'center' piece and a left and right piece
since I didn't want to cut huge slots through the stainless pieces and
insert one whole oval.

Okay... agreed none of this has anything to do with my warning, but I
don't get out much and consider all of you to be my best friend
(scary, huh?).

So, in order to line up the oval, I used spacers on all three sides of
the sculpture so they'd all be the same height off the table... 9 1/2"
to be exact. Now, did you know that spray paint cans are exactly 9
1/2" when sitting on chunks of 2 x 4's?

Yeah, you THINK you know where this is going, but you'd be WRONG.

I was spacing, taking using MIG and TIG... maybe 4 tacks before I'd
remove the cans and tack it in place good. No Problems. . . Now, I
have to say here that I was using the "lift start" feature on the TIG
since I couldn't get to the foot control... worked like a charm.

Okay, you're getting bored, I'll fast forward. . .

I got everything tacked without a hitch and then started to TIG
everything. I REMOVED all of the cans to their proper storage room
and switched the TIG back to remote and High Frequency start.

Now... I should tell there was one can of spray paint still on the
table, but it was 10' away from where I was TIG welding. I don't know
if it was touching the sculpture or just very close, but, the instant
I hit the foot pedal, a wave of HEAT washed over me, it was a very
disorienting feeling too...

I lifted my hood and checked my left side for flames and was shocked
to see a fireball 5' high on the far end of my table... black smoke
billowing. I saw the can and realized what happened... I knocked it
to the floor and now I had a 4' flame on the table and a new 5' fire
on the ground about 4 feet away from my motorcycle.

I kicked the can outside and used the extinguisher on the flames.

Let's just say, the studio is still standing, the bike is unharmed and
I was shaken, but not burned. This could have gone VERY differently
If I didn't have a 17' ceiling and my 14' door opened... or if the can
had been closer to ME when it spewed paint.

Yes.. using the cans for spacers was stupid. No one needs to point
this out to me.

I can only presume the HF ran through the can and blew a hole (and
sparked) as it jumped to the sculpture.

The can was 10' away and on the backside of the piece... I honestly
didn't know it was even there. My little story is just a warning to
everyone...

Glad I'm here to tell it...

James, Port Orchard (near seattle, washington, USA, Earth)

www.jameskelseystudios.com