Last night I had a bit of a scary (then funny) moment working on some parts for the Demon. I purchased some spindles and they arrived - and looked like they had been sitting in mud since 1975 or so. I clean them up and need to grind a little excess off to put my calipers on - no big deal. I grind away with the angle grinder.

Well, I'm done grinding and literally at least an hour has passed as I have cleaned the spindles, mocked up the brakes, and painted the plates. As I am cleaning up I take some Brake Clean to clean my hands and arms with and am spraying it on them over the trash can when VOOM!!!!!!!! The trash can erupts with a flame about 6 feet high - illustration for dramatic effect - I'm leaning over the trash can when this happens. This is IN my garage, next to my hot water heater, and about 2' from my Demon. Well when the flame erupts - it also ignites the Brake Clean on my hands and forearms - so I'm on fire as well.

Thinking quickly - I grab a stack of dirty rags to try and smother it - bad idea. Rags are dirty with oil, gas, and brake clean. Holy crap!!!!! another VOOM!!!! - BTW - I'm still on fire. There is some flame on my hot water heater blanket - so I smack that out, then make a quick decision - Save the Demon. I throw open the side door grab the blazing inferno that is my trash can - and do my best Richard Pryor imitation running full speed into my backyard. Now - my hand and arms re-ignite and my shirt catches as there must have been some brake clean on it as well.

Drop the burning can, get the fire out on me, grab the hose and extinguish said blaze. Mind you, I think (can't say for sure) that I was screaming like a little girl the entire time.

I come in the house and there sits my wife and daughters - oblivious to the fact that I nearly became a piece of Sizzlean. I ask them if they heard any screaming? No is the reply (hey, maybe I handled it in manly fashion afterall). I ask them if they heard the hose going? My wife replies, "Yes - why would you have the water on when it is this cold and late - and what is that smell? Did you burn something?" I just walk away knowing my place in the household.

I faired pretty well in the whole gig, all things considered. My eyeballs sting (must have been from the first unexpected fireball - or possibly the second one), my eye-lashes and brows are singed, I have no hair on my left hand to about 2" above my wrist, no hair on my right hand and up the outside of my arm to about 3" below my elbow, and my skin is a tad tender - but no visible damage.

Smarter and wiser, I will be buying a fire extinguisher for the garage today.

Dang demon, what you trying to do?? LOL What caused the fireball in the first place?

Ted

UH BESIDES THE FIRE HAZZARD.THAT STUFF WILL GO RIGHT THROUGH YOUR SKIN INTO YOUR BLOODSTREAM AND IT CAN CAUSE LIVER DAMAGE AND CANCER.I WOULD BE VERY CAREFUL OF USING IT TO CLEAN YOURSELF OFF.SORRY IF I SOUND LIKE IM PREACHING.BUT I LOST A FELLOW WORKER.HE ALWAYS DID THAT.HIS FAMILY SAID HIS LIVER DAMAGE WAS CAUSED BY ALL THE SOLVENTS HIS BODY HAD ASSORBED OVER THE TWENTY FIVE YEARS AS A DIESEL TECH.

Bill, I'm glad your ok

But, if you wanted to look like the demon, couldn't you have just gotten a tattoo.

I did something similar a few years back.

I was cleaning with brake parts cleaner, left an oily residue on the edge of the concrete pad in front of the shop, and then started grinding about 10 feet away and didn't think a thing about it until "WOOF!"

I looked behind me and there was a nice flame coming off the stuff that I had left on the gravel!

Well at least you survived the trauma. Now you know why you dont see us use the stuff around sparks or flame. Safety first

In all seriousness fire is nothing to play around with.

Water heaters have started many fires when in flammable environments. I always kill the power to mine when I use flammable solvents or paint in my shop. Glad you're OK!

Wow Bill, close call!!
Very glad to hear you are ok!
I will be thinking twice next time I use those cleaning solvents.
Ed

Wow fire is crazy intense at times glad you are able to look back it. Were you using any solvents besides the brake clean that you threw in the trash.

fire extinguisher is a mandatory shop accessory period, fires can get out of hand real fast. i have a 20# purple K filled and a water extinguisher in the shop as well as a 5# halon in the trailer.

fwiw not all cleaning products are the same. some brake cleaner is non chlorinated and some has TCE in it. TCE in the presence of flame type heat generates Phosgene a chemical warfare gas used in WWI. imho the TCE stuff works better and dries faster but it has it's drawbacks that's for sure

Wow Bill.. Thats messed up man... If something happened to you... who would I buy my Brad Penn oil from?? Or what about the PPP shifter and all the videos you've sold me over the years..

You cant leave a race car junky like myself hanging without a deale... I mean supplier.. Shame on you!! You have to think about your customers first..

Burning yourself up in your garage is just plain selfish.. shame shame shame..

Seriously.. Glad you're ok, glad the Duster.. I mean Demon is ok and really happy to hear there was no serious damage.. This could have turned into a real ugly story and thankfully you kept your senses and put the fire out..

That`s a serious wake up call for everyone.......glad you and yours are ok.

JamesSC, you know more about it than I do. This sounds ignorant but I assumed that all brake cleaners were not flammable. In my younger days we tried to use some to start a fire and it wouldn't burn (at all). Exremely volatile, yes, combustible no. Fortunately now we know there's a difference in products.

Thanks

afaik the cleaners based on chlorinated hydrocarbons Trichloroethylene (TCE) are not flammable however when exposed to higher temperatures thermally degrade into other (NASTY) chemicals. they have begun to use hydrocarbon based cleaners based on the toxicity of the TCE not that the hydrocarbon based stuff is that much better. look on the cans it will tell you. like i said personally i prefer the TCE based stuff especially for anything' you're going to usa paint or adhesive on as it dries fast and clean.

Yea, NEVER EVER EVER clean your skin with parts, carb or brake cleaner. It stings for a reason...

I have a 25x20 2 car garage. I have FOUR fire extingushers mounted in each corner.

One upon a time I was cleaning a trans pan out with brake clean over my garage sink (yea, I know but didn't have a parts washer back then) and the sink was next to the hot water heater. Guess what happned? Not VOOM, but BOOM! How I just got minor singes and burns is beyond me, but the concussion was enough to have a neighbor call 911 after he saw the flaming mess in my sink from accross the street. I got a pretty good butt chewing by the fire captain...AND learned a very valuable lesson.

Thanks for the post funny, serious, and you made us all think about our own safety.