VOOM!!!!!!!!!!
#207609
01/29/09 12:02 PM
01/29/09 12:02 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,746 Riverside, California
Lil Demon
OP
master
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OP
master
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,746
Riverside, California
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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.
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Re: VOOM!!!!!!!!!!
[Re: Diego_Ted]
#207612
01/29/09 12:22 PM
01/29/09 12:22 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,746 Riverside, California
Lil Demon
OP
master
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OP
master
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,746
Riverside, California
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Quote:
Dang demon, what you trying to do?? LOL What caused the fireball in the first place?
Ted
I have no idea - maybe a spark from the grinder had something smoldering in the bottom of the can is all I can figure. Weird though - and completely unexpected.
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Re: VOOM!!!!!!!!!!
[Re: 64hemi330sedan]
#207613
01/29/09 12:22 PM
01/29/09 12:22 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,746 Riverside, California
Lil Demon
OP
master
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OP
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,746
Riverside, California
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Quote:
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.
Whoa!!! Really? I had no idea. OK - that practice stops RTF Now.
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Re: VOOM!!!!!!!!!!
[Re: Lil Demon]
#207614
01/29/09 12:28 PM
01/29/09 12:28 PM
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Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 10,542 BROOK PARK, OH
WILD BILL
Senior Member of the Junior Dragster Club
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Senior Member of the Junior Dragster Club
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 10,542
BROOK PARK, OH
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Bill, I'm glad your ok
But, if you wanted to look like the demon, couldn't you have just gotten a tattoo.
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Re: VOOM!!!!!!!!!!
[Re: WILD BILL]
#207615
01/29/09 12:33 PM
01/29/09 12:33 PM
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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Anonymous
Unregistered
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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!
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Re: VOOM!!!!!!!!!!
[Re: 68Fastback]
#207620
01/29/09 01:16 PM
01/29/09 01:16 PM
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,746 Riverside, California
Lil Demon
OP
master
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OP
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Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 3,746
Riverside, California
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Quote:
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.
Nope.
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Re: VOOM!!!!!!!!!!
[Re: Lil Demon]
#207622
01/29/09 01:38 PM
01/29/09 01:38 PM
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Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 8,094 Sunnyvale, CA
Jeepmon
master
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master
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 8,094
Sunnyvale, CA
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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..
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Re: VOOM!!!!!!!!!!
[Re: Al_Alguire]
#207628
01/29/09 04:50 PM
01/29/09 04:50 PM
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 8,647 ELYRIA,OH
blownzoom440
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Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 8,647
ELYRIA,OH
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Quote:
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.
that is a scary moment! i had 1 like that as a kid[8yrs old]a friend lit a garbage can on fire but did not know there was an aerosal can in it.big mushroom flame[10 ft tall]burned the skin off his arm and hair on his head.i dragged him to a drinking fountain and cooled the burns untel EMS got there that someone called from the noise.you dont forget that stuff.i hope you have no lasting effects!
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