# Sparky...a question



## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

Whenever I grind steel I use a wet rag under the grinder where the sparks hit the bench. Then I start to think obsessive thoughts, like how I dare not leave the house for a few hours, to be sure there isn't some smoldering ember hidden in the sawdust swept under the bench.
*Has anyone ever experienced a fire caused by grinding sparks? * I mean, not so much where sparks fall into an open container of Naphtha, but under reasonably broom-clean shop floors with some degree of awareness for typical safety procedures.


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## mtenterprises (Jan 10, 2011)

Yes I have at least a couple times since I'm often doing metalworking in my woodshop. I wouldn't say your wet rag is obsessive just prudent fore thought that many of us don't always engage.
But I must tell you of one time that could have had disasterious results. I was working with several friends in one friends old barn. We were doing all kinds of work, everybody has different projects going on so there is lots of noise and activity. Well here I am using a 4 1/2" grinder on some metal and I've got sparks flying everywhere. Setting a few feet away was a box of fireworks, yup you got it I lit it off. We had all kinds of things making noise then firecrackers, bottle rockets, sky rockets one would ignite another then another. Now with all the noise and my sparks no one really noticed right away but then someoone did and quickly took the box outside and separated things so it wasn't a total loss in fireworks. Now as I said the was a friends old barn tinder dry with a wooden floor with wide spaces between the boards where much dust and debries collected and you can see how this could have become a disaster. We were lucky and after that we were much more careful. So I feel that you are very prudent.
MIKE


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

Thanks, Mike!
I'm about to convert some old files and other iron into scraping tools and lathe tools. Yes, those 4 1/2 grinders really put out the sparks! I'll be using primarily 6" and 8" grindstones. I just realized there's no extinguisher in the shop, so I'll go buy one. If I was working out in the garage it wouldn't matter so much, but it's -10 right now and there's no heat out there. btw, who was brave enough to salvage the unlit rockets while the rest were going off? WOW!!


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## REO (Sep 20, 2012)

I have never had a fire from grinding sparks. I have tried to set dust on fire with them on purpose. The only place that anything happened was very close to the wheel where the majority of the sparks would hit while still carrying heat(visibly bright) and then I had to carefully blow on them to get them to burn. Even for heavy removal I believe that your wet rag will suffice until it dries out. use a shallow pan with water in it for more security.


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## patron (Apr 2, 2009)

this happened to me a couple of years ago

_

we have all had the occasional "sparks " ,
last night i was using my new spline jig for box corners ,
with a stacked dado setup ,
and got some sparks where i cut through some light gauge pinner brads .
( they were in the jig itself ) , it's happened at times in the past ,
and as they are soft and the tools can handle it ,
i didn't think much of it , and procceded working .
the little smoke , was like the usual dull or hard wood type ,
not to be concerned with to much , just slow down .
and as i was end plowing , i was concerned about tearout .
and more concerned about the safety of this new operation,
i proceded cautiosly along .

but i started thinking the lingering smoke wasn't thining out as it usualy does ,
and then out of the corner of my eye , i started seeing dancing lite down at the base of the saw .
finish cut and check it out .
as i don't have a vacumn set up yet , the sawdust piles up at the base of the chute .

wow ! FLAMES ! , inside the saw ! fanned by the wind from the dado blades !
go get the extinguisher , ( i can't find anything in my shop , but i always know where the extinguisher is )

pull the pin , and to the rescue !
only the extiguisher is dead ! nada !

it's the stringy saw dust from rip dadoes .
get a stick , and clean it out of the saw .
mound of regular sawdust with flames abounding !

there goes 10 years of building my house and shop !
and i'll never finish this box !

get some water , and pour it on the flames , 3 trips to the kitchen .
bring one extra , just in case .

back to work, thanks God !

merrily muddleing along , then more smoke ?
now the regular sawdust is like a coal fire , just slowly spreading
inside off the pile , no flames !

o.k. , more water , hand over sawdust , checking , more water .

well , i got it out , and finished the box !
but stayed up 2 hours just to be sure .

now it's off to the store for more extinguishers .

i am glad i didn't have a vacumn set up yet , as this would have happened
downstairs out of sight !

is there a spark arrestor for the vacumn line before the collector ?
how does it work ?
where do i find one ?

please work safe , and keep your eyes and nose peeled !

thanks !


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

*WOW!*

Talking about the Devil! No more than said… *and it HAPPENS!!*

*Yes! Thank you God for taking care of that situation!*

*Glad you got it, David…* the box, I mean… *you finished THAT BOX! LOL (kidding)*

That would have been horrible!

*Happy New Year!*


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

I've had the smolders under my TS after cutting steel with an abrasive wheel (yes, I know it's not good for the saw-but I hated that saw anyway). Another thing to watch out for is grinding around fine steel wool. It will smolder, gradually burning up the steel wool, and can burst into flame. I've learned also not to wear polyester sweatshirts while grinding, as the sparks, especially from an angle grinder, will melt holes in synthetics. Cotton or wool are okay. And I hate cutting aluminum while wearing fleece, as the chips cling like burrs. No fire, but the sticking may be because the chips are hot for a half-second as they come off the saw.


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

I threw some sparks towards a cotton buff wheel unknowingly. I left to feed the horses and when I came back the shop was full of smoke and the buff wheel was flaming. I have set sawdust on fire with my metal chopsaw as well. Scary! I do have 2 fire extinguishers in my shop and I always am sniffing for smoke before I lock up for the night. I've heard that smoke alarms don't work well in a shop environment as the sawdust in the air will set them off (but can't verify this).


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

Yup , same healthy fear of a sneaky fire happening from grinding in the shop.


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## TedW (May 6, 2012)

I was sharpening a chisel with my belt sander and the dust bag caught fire from the inside. In retrospect, I probably should have removed the bag.


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## lwllms (Jun 1, 2009)

We grind a lot of steel in our shop. I've put water proof covers on the electric receptacles so piled up grinding swarf can't collect on top of an electric plug where it can short things out. We have dust collection to the three grinders used most often but everything goes into a metal drop box/separator before it goes through several feet of clear duct to the dust collector. I've never seen a spark get into the clear duct work but I do worry what would happen if sparks made it to the filter. I do know that grinding dust isn't good for us and we make an effort to control it.


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## Dustmite97 (Aug 1, 2009)

I always have the same fear when sharpening chisels. I get paranoid and always do a thorough clean up around the grinder before I use it.


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

good thread poopiekat. Its always worried me, especially when I'm welding. I try to weld in the empty bay. In the summer I'll take it outside.

I try to not grind before I leave the shop to.


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## MR_Cole (Jun 1, 2012)

I started a fire in my crappy hitachi belt sander. The dust collection was not good at all on it and while deburring a bunch of rods for my homemade jointer, a spark got stuck in a pile of dust. Good thing i had just replaced my non working fire detector. I heard it go off and went downstairs to my shop, and sure enough, alot of the plastic parts on the sander had been melted and there were multiple embers inside. I now make sure that any tool that is used for both metal and wood, gets totally cleaned of dust before I get the sparks going.


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## Whitewalls (Dec 30, 2012)

I used to be a machinist, and the first shop i worked in wasn't the cleanest. They had a box of oily rags next to the upright grinder and I was grinding down a piece of steel for a tool I was making and started to smell smoke. damn rags were smokin away.

As for sawdust, I haven't had sawdust catch per say, but I've had an Orbital sander start on fire inside the housing. I never cleaned it out and the only thing I can figure is that with all the friction, it started a small fire in it. Now I clean them out with the air hose.


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## crank49 (Apr 7, 2010)

This is a big concern for me as well. I don't think your precautions are any thing but being justifiably prudent.

I have started a fire on more than one occasion. Fortunately I never lost control and all were promptly extinguished.

One big surprise for me was what happens to* aluminum dust* when it is bombarded by *iron sparks*. Hint, remember those old flash pictures where the photographer had a tray of some flash powder. I think I determined how that powder is made. I made a flash tray about 18" wide and 12 feet long; without knowing what I was doing till I set that sucker off..


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## 33706 (Mar 5, 2008)

Thanks for all the great replies, guys! But then, I learned about a few more things to be obsessive about! It's odd for me, getting ready on a Saturday morning to go make stuff, then realize I'd better start by grinding cutters first knowing I can be home later to watch for smouldering combustibles. Lots of great input here, I'm definitely going to pay even more attention to what's potentially hazardous. Jeez, belt sanders? They weren't even on my suspect list!! Gracias!


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

DonW- Thanks for reminding me of my worst screw up ever! I was welding on my log splitter and set the hydraulic fluid afire which rapidly spread to the gas tank! And it was inside my shop. Thank God the fire extinguisher was working! Had to throw those jeans away though!


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## Dusty56 (Apr 20, 2008)

*"Had to throw those jeans away though!"* Tell us why ! LMAO : )


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

Just a word about fire extinguishers: They should be hung next to each exit. That way (a) anyone can find them with a shout, and (b) if there's a fire you're likely headed that way anyway.

My insurance company checks once a year to see that they are there and that they are charged. It's less than 50 bucks annually to have them tended to. And, based on reading this thread, worth the attention! Thank you!

Kindly,

Lee


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## donwilwol (May 16, 2011)

gfadvm, I was welding a couple weeks ago. Smelt something burning. Then felt the heat on my left angle. My sock was on fire under my jeans. Jeans have a hole to but are salvageable. Nothing serous, just a reminder.

How did the log splitter fare?


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Don W- I burned up more socks than you can imagine when I built over a mile of pipe fence at my new place! No damage to the splitter. I'm just amazed the gas tank didn't explode! It was my dad's splitter (now mine) and he would have killed me if I'd burned it up. It's 38 years old, on its second engine and cylinder, and still earns its keep by heating my house.


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## carguy460 (Jan 3, 2012)

Ha! Good thread - I've ignited clothing more than once back when I used to weld alot.

I never really gave grinder sparks a thought until I learned of a wind turbine that caught fire…the guys were using a right angle grinder on a broken bolt in the nacelle (machine head) and the sparks ignited the thing. One man was killed as a result. Now I'm a bit more aware that those "cool" sparks still have potential for disaster.


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## helluvawreck (Jul 21, 2010)

Poopie, you could have a metal pan made out of sheet metal and put it behind your grinder so it catches the sparks from the wheels.

David, that was a close call and I'm glad it wasn't more serious.

helluvawreck aka Charles
http://woodworkingexpo.wordpress.com


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