Author Topic: scary true story  (Read 1820 times)

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Offline stuckinthemud

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scary true story
« on: August 02, 2019, 10:30:02 am »
Hi Guys,
So, I am in the middle of a long day of heat treating, second round of work coming to an end, nearly lunchtime. I picked up my heat gun, switched on, nothing, thermal cut-out right?  Time for lunch.  Put the gun down on my cluttered wooden bench, checked the stave was tied down right and started to depart.  Heat gun switched itself back on.  Imagine if I hadn't stopped to check the tie-downs.  I hadn't put the switch back to off, and I hadn't turned the power off at the wall.  An hours lunch break with the heat gun playing onto a wooden bench top, you do the math.

Offline Bryce

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Re: scary true story
« Reply #1 on: August 02, 2019, 10:33:19 am »
That’s why yah always unplug your tools when leaving the shop. Took me awhile to get habitual about that
Clatskanie, Oregon

Offline osage outlaw

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Re: scary true story
« Reply #2 on: August 02, 2019, 10:44:06 am »
That’s why yah always unplug your tools when leaving the shop. Took me awhile to get habitual about that

I unplug mine and set it on the concrete floor when I'm done. 
I started out with nothin' and I still got most of it left

Offline Badger

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Re: scary true story
« Reply #3 on: August 02, 2019, 10:50:25 am »
    That is a good example of how normally safety conscious people can still make a catastrophic mistake. Unplugging is a good habit to get into.

Offline stuckinthemud

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Re: scary true story
« Reply #4 on: August 02, 2019, 11:09:38 am »
My master switch is next to the door, but I only flick it off when I lock up at night,  I need to develop better working habits

Offline Pat B

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Re: scary true story
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2019, 02:52:13 pm »
I unplug my heatgun when I'm done and make sure it is upright on a stable surface to cool. I even keep our toaster, can opener and coffee maker unplugged until I use them. Heard too many horror stories.  (A)
Make the most of all that comes and the least of all that goes!    Pat Brennan  Brevard, NC

Offline Stoner

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Re: scary true story
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2019, 04:56:51 pm »
I shut off my air compressor in the stone shop. Heard horror stories. John

Offline PaSteve

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Re: scary true story
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2019, 05:06:11 pm »
You can never be too cautious. Glad to hear everything turned out ok. Worked in a commercial kitchen for years. One day a coworker turned the steam table on but the pilot had somehow gone out. He noticed the steam table wasn't getting hot. When he went to light it manually half the kitchen almost blew up and it rocketed him about 10 feet across the kitchen. The space under the steam table had filled up with natural gas. He wasn't a rookie either but he sure made a rookie mistake that day.
"It seems so much more obvious with bows than with other matters, that we are the guardians of the prize we seek." Dean Torges

Offline jareddchazen

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Re: scary true story
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2019, 07:28:49 pm »
At work we have an air compressor in a bit of a closet off in one corner of the shop. It's hardwired into the breaker panel which is about 4 feet from it. Small air leak in our system causes it to kick on periodically even when we're not in the shop. Couple weeks ago, one guy was using the sand blast cabinet and just as the boss and I walked in to that area of the shop, the air stopped. I just happen to look over and the motor was spewing sparks and flames. We got it repaired/motor replaced, but my boss still doesn't seem to get the possible danger.

We also once had someone leave a rebar soldering iron that gets up to 1300 degrees plugged in all weekend. We were lucky that the conductor in it broke. The stands we use for them are a couple nails in a 2x4 and I've seen people leave them sitting on for as little as 20 minutes and the wood starts to cook.

Unplugging electric tools is a must.

Jared